Local boards
A local board lives in a folder on your machine. Draw serves it from one process on your computer. You need no account, database or container. Your agent and your browser edit the same board.
Draw runs on macOS and Linux (glibc), on arm64 and x64. You need git and one of Claude Code, Codex or pi.
Install
Section titled “Install”npm install -g @redcrayonai/draw# Or:bun install -g @redcrayonai/drawKeep optional dependencies on: the installer picks the package for your platform. After that, Draw needs no Node or Bun. Then install the plugin for your agent and restart the agent:
draw install claude-code# Or:draw install codexdraw install piThis is the same plugin that draws on hosted boards. It turns off older Draw plugins it finds and keeps their settings and sign-in.
Open a board
Section titled “Open a board”In your repository, ask your agent:
Create a draw board for this repo./draw:navigate does the same. The agent starts the local server if needed,
opens a board and posts a private link. You can also run draw in the
repository to open the browser yourself; draw --no-open only prints the link.
| You ask for | You get |
|---|---|
| A new board, with no other detail | A local board |
| A hosted board | A board on your account. Sign in through your agent when asked |
| A board link | That board, where it already lives |
Draw never moves a board between the two, and never uploads a local board because you asked to share it.
Draw and review
Section titled “Draw and review”Pick a node kind in the bottom toolbar and click the canvas to place it. Drag to move. Shift-click two nodes and choose Connect selected. Ctrl/Cmd-Z undoes the last 30 edits of this browser session.
Attach code references in the inspector, and click one to read the source from your checkout. Open Review, select a node or edge, and leave a note. The agent replies to the note and resolves it.
Open Conversation to send a message to the agent session that drew the board, or to stop it. Draw never starts a second agent. A message shows as saved, pending, delivered, uncertain or answered. Draw does not send an uncertain message again; check your terminal first.
| Agent | How the board reaches your session |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | Session hooks. Approvals stay in the terminal |
| Codex | The shared app server of that conversation. You can answer command and file approvals from the board |
| pi | An extension in the current session |
Codex permissions
Section titled “Codex permissions”draw install codex shows one summary for local and hosted boards. Board edits
and chat start as Allow. Reading source and uploading it to a hosted board
start as Deny. To change your choices later:
draw permissions codexRestart Codex after a change.
Where boards are kept
Section titled “Where boards are kept”Boards, references, notes and replies are in
~/.redcrayon/local/<hash of the repository path>/boards.json. Draw writes
the file atomically. A board holds at most 2 MiB and a store 32 MiB. Stop the
server before you back the folder up.
Local Draw does not upload your source. The link the server prints carries a credential, so treat it as private. Your agent still sends what it reads to its own model provider.
Update
Section titled “Update”draw update --checkdraw updateAn update does not restart running boards or agents. When Draw says the plugin
files are stale, run draw install <agent> again. Set
DRAW_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to stop the daily check.
What local boards leave out
Section titled “What local boards leave out”Sharing links, workspaces, the dashboard, charts, incidents, threats, branches and walk-throughs need a hosted board or your own server.