Local by default
Your outlines live as portable OPML files in a folder you choose.
Think in outlines.
Move through structure.
Traverse is a macOS outliner for layered information — writing, research, planning, decisions and personal knowledge.
Local OPML filesBuilt for macOSOptional Apple Intelligence
Two ways through
Scan the full outline or follow one branch at a time in columns.
Structure on demand
Focus, filter, number and add attributes only when they help.
Portable output
Move work into OPML, Markdown, CSV or PDF whenever it is ready.
01
Made for layered thinking.
Start with quick notes and rough branches. Reorder, nest and expand ideas as connections appear, without choosing a rigid template up front.
Switch between the complete outline and column views that follow a single path. Focus and filters reduce the noise without changing your source document.
From a research trail to a project plan, one file can hold the overview, working detail and useful metadata — and still remain portable, readable OPML.
02
Key features.
Key features.
One connected outline.
Explore the views and tools that take you from a simple outline to focused, structured work.
03
As simple as a list.
As simple as a list.
As powerful as your work.
Traverse never makes you build a system before you can capture an idea. Begin with plain text and hierarchy, then introduce structure only where it earns its place.
Keep it simple
Just start typing.
Capture, indent, reorder and collapse. A clean outline is always the foundation.
Plan the launch
Clarify the story
Prepare the website
Write the overview
Choose screenshots
Share the first build
Go further
Turn structure into a working system.
Add task states, types, marks and your own metadata. Filter the result without weighing down the outline.
04
Structure when you need it. Speed when you don’t.
Traverse adapts to how your mind works. Add detail in the ways that help you think, then get back to your flow.
Shape
Build structure with outlines or columns. Switch any time.
Focus
Zoom into a branch or filter noise with precision.
Describe
Add attributes and numbering to bring clarity and context.
Share
Export to OPML, Markdown, CSV or PDF in seconds.
05
Give shape to work that refuses to stay flat.
Outliners are useful whenever order is emerging rather than fixed. Traverse keeps that process fluid, from the first rough list to a detailed working document.
Writing and story development
Move from a loose collection of ideas to chapters, scenes or arguments. Use columns to follow one thread while the wider structure stays intact.
Research and synthesis
Gather sources, observations and questions in one hierarchy. Add types or custom fields, then filter the outline to compare related material.
Projects, tasks and decisions
Break outcomes into practical next steps, mark task states and keep the reasoning behind important decisions alongside the work.
Meetings and recurring work
Prepare an agenda, capture notes in context and turn follow-ups into visible tasks without moving them into a separate system.
Personal knowledge
Build a local library of topics, references and evolving thoughts. Focus on one branch when it is time to think deeply or write from it.
Information architecture
Map navigation, content models and taxonomies as a hierarchy, then export clean OPML, Markdown, CSV or PDF for the next stage.
06
Build once.
01
02
Learn about Templates and Snippets
Build once.
Reuse everywhere.
Templates give every new outline a proven starting point. Snippets bring repeatable branches into the outline you’re already shaping.
Templates
Keep regular OPML files in _templates. Start new outlines with their structure, notes and attributes already in place.
Snippets
Keep reusable branches in _snippets. Insert them at any selected node, complete with notes and merged attributes.
07
Your outline is a file,
Your outline is a file,
not a lock-in.
Traverse stores working documents as OPML in a folder you choose. Keep a dedicated local library, with an iCloud sync folder coming to make the same outlines available across your devices. Open compatible files or export clean copies for the rest of your workflow.
Local first. Portable always.
08
Your outlines.
Your outlines.
Now going mobile.
Traverse Outliner Mobile is a separate free companion app for iPhone and iPad, giving you a lightweight way to create new outlines and work with the same portable OPML files away from your Mac.
- Create new outlines wherever ideas arrive
- Open existing OPML files from Files
- Inspect and edit custom attributes
- Reshape an outline and save changes back
09
Start free.
Start free.
Go further with Pro.
Create and edit as many library outlines as you need for free. Upgrade when templates, snippets and advanced tools can move the work along faster.
FeatureFreeTraverse Pro
View every outline✓✓
Unlimited library outlines✓✓
Create from templates—✓
Add reusable snippets—✓
Edit external OPML files—✓
Custom attributes—✓
Focus mode—✓
Advanced filters—✓
Apple Shortcuts—✓
Apple Intelligence—✓