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
Three ways to work
Write fluidly, 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.
Move between a fluid Writer view, the complete outline and columns 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
Draft in Writer view, see the whole outline or explore branches in columns.
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
Draft fluidly in Writer view, then shape a loose collection of ideas into 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
Traverse Pro
Shape the outline.
Shape the outline.
Choose the language.
Type and Fountain give every node a role, so the same fast outlining workflow can become a structured Markdown document or a production-ready screenplay file.
Outline with the finished document in mind.
Mark nodes as headings, body text, bullets, numbered lists, quotes, code or dividers. Traverse styles the structure as you work, then turns it into clean semantic Markdown.
Move from story map to screenplay.
Organise scenes, action, characters, dialogue, parentheticals, transitions, sections and synopses in the outline. Character-aware suggestions keep names consistent, and export produces a clean Fountain script.
08
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.
09
Your outlines.
Your outlines.
Now going mobile.
A companion mobile app for Traverse will be available shortly, 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
Companion app coming shortly
10
Start free.
Start free.
Go further with Pro.
Create and edit as many library outlines as you need for free. Upgrade when richer structure, reusable workflows and focused tools can move the work along faster.
FeatureFreeTraverse Pro
Unlimited library outlines✓✓
Writer, Column and Outline views✓✓
Notes, tasks, URLs and marks✓✓
Text search✓✓
OPML, Markdown, Fountain, CSV and PDF export✓✓
Use attributes already in an outline✓✓
Open external OPML filesRead-onlyEdit & save
Add Type and Fountain attributes—✓
Create from templates—✓
Add reusable snippets—✓
Add custom attributes—✓
Focus mode—✓
Attribute filters—✓
Apple Intelligence—✓