Common questions
When something goes wrong, check here first. Every entry ends in a step you can take now.
Won't install, won't open
“The developer cannot be verified”
Folding Mirror isn't signed and notarised with Apple yet, so macOS stops the first launch. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about the blocked app, and click “Open Anyway” once. Only once — it won't ask again.
It quits on launch, or the window is blank
First check you installed the right build: Apple menu → About This Mac, and read the chip line — Apple silicon and Intel are different downloads. If that's right and it still fails, delete the app and download it again; an interrupted download produces exactly these symptoms.
The macOS installer isn't out. This section is here so you have it on the day it is. For now you can write a couple of lines on the sheet on the front page.
Files and data
Where is what I write actually kept?
In the folder you pointed it at, as plain .md. Images live in img/ beside the document, drawings in drawings/, diagrams in diagrams/. If you're not sure which folder is current, look at the bottom row of the sidebar; right-click any file → “Reveal in Finder” takes you straight there.
Is anything uploaded?
No. There is no account, no sync and no telemetry. The only times it goes online are when you use the AI assistant (requests go from your computer straight to the provider you configured) and when it checks for updates (it asks for a version number, nothing else).
I changed a file in Finder and Folding Mirror didn't notice
Normally it notices immediately — it watches that folder. In rare cases (a cloud drive that just synced a large batch, say) click the bottom row of the sidebar and choose the current library again, which rescans it.
Can I get a deleted document back?
Deleting in the sidebar doesn't go through the Trash, but checkpoints for the whole library are kept: press ⇧⌘H for version history, switch to “the whole library”, pick a moment from before the deletion, find the file in the list, and click “Restore this file”.
Can the library live in iCloud or Dropbox?
Yes — it's an ordinary folder. Folding Mirror has no sync of its own, so conflicts are your sync tool's to handle, exactly as with any other program editing .md. Just don't edit the same document from two machines at once.
How do I remove it completely?
Drag the app to the Trash; your documents are unaffected, since they were never inside it. To clear settings and session history too, delete Folding Mirror's folder under ~/Library/Application Support/; the .fm folder in the library holds the checkpoints, and deleting it takes the history with it.
Something looks wrong
A formula won't render
Check that the dollar signs are paired and that there's no space hard against them ($ x $ doesn't count). Pressing ⌘/ to see the source is the quickest check. There's also the “I thought it broke” case: while the caret sits between the pair the formula deliberately stays as source, and moving away renders it.
An image doesn't show
Usually the file was moved, or a hand-written path is wrong. The least effort is to drag it in again — a dragged image is copied into img/ beside the document and Folding Mirror writes the path, which is one fewer thing to get wrong.
The pipes in my table source don't line up. Does that matter?
No. Markdown tables don't require aligned columns, and they render straight regardless. The table you see in Folding Mirror is what it looks like.
Typing “/” didn't open the menu
It only counts at the start of a word (line start, or after a space), and it never appears inside code blocks, formulas, tables or URLs — so that and/or and 24/7 are left alone. Try again on an empty line.
A shortcut does nothing
Search that command in Settings → Shortcuts and see what it's bound to now. If it says unbound, or isn't what you expected, rebind it right there. It may also have been claimed by the system or an input method first (screenshots, input switching), in which case another combination solves it.
Does return misfire while an input method is composing?
No. Folding Mirror knows the composing state, so the return that confirms a candidate is never taken as a command.
Assistant errors
| What it says | What it means, and what to do |
|---|---|
| No API key configured | The key hasn't been entered. Settings → Providers & models, fill it in, save. Steps are on the assistant page. |
| The request returned an HTML page | The address or message format is wrong, so the request hit a web page instead of an API. Re-selecting the provider from the dropdown is quickest — the preset fixes address and format together. |
| Connection failed | The network is unreachable, or the key is invalid or out of credit. Click “Test connection” to see what it reports. |
| The model returned an error | Usually a mistyped model ID, or a model your account can't use. Click “Fetch models” and pick from the list. |
| It only chats, it won't touch my document | Switch to a model that supports tool calls — every entry in the model menu is marked for it. |
The assistant made a mess of my document
A checkpoint is taken before the assistant acts, every time (labelled “before assistant edit”). Press ⇧⌘H for version history and restore that one. To avoid it entirely, leave approval mode on manual, where every edit waits for your nod.
About the app itself
Is there a Windows or iPad build?
Only macOS 12 and later for now.
Is there a dark mode?
Not yet. The interface comes in paper only — this version was made to be a sheet of paper.
What does it cost? Will it become a subscription?
A one-time purchase: pay once, keep it, not a subscription. The price will be published with the release build. As for AI, Folding Mirror sells no credits — you use your own key, and the bill is between you and your provider.
Still stuck
Try the manual's contents first — most “how do I” questions have steps on the matching page. The features page is also a quick way to see what is actually in here.