- Category
- Productivity
- Rank
- No. 234Apps board
Previous survey · No. 224 ·
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- GitHub
- 1 stars
- Date
About
An open-source writing prototype that lets readers open nested layers within a document. Writers can edit the text in existing layers and save changes.
At a glance
Layered is an experimental writing and reading app where a shaded sentence opens a longer page, which can contain further layers. Try the browser demo if you want to explore explanations at different levels of detail. The reading idea is tangible, but test the authoring controls before relying on it for a real document.
Good fit
Exploring how an essay or technical explanation might let readers choose where to go deeper. In the demo, opening a sentence made its explanation the foreground page while the surrounding text faded behind it. This keeps the summary connected to its detail instead of sending the reader to a separate document. A small prototype is a sensible first use.
Consider something else when
You need a finished publishing workflow or a familiar document format to hand to someone else. The supplied transfer format is Layered JSON, and the project calls itself a prototype. You should also establish that adding new layers works with your browser and input method before committing substantial writing.
Start here
Open the live demo linked from the repository and click a shaded sentence. The documentation uses Option-click to return, with trackpad gestures as another navigation method. Click blank space on the page to edit. A synthetic sentence added inside an existing layer survived a reload and reopening that layer. To create a new layer, the documented path is to select text in one paragraph and choose Add depth, or Command-plus on Mac and Ctrl-plus elsewhere.
Cost and requirements
The public demo starts without an account, payment or installation. The source is Apache-2.0 licensed and uses React, TypeScript and TipTap. For a local development copy, the README requires Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+, then npm install and npm run dev. Local setup was not exercised. Autosave uses this browser's local storage; use the documented Export JSON control for a separate backup or transfer through Import.
Limits to know
Reading an existing layer and saving a text edit worked in the browser trial. Creating a new child page did not: Add depth remained disabled after selection and the shortcut attempt, so authoring success is unverified. Export/import, gestures, large documents and accessibility were not tested. Clearing browser site data removes the stored document. Reset sample replaces the current document; preserve a JSON backup before using it.
Sources checked 2026-11-05. Source-based assessment.
- github.com/aartoghrul/layered/blob/fa759111d9dc3588097f1183d6af996ea2bdaef5/README.md
- github.com/aartoghrul/layered/blob/fa759111d9dc3588097f1183d6af996ea2bdaef5/package.json
- github.com/aartoghrul/layered/blob/fa759111d9dc3588097f1183d6af996ea2bdaef5/src/store.ts
- github.com/aartoghrul/layered/blob/fa759111d9dc3588097f1183d6af996ea2bdaef5/src/App.tsx
- github.com/aartoghrul/layered/blob/fa759111d9dc3588097f1183d6af996ea2bdaef5/src/editor/PageEditor.tsx
- aartoghrul.github.io/layered/
Why it made the leaderboard
Offers a new way to read and write long-form text where readers control their own depth of detail instead of scrolling through a single flat document.
Intel on Layered
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