Your manuscript stays on your computer

Asten has no account, no cloud storage, and no telemetry, and your manuscript is not used for training. Your project is a single file on your own disk, and you can export it to open formats at any time.

Try the pre-alpha How Asten works

In short

Asten is local-first: every project lives in a SQLite database file on your computer (asten.db, in the operating system’s app-data folder). There is no account, no sync service, and no telemetry, and Verne never receives your manuscript. You can export to Markdown, plain text, Fountain, HTML, .docx, EPUB, or Final Draft (.fdx) at any time.

One file

Projects, scenes, facts, comments, snapshots, and marks live in asten.db on your disk.

No account

Nothing to sign up for, nothing to log into, nothing to lose access to.

No sync, no telemetry

Asten doesn’t phone home. Verne can’t see your book because Verne never receives it.

Never trained on

Your manuscript will never be used to train a model, by Verne or anyone Verne works with.

Open exits

Export to open formats any time. Copy the database file to back it up.

Works offline

The desktop app needs no network connection. The Word and Docs add-ins depend on those apps.

Example: working offline

Your computer

asten.db · 81,240 words · saved

Verne

receives: nothing

Why does local-first matter for writers?

Cloud-only tools ask you to trust that the service stays up, stays affordable, keeps your account in good standing, and keeps its promises about your data. For an unpublished novel, that’s a lot of trust. Local-first software flips the default: your copy is the real one, and anything networked is optional. More in Why your manuscript should live on your own computer.

How should I back up an Asten project?

Take named snapshots in the desk before big revisions.
Copy asten.db to a backup drive or your own cloud folder, ideally while Asten is closed.
Export to Markdown or .docx now and then, so a readable copy exists outside Asten.
Keep three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one somewhere else.

And this website?

The same principle applies here. This site sets no cookies, runs no analytics, loads no third-party fonts or scripts, and shows no ads. The only thing it stores is your light or dark theme choice, in your own browser, if you change it. See the privacy policy.

About local-first

Where does Asten store my manuscript?

Asten stores each project in a SQLite file called asten.db in your operating system’s application-data folder. It never leaves your computer unless you copy it.

Does Asten need an internet connection?

No. Asten works fully offline. The optional Word and Google Docs add-ins need those apps, but your Asten data stays local.

Can Verne read my manuscript?

No. Asten has no account, sync, or telemetry, so Verne never receives your manuscript.

Other features

The desk Canon checks Cast Two clocks World The compiler Method packs Word & Google Docs

Try the pre-alpha

Open the workbench in your browser on a sample novel, or download release 0.0.1b for Windows or Linux.

Try the pre-alpha Download for Windows or Linux