Support / Help
Protecting Your Work
Bookshaper protects your manuscripts with two independent safety nets: automatic local backups and encrypted cloud sync. Both are enabled by default so your work is protected from the moment you start writing.
Auto-Backup
Auto-Backup creates timestamped ZIP archives of your entire project at regular intervals. Each backup is a complete snapshot that includes chapters, scenes, front and back matter, characters, locations, notebook entries, and all project settings.
How it works
- Backups run on a configurable interval (default: every 30 minutes).
- Each backup is saved as a compressed ZIP file with a timestamped filename, for example:
black-machetes_backup_2026-03-28_14-30-00.zip - The default backup location is
~/Documents/Bookshaper Backups/. You can change this to any folder in Project Settings. - A retention limit (default: 10 backups) automatically removes the oldest archives when the limit is exceeded, so backups do not consume unbounded disk space.
- Backups are stored separately from your project files, so deleting or moving your project does not affect your backups.
Configuring Auto-Backup
Open Project Settings > Auto-Backup to adjust:
- Enable / Disable — Toggle automatic backups on or off for this project.
- Backup Location — Choose where backups are stored on your computer.
- Backup Frequency — Choose an interval: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 2 hours, or 4 hours.
- Maximum Backups — Set how many backups to keep (1–100). Older backups are removed automatically.
Cloud Sync
Cloud Sync automatically uploads an encrypted copy of your project to the cloud after each save. It protects against hardware failure, theft, or accidental loss, and lets you recover your work on any device by signing in.
Zero-knowledge encryption
Your manuscripts are encrypted on your device before they leave your computer. The server stores only the encrypted archive and has no access to your plaintext content.
- AES-256-GCM — The same encryption standard used by banks and governments.
- Unique encryption key — Derived from your account using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations. No one else can decrypt your work.
- Fresh initialization vector — Every upload uses a new random IV, so identical content produces different encrypted output each time.
How sync works
- After your project is saved to disk, Bookshaper creates a compressed archive, encrypts it, and uploads it in the background.
- Sync is non-blocking. You can keep writing while the upload happens.
- A minimum of 5 minutes is enforced between uploads to avoid unnecessary traffic during rapid editing.
- Bookshaper uses content-based hashing (SHA-256) to detect changes. If nothing has changed since the last sync, the upload is skipped.
Status bar indicator
The status bar at the bottom of the editor shows the current sync state:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Syncing | Your project is being uploaded to the cloud. |
| Synced | The cloud copy matches your local project. The timestamp shows when the last sync completed. |
| Conflict | The cloud copy differs from your local project. You will be prompted to choose which version to keep. |
| Sync failed | The upload did not complete. Bookshaper will retry on the next save. Hover over the indicator for details. |
| Checking | Bookshaper is comparing your local project against the cloud copy. This happens automatically when you open a project. |
Conflict Resolution
A conflict occurs when your local project and the cloud copy have both changed independently. This can happen if you edit the same project on two devices, or if a sync was interrupted and changes accumulated on both sides.
When conflicts are detected
Bookshaper checks for conflicts automatically when you open a project. If the content hash of your local files does not match the cloud copy, the status bar shows "Conflict" and a dialog appears with two options:
- Keep Local Version — Upload your current local project to the cloud, overwriting the cloud copy.
- Use Cloud Version — Download the cloud copy and replace your local project files.
You can also dismiss the dialog to defer the decision. The conflict indicator remains in the status bar until you resolve it.
Avoiding conflicts
- Work on one device at a time and wait for sync to complete before switching.
- Check the status bar for "Synced" before closing the app.
- Ensure a stable internet connection so syncs complete successfully.
Restoring Your Work
If your local project is lost or damaged, you have two recovery paths. Both restore the full project including chapters, characters, locations, notebook entries, and settings.
From the cloud
- 1Open Bookshaper and sign in. This works on a new machine too — just sign in and your projects are there.
- 2Go to File > Cloud Projects to browse all your synced projects.
- 3Select the project you want to restore and choose a location on your computer.
- 4Bookshaper downloads, decrypts, and extracts the project. You can open it immediately.
From a local backup
- 1Go to File > Restore from Archive, or press Cmd+Shift+O (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+O (Windows/Linux).
- 2Navigate to your backup folder (default: ~/Documents/Bookshaper Backups/).
- 3Select the timestamped ZIP file you want to restore. Files are named chronologically, so the most recent backup is easy to find.
- 4Choose a destination folder. Bookshaper extracts the archive and opens the restored project.
Settings Reference
Both features are configured per-project in Project Settings (gear icon in the sidebar, or Cmd+,).
Auto-Backup
- Enabled: On by default
- Location: ~/Documents/Bookshaper Backups/
- Interval: 30 minutes (configurable)
- Retention: 10 backups (configurable, 1–100)
Cloud Sync
- Enabled: On by default
- Encryption: AES-256-GCM (zero-knowledge)
- Trigger: After each save
- Min interval: 5 minutes between uploads