Your Mac. Your production.
Let’s get your first production underway. Follow the setup steps, find your way around the tools, and learn how to back up your work.
Install AppleBoxe
AppleBoxe for Mac isn’t available to download yet — we’re still working on it. When it opens, sign in and visit Downloads for the signed, Apple-notarized installer that matches your Mac.
- Sign in to AppleBoxe and confirm your account email. Complete your authenticator challenge if you have two-factor authentication enabled.
- Open Apple menu → About This Mac. Choose Apple silicon for an M-series chip or Intel for an Intel processor. The Mac must run macOS 12 or later.
- Download the matching DMG, open it and drag AppleBoxe into Applications.
- Open AppleBoxe from Applications. A fresh install opens an empty production library, ready for your first project.
If macOS reports that the installer is damaged, its developer cannot be verified or it contains malware, stop and download a fresh copy from your account. Do not remove quarantine attributes or disable Gatekeeper to make it run.
Start your first production
- Select New production, give it a title and choose its format.
- Open Script to write or import a Fountain, FDX, text or searchable PDF screenplay. Image-only PDFs need a searchable text version first.
- Review the breakdown before planning. Check scene headings, characters, locations and props against the actual pages.
- Add your crew, cast, budget and shoot days. Generate plans only when you want a proposed starting point, then review the result.
- Choose a shoot day to prepare call sheets and sides. Export the PDFs to share with your crew.
Saved changes stay in this Mac’s library. Check the save status before closing an editor; a failed save keeps your draft open so you can retry. To move a supported production between the Mac and your account, open Web sync, approve the matching code in your browser, then choose whether to upload, download or reconcile changes.
Connect optional AI
Writing and manual production work run offline. AI extraction, story analysis, script coverage and AI planning require an internet connection and your own Anthropic API account.
- Open Preferences and enter your Anthropic API key.
- Select Save to encrypt the key using the system keychain. If secure storage is unavailable, the save fails and the existing key is preserved.
- Select Test key to make a small request to Anthropic. This uses your API account and can incur API charges.
- Run the AI feature from your screenplay. The selected screenplay and relevant context are sent to Anthropic for that request. Review generated results before using them in production.
Preferences masks your saved key, and the app uses it only for your AI requests. It is separate from your AppleBoxe web subscription. Removing the key disables new AI requests; local writing and records remain available. Correction feedback does not automatically train a model.
Keep the production in step
Save a reference draft before revising
In the Script editor’s actions menu, select Create Snapshot before revising. Turn on Changes to compare the current text with the latest saved snapshot. Amber marks changed blocks; green marks added blocks. Review marks stay on screen and do not appear in your exported screenplay.
After saving, open Script Changes to review affected departments and shoot days. Apply supported character and location additions or renames after checking them. Review removals and scene assignments in their own tools. Mark reviewed acknowledges the changes you saw; a later save remains available for review.
Prepare the day
Choose the right screenplay in Schedule and assign its scenes to a shoot day. Scene 12A stays separate from scene 12. Set performers and manual scene assignments in Cast, then check Day Out of Days. Use Shot plan for framing, movement and equipment, and Storyboard for frame descriptions and camera notes.
In Props, track approved items, record dressing and contacts in the Pull List, and check the daily list. Open a call-sheet draft from its shoot day, review the people and props, then select Save. Export after the save is confirmed.
Keep the handoff complete
Daily reports retain times, completed scenes, eighth-page totals and production notes. Crew onboarding stores forms, private attachments and manually recorded receipts locally. Export documents through the Save dialog for an approved handoff; recipient links and online acknowledgements belong to the web workspace.
Keep your work when edits overlap
If a record changed while you were editing it, read the conflict message and choose which values to keep. Your draft stays visible. Refresh the review when you are ready to load the latest saved version. If your records cannot load, select Retry to try again.
What works in each workspace
Desktop shares the editor, extraction pipeline and production calculations with the web app. Availability below describes the current build; account plans can also affect access to hosted tools.
| Workflow | Web | Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Script editor, breakdown & props | Available | Local library |
| Budget, crew & cast | Available | Local library |
| Schedule, calendar, DOOD & sides | Available | Local library |
| Script changes & implications | Available | Local diff and review |
| Call sheets & PDF exports | Available | Local editing and export |
| AI extraction, story and script coverage | Hosted AI | Your Anthropic API key |
| Shot plan & storyboard notes | Shared editors | Local records and export |
| Asset inventory & QR labels | Workspace records | Local records |
| Daily production reports | Shared editor | Local records and export |
| Onboarding forms & private documents | Forms and recipient links | Forms, manual receipts and export |
| Desktop ↔ web production sync | Hosted workspace | Manual, browser-approved transfer |
| Live shared editing & invitations | Hosted workspace | Use the web workspace |
| Call-sheet email delivery | Hosted delivery | Export and share a PDF |
Protect your production
Trusted installers. Available public builds must pass Developer ID signing, Apple notarization and app archive integrity checks. Downloads require an authenticated account and a matching verified checksum. Signing detects modification; it cannot make installed software impossible to copy or inspect.
Your local files. Production records are stored in a SQLite database with attachments alongside it. The library itself is not encrypted by AppleBoxe. Use FileVault, a strong Mac login and encrypted backups to protect scripts and crew details when the computer or backup drive is lost. Anyone with access to your unlocked Mac account can access its local files.
Your API key. Only encrypted key material is saved by current desktop builds. Keychain access is required to save or use the key. The key is not part of exported scripts, call sheets or website downloads.
Backups. In Preferences, select Reveal in file manager. Quit AppleBoxe, then back up the entire library folder to encrypted storage. Keep a second copy before restoring or moving it. On another Mac, enter your API key again because the old key belongs to the original computer’s keychain.
Working with others. A PDF export is a shareable copy of your content. Check who should receive it and use your production’s approved transfer method. Desktop does not provide cloud roles, remote wipe or a shared audit log.
Updates and troubleshooting
Check Downloads for a newer verified version. Back up your library, quit AppleBoxe and replace the app in Applications. The app and library are stored separately; replacing the app does not replace the library.
- AI is unavailable: check your connection, keychain and Anthropic API limits, then use Test key in Preferences.
- A PDF imports without text: try a searchable PDF, Fountain or FDX source.
- Records seem missing: confirm which local production and screenplay you opened. Web sync moves only the production you select and shows conflicts before either copy changes.
- A download fails: sign in again if your session expired, then restart the download. Each transfer verifies the whole installer.
Need help? Email support@appleboxe.com with the app version, Mac type and steps that failed. Keep API keys, private scripts and crew contact details out of support messages unless a secure transfer is arranged.
Go to Downloads