QEDApp layout
The NVS shell - the left rail, sidebar, main content area, right rail, and status bar.
App layout
NVS uses a VS Code-style shell: a permanent activity rail on each side, a resizable sidebar, and the main content area in between. Opening a work keeps the rails as a fixed frame; everything else adapts to what you're doing.
The shell at a glance
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Title bar │
├────┬──────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬──────┤
│ │ │ │ │
│ L │ Sidebar │ Main content │ R │
│ e │ (context- │ (editor / workspace view) │ i │
│ f │ switches) │ │ g │
│ t │ ├──────────────────────────────┤ h │
│ │ │ Console dock (collapsible) │ t │
│ R │ │ │ R │
│ a │ │ │ a │
│ i │ │ │ i │
│ l │ │ │ l │
├────┴──────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴──────┤
│ Status bar │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Left rail
The left rail is always visible. It switches which workspace is active.
At the top: the Library icon returns you to the works list from anywhere in the app.
The workspace icons are grouped by what they show:
| Group | Workspace | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Editor | Scene tree + the text editor |
| World | World pages tree + page editor | |
| Custody | Custody timeline pages | |
| Derived | Timeline | Scene timeline canvas |
| Cast | Who appears in each scene | |
| Relations | Character relationships map | |
| Analysis | Threads | Plot threads - where they advance and resolve |
| Coherence | Findings - contradictions, dropped threads, stale scope |
At the bottom of the rail: Project structure (⌘,), Project info, and Share.
Sidebar
The sidebar panel changes to match the active workspace. In the Editor it's the scene tree (chapters and scenes); in World it's the world pages list; in Threads it's the thread list; and so on. Drag the handle between the sidebar and main content to resize it.
Main content
The editor and all workspace views live here. In the Editor workspace the main area is the page editor with its block toolbar; in analysis workspaces it's the visualization or findings list.
The console dock sits at the bottom of the main column and can be expanded to show the analysis log. Toggle it from the status bar.
Right rail
The right rail contains AI and extension surfaces.
| Icon | Opens |
|---|---|
| Chat bubble | Agent - chat with an AI that reads your open work; also shows background tasks |
| Library | Prompt library - saved, reusable instructions |
| Store (bottom) | Store - community works and extensions |
When a background task is running, the chat bubble shows a pulsing dot. When tasks finish and are ready to review, it shows a count badge.
Status bar
The status bar spans the full width at the bottom. It shows the app version, the open work's name, and a toggle for the console dock.
Help
Press ? (or the help button in any workspace) to open the in-app quick reference covering the scene format, slash palette, AI assistant, and keyboard shortcuts.