Brainstorm
Brainstorm is a native macOS mind-map editor for turning rough ideas into clear, editable plans. It combines a fast keyboard-first canvas with rich node styling, media, themes, file-based workflows, and a JSON-first CLI that AI agents can use to create, edit, validate, and export the same maps.
Screenshots
Why Brainstorm
Think visually
A horizontal tree layout keeps the main idea visible while branches expand naturally around it. Focus mode, folding, search, and zoom help you move from overview to detail.
Work at keyboard speed
Tab creates a child, Return creates a sibling, arrow keys navigate, and shortcuts cover editing, folding, search, focus, reordering, zoom, save, open, and undo.
Let agents help
The bundled brainstorm CLI speaks JSON, exposes semantic themes, and edits the same .bs files as the app.
Features
Rich node styling
Apply fill, text, branch, and border colors, border width, rounded/capsule/rectangle/diamond shapes, font size, bold, and italic styling. Shift-click nodes to style a whole selection.
Icons and images
Add emoji, SF Symbol stickers, or image thumbnails directly to a node. Media is embedded in the .bs document.
Themes and export
Use semantic light and dark palettes, then export the complete map—not only the viewport—to a high-resolution PNG or a single-page PDF.
File-first workflow
Maps are portable JSON .bs files. Autosave, Finder integration, multi-window tabs, and safe external-file reload keep the app and agent workflows in sync.
Agent CLI
Create, inspect, add, update, style, move, delete, validate, and export maps from scripts or AI agents. Mutations reload the latest file and save atomically; dry runs return JSON without writing.
Built for macOS
A native SwiftUI application with a focused canvas, responsive layout, native document windows, and a custom .bs file type with its own icon.
Example CLI workflow
./brainstorm create plan.bs --title "Product launch"
./brainstorm add plan.bs --parent root --title "Research"
./brainstorm style plan.bs --node <uuid> --fill '#FFAA00' --bold true
./brainstorm inspect plan.bs --flat --pretty
./brainstorm export plan.bs --format pdf --output plan.pdfFAQ
Can I edit the same map from Brainstorm and an AI agent?
Yes. The app and CLI use the same .bs file, detect external changes, reload clean documents automatically, and protect unsaved edits.
What is the difference between reordering nodes and moving them visually?
Sibling dragging changes the logical order; free-positioning changes only the visual layout. This lets you preserve structure while designing the canvas manually.
Can I style many nodes without changing them one by one?
Yes. Shift-click nodes, then apply colors, borders, fonts, shapes, bold, or italic styling to the selection.
Does export include the whole map or only what I see?
PNG and PDF export the complete laid-out map, independently of the current zoom or viewport.
Is Brainstorm open source, and how can I install it?
Yes. Brainstorm’s source code and releases are available on GitHub. You can download a macOS build from GitHub Releases or install it with Homebrew.
See it in action
These compact demos show the same .bs-file workflow behind the app and its agent CLI, rendered with a Dracula-inspired dark palette and consistent 16:9 framing.
Brainstorm is part of the Selfhosted Ninja project collection. See source code and releases on GitHub, all projects, and project updates.