A whiteboard with a file boundary
tldraw offline is the familiar tldraw canvas packaged as a desktop app. It has
no account or cloud collaboration service. Each document is saved as a local
.tldraw file containing the canvas, pages, stored images and video, and any
document script.
That file boundary makes the app useful with local coding agents. Codex, Claude Code, Pi, or OpenCode can inspect an open canvas, create shapes, import assets, and add behaviour. You keep editing the same result with normal drawing tools.
The useful job is not asking an agent to draw a generic flowchart. Sketch the rough interface or diagram yourself, then ask the agent to make one part interactive. A product sketch can gain working tabs. A system diagram can read data and change colour. A presentation can add buttons that move between states.
Start with a copy
Download the free app for macOS, Windows, or Linux. macOS ships as a universal DMG for Apple silicon and Intel. Windows has x64 and Arm64 installers. Linux has x64 and Arm64 AppImages plus a Debian x64 package.
Create a file, draw the important objects, and save it before giving an agent access. Work on a duplicate until the agent workflow is familiar.
A focused request is easier to review:
Read the open canvas. Keep every existing shape.
Add a button labelled Show costs.
Clicking it should reveal the three cost notes already on the right.
Do not add network requests or change other pages.Check the canvas by hand and reopen the file before relying on it. The app keeps recovery copies for crashes, but recovery is not a replacement for a saved original and a normal backup.
Agent access reaches the whole open document
The desktop app exposes an authenticated local control API for coding agents. An authorised agent can read and edit the open document and execute code against the live tldraw editor.
This is broader than editing a JSON file. Grant access only to an agent you trust, keep its local token out of logs and repositories, and scope the task to the document in front of you.
We inspected an official example as an archive without opening it in the app. It contained a SQLite canvas, metadata, bundled assets, and two JavaScript files. The metadata identified the main script as agent-authored. This confirmed the portable file structure without executing the embedded code.
A shared .tldraw file can be a program
Document scripts can listen for events, change shapes, fetch data, and run again when the file opens. The app asks for consent when it encounters an unfamiliar script. A script whose digest has already been trusted can run without another prompt.
Treat a shared .tldraw file like a small application:
- get it from someone you trust
- inspect the bundled
script/files before approving them - reject unexpected network calls or access to local data
- open it in a disposable account or machine when the source is uncertain
- never pre-trust a script digest just to remove the warning
A normal drawing with no script is much lower risk. The risk arrives when the file carries code or when an agent is allowed to execute code through the local API.
Local does not mean open source
tldraw offline is free and works without an internet connection after installation. Files remain on your computer unless you move or share them. The app checks for updates at startup, so it is not entirely silent on the network when connectivity is available.
The desktop application is not open source. Its public repository contains the manual, branding, release downloads, and issue tracker rather than the application source. The underlying tldraw SDK is source available under its own licence, not MIT.
There is also no built-in multiplayer sync. A .tldraw file does not merge
changes made while it is open by another program, sync client, Git operation,
or second computer. Close the document before replacing it externally, then
reopen it.
Current rough edges
The app is releasing quickly. Open issues currently cover platform-specific menus, macOS launch failures, window-manager conflicts, and a Windows screenshot problem in the agent API. Version 1.12.0 is the current release, so check the issue tracker when installation or agent setup differs from the manual.
The AI integration also depends on your separate coding agent. Any model charges, data handling, and file permissions belong to that agent. tldraw offline does not include a model subscription.
Alternatives
Excalidraw, draw.io, and Rishah are simpler choices when the main requirement is an offline whiteboard. They avoid tldraw offline’s agent scripting model or offer a more conventional open-source desktop setup.
Use the browser version of tldraw when collaboration and share links matter more than local files. Use tldraw offline when the canvas must stay portable and a trusted coding agent should be able to turn the drawing into a working artifact.