User Guide

OpenPencil is an open-source, Figma-compatible design editor — fully local, AI-native, and programmable. This guide covers everything you need to know to use the editor effectively.

Cross-platform shortcuts

Throughout this guide, keyboard shortcuts use Mac notation: ⌘ = Command (Ctrl on Windows/Linux), ⌥ = Option (Alt), ⇧ = Shift.

Getting Around

• Canvas Navigation — panning, zooming, and the hand tool
• Selection & Manipulation — selecting, moving, resizing, rotating, and organizing nodes

Creating Content

• Drawing Shapes — rectangles, ellipses, lines, frames, sections, polygons, and stars
• Text Editing — creating and editing text with rich formatting
• Pen Tool — drawing vector paths with bezier curves

Organizing & Managing

• Layers & Pages — the layers panel, pages, and properties panel
• Context Menu — right-click actions for clipboard, grouping, components, and more
• Exporting — image export and .fig file operations

Advanced Features

• Auto Layout — flexbox-based automatic positioning with Yoga
• Components — reusable components, instances, and overrides
• Variables — design variables, collections, modes, and fill bindings