Published text

Structured research records

1. state-designer · tldraw-quests · 2019–2021 (approximate)

   Original location · source-0bf5b0226b34782bc380 · source-2e3092e16d31006e2c38 · source-01bffd95241bdf2b30d2

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2019–2021",
     "detail": "state-designer — ruiz's statecharts state-management library with its own visual ide. the arrow-routing work inside it spawned perfect-arrows; the ide instinct — a tool that shows you the system — is the direct ancestor of tldraw.",
     "id": "qst-state-designer",
     "owner": "steve",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-state-designer",
       "src-hp-steveruiz-github",
       "src-hp-diveclub"
     ],
     "status": "ended",
     "title": "state-designer",
     "url": "https://github.com/steveruizok/state-designer"
   }

2. perfect-arrows · tldraw-quests · 2020– (approximate)

   Original location · source-2e3092e16d31006e2c38 · source-0bf5b0226b34782bc380 · source-01bffd95241bdf2b30d2

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2020–",
     "detail": "perfect-arrows — the hand-drawn-look arrow-routing library, launched via july 2020 tweet threads and now ~2.8k stars. it ships inside tldraw itself: the library that outlived the app it was built for.",
     "id": "qst-perfect-arrows",
     "owner": "steve",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-steveruiz-github",
       "src-hp-state-designer",
       "src-hp-diveclub"
     ],
     "status": "continuing",
     "title": "perfect-arrows",
     "url": "https://github.com/steveruizok/perfect-arrows"
   }

3. perfect-freehand · tldraw-quests · 2020– (approximate)

   Original location · source-2e3092e16d31006e2c38 · source-e602c6fd6c1949b0005c · source-0b4d2c1dc9ec5e7baf3a

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2020–",
     "detail": "perfect-freehand — pressure-sensitive freehand ink as a library. adopted by excalidraw ('christopher had me implement in excalidraw'), reportedly also next.js live, milanote, and clover — the first proof that ruiz's canvas taste could be sold as a component rather than an app.",
     "id": "qst-perfect-freehand",
     "owner": "steve",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-steveruiz-github",
       "src-hp-aiengineer-computer-talk",
       "src-hp-latentspace"
     ],
     "status": "continuing",
     "title": "perfect-freehand",
     "url": "https://github.com/steveruizok/perfect-freehand"
   }

4. globs.design · tldraw-quests · 2021-03 (month)

   Original location · source-312b6328fac717d39e5c · source-40c723c458430222c1a0

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2021-03",
     "detail": "globs.design — the globs-based vector editor ruiz built in march 2021. 'tldraw mostly grew out of another project of mine (globs.design).' archived once tldraw existed.",
     "id": "qst-globs",
     "owner": "steve",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-globs-repo",
       "src-hp-hn-seed"
     ],
     "status": "ended",
     "title": "globs.design",
     "url": "https://github.com/steveruizok/globs"
   }

5. the vs code extension · tldraw-quests · 2021–2023 (approximate)

   Original location · source-67a6a810ab054c6be592 · source-7177ef6c9d2500e8185d · source-9dafdb102821f4977ea8

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2021–2023",
     "detail": "the vs code extension — a tldraw editor inside the editor, already shipping at the november 2021 launch. it rode the v1 codebase and was left behind by the v2 rewrite.",
     "id": "qst-vscode",
     "owner": "company",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-hn-launch",
       "src-hp-bramus-tldraw",
       "src-hp-ia-snapshot-2021"
     ],
     "status": "ended",
     "title": "the vs code extension",
     "url": null
   }

6. the v2 rewrite · tldraw-quests · 2022–2023 (approximate)

   Original location · source-30e605b5c8f3804fc712 · source-eb8d51139121bd1ad37d · source-9e1f209959746f4e5ed6 · source-bf6bbf70f18a595622f7

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2022–2023",
     "detail": "the v2 rewrite — the 'new tldraw' beta announced with the seed round, replacing the app at tldraw.com in april 2023. v1 was parked at old.tldraw.com 'until the end of time' and later moved to tldraw/tldraw-v1 under mit — the permanence promise that anchors the license argument.",
     "id": "qst-v2-rewrite",
     "owner": "company",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-relaunch-post",
       "src-ci-relaunch-blog",
       "src-hp-v1-repo",
       "src-hp-v2-release"
     ],
     "status": "handed-off",
     "title": "the v2 rewrite",
     "url": null
   }

7. signia · tldraw-quests · 2023– (approximate)

   Original location · source-1c053d3c1f43ba45ff32

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2023–",
     "detail": "signia — the rewrite's reactive state library, released standalone under mit in march 2023 and co-authored by ruiz and sheldrick. the one piece of the engine given away outright.",
     "id": "qst-signia",
     "owner": "company",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-signia"
     ],
     "status": "continuing",
     "title": "signia",
     "url": "https://github.com/tldraw/signia"
   }

8. make real · tldraw-quests · 2023– (approximate)

   Original location · source-6f4169e6a9dc50d862d7 · source-dfccc7f09a35fa772677 · source-c4a6ab395d305bb833aa · source-ade2602bae0a5652167f

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2023–",
     "detail": "make real — the flagship demo lineage. forked from sawyer hood's draw-a-ui the morning after it hit, shipped in a night, packaged as make-real-starter days later. still the reference story for 'the canvas is dom'; by 2026 ruiz was calling it 'quaint' on stage.",
     "id": "qst-make-real",
     "owner": "company",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-makereal-repo",
       "src-hp-makereal-story",
       "src-hp-gitnation-makereal",
       "src-ci-ai-engineer-talk"
     ],
     "status": "continuing",
     "title": "make real",
     "url": "https://github.com/tldraw/make-real"
   }

9. draw fast · tldraw-quests · 2023–2024 (approximate)

   Original location · source-c8c77b3b0fbd7295dcc8 · source-658aefeab7fa5f52f391 · source-c1f31ef8d84573d4a3e5 · source-e2182d3feed12a899d1c · source-79f44cf0e1d10af7bbec

   Original structured fields

   {
     "dates": "2023–2024",
     "detail": "draw fast — the real-time sketch-to-image demo on fal.ai, ~120ms a frame. #2 product of the day on product hunt, an andy baio link post, then taken down january 14, 2024. the demo-sunset pattern established early.",
     "id": "qst-draw-fast",
     "owner": "company",
     "sourceIds": [
       "src-hp-drawfast-repo",
       "src-ci-ph-drawfast",
       "src-ci-waxy-drawfast",
       "src-ci-80level-owl",
       "src-hp-drawfast-site"
     ],
     "status": "ended",
     "title": "draw fast",
     "url": null
   }

10. carry on · tldraw-quests · 2024 (year)

    Original location · source-0fde38d9f56eda66e9e2 · source-8168b3a1f294f8a49c93

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2024",
      "detail": "carry on — canvas autocomplete. lu wilson's version ran on claude haiku; taha hassan built a variant on a local llama3 8b. the first internal answer to 'what does an ai do on an infinite canvas.'",
      "id": "qst-carry-on",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-taha-linkedin",
        "src-hp-agents-youtube"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "carry on",
      "url": null
    }

11. teach · tldraw-quests · 2024 (year)

    Original location · source-aa2e6471564510abda97 · source-8168b3a1f294f8a49c93 · source-ceaaa9ada722a4efbd84

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2024",
      "detail": "teach — the summer-2024 project where an agent learns to manipulate the canvas, built by ruiz, wilson, and engineer-in-residence orion reed. the research thread between make real's generation tricks and tldraw computer's workflows.",
      "id": "qst-teach",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-orion-vaporware",
        "src-hp-agents-youtube",
        "src-hp-gitnation-maxdrake"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "teach",
      "url": null
    }

12. tldraw sync · tldraw-quests · 2024-08– (approximate)

    Original location · source-0f3c4c15ae988be7323e · source-2f8167f86792a73c113f · source-739a88a5ab893f968ec8

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2024-08–",
      "detail": "tldraw sync — the self-hosted sync add-on, the sdk's first paid-adjacent module, included with the license. a cloudflare template and a demo server that wipes data after 24 hours.",
      "id": "qst-sync",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-sync-announce",
        "src-hp-sync-docs",
        "src-hp-sync-core-docs"
      ],
      "status": "active",
      "title": "tldraw sync",
      "url": "https://tldraw.dev/docs/sync"
    }

13. tldraw computer · tldraw-quests · 2024-12–2025 (approximate)

    Original location · source-8517c72555d91eb97262 · source-77675290695110cf6845 · source-79169b72b751fe48dcc9 · source-932e52261779196c3bd1 · source-734854bd20fbc2fd21d3 · source-d10336bcc87dcbfa0174

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2024-12–2025",
      "detail": "tldraw computer — natural-language node-and-wire workflows on the canvas, built with google / google deepmind for the gemini 2.0 window. waitlist december 13, open december 18; the company's biggest hn thread ever (553 points). deliberately closed source — issue #5122 points users to the starter kits instead.",
      "id": "qst-computer",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-computer-launch",
        "src-ci-computer-site",
        "src-hp-computer-google",
        "src-ci-hn-computer",
        "src-hp-computer-issue",
        "src-ci-gemini-showcase"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "tldraw computer",
      "url": "https://computer.tldraw.com/"
    }

14. the starter kits · tldraw-quests · 2025-09– (approximate)

    Original location · source-6b80accb2f1bfa76d0af · source-f52c1cfc112b8b0fa0f9 · source-7ad54680824baf15ff53

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2025-09–",
      "detail": "the starter kits — five mit-licensed sdk starting points shipped with sdk 4.0: agent, workflow, branching chat, chat, multiplayer. the answer to 'give us the demo source' is 'here are mit-licensed starting points.'",
      "id": "qst-starter-kits",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-sdk40",
        "src-hp-starter-kits",
        "src-ci-agent-starter"
      ],
      "status": "active",
      "title": "the starter kits",
      "url": "https://tldraw.dev/starter-kits/agent"
    }

15. fairies · tldraw-quests · 2025-12 (month)

    Original location · source-0c2d9d2e101378d11d7c · source-c1a4888c1f1bfa95691f · source-21e69c4cc1d7964a93cb · source-5280120440af177eff34 · source-8e89ddfa7d6584576477

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2025-12",
      "detail": "fairies — visible multi-agent collaborators on tldraw.com, sold as a deliberately time-boxed experiment: $25 one-time, december 2025 only, code public in the repo. the follow-up writeup describes the 'fairy management system' and agents working essentially blind.",
      "id": "qst-fairies",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-ci-fairies-linkedin",
        "src-hp-fairies-li-lu",
        "src-ci-fairies-coord",
        "src-hp-fairies-pr",
        "src-hp-fairies-site"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "fairies",
      "url": "https://fairies.tldraw.com/"
    }

16. tldraw offline · tldraw-quests · 2026-07– (approximate)

    Original location · source-affc44b04486024df63b · source-1bf6bd42b352341948c8 · source-436cabe4c39ebcb41a74

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2026-07–",
      "detail": "tldraw offline — the free, file-based desktop app (.tldraw files, no accounts, no server, scripting and agent access) for macos, windows, and linux. 16k+ downloads in the first week, self-reported; multiplayer followed august 13.",
      "id": "qst-offline",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-offline-blog",
        "src-hp-offline-repo",
        "src-hp-lu-linkedin-post"
      ],
      "status": "active",
      "title": "tldraw offline",
      "url": null
    }

17. tldraw flash · tldraw-quests · 2026-09 (month)

    Original location · source-0efa65d0ab6c03d4ec74 · source-e67653df9af52302638a · source-a1222f800df1c35364e9

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2026-09",
      "detail": "tldraw flash — hand-drawn lo-fi animation: record-drag motion, a timeline, export. built largely by interns audrey leo and leo knudsen with max drake and daniel lefcourt.",
      "id": "qst-flash",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-flash-blog",
        "src-hp-flash-li",
        "src-hp-flash-dalila"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "tldraw flash",
      "url": null
    }

18. the sdk roster · tldraw-quests · 2023– (approximate)

    Original location · source-dd536dd1ac4591b1e22c · source-3909d04ecc7054a34ada · source-8b3c244cd8a91e22a2ee · source-ade2602bae0a5652167f · source-e37448edb3a42e8ceb00

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2023–",
      "detail": "the sdk roster — the commercial proof: clickup whiteboards (with a case study), padlet sandbox, jam, mobbin, autodesk, craft, google, replit, blackrock, shopify, luma, runway, honeycomb, schoolai, brisk, google stitch, dirac. the company claims ~$1m of license revenue in year one.",
      "id": "qst-sdk-roster",
      "owner": "company",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-series-a",
        "src-ci-clickup-case",
        "src-ci-linkedin-series-a",
        "src-ci-ai-engineer-talk",
        "src-hp-company-page"
      ],
      "status": "continuing",
      "title": "the sdk roster",
      "url": "https://tldraw.dev"
    }

19. the macpaint skin · tldraw-quests · 2022-03 (month)

    Original location · source-5ddde4b3f74c6823b516

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2022-03",
      "detail": "the macpaint skin — a community-built macpaint-themed tldraw interface hit 59 points on hn in march 2022, months before the company existed as such. early evidence that people would build on the canvas unprompted.",
      "id": "qst-macpaint",
      "owner": "community",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-ci-hn-macpaint"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "the macpaint skin",
      "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30508508"
    }

20. draw-a-ui · tldraw-quests · 2023-11 (month)

    Original location · source-bb5586c2220a2e001aa9 · source-a7eaa7c8d0e5272c2a74 · source-dfccc7f09a35fa772677

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2023-11",
      "detail": "draw-a-ui — figma engineer sawyer hood's original: a tldraw component plus gpt-4v turning sketches into working html. ~13.5k github stars; tldraw forked it the next morning and the fork became make real. hood works at figma — the irony is in the lane report.",
      "id": "qst-draw-a-ui",
      "owner": "community",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-ci-draw-a-ui-repo",
        "src-ci-hn-draw-a-ui",
        "src-hp-makereal-story"
      ],
      "status": "handed-off",
      "title": "draw-a-ui",
      "url": "https://github.com/SawyerHood/draw-a-ui"
    }

21. orion reed's canvas experiments · tldraw-quests · 2024– (approximate)

    Original location · source-1b3e3552d5942ebcd9bb · source-c235e72d909e13e66b7b · source-aa2e6471564510abda97

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2024–",
      "detail": "orion reed's canvas hci work — tldraw-3d, tldraw-graph-layout, and the propagators experiments, made during and around his engineer-in-residence stint. the research fringe that fed teach and the agent work.",
      "id": "qst-orion-canvas",
      "owner": "later",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-hp-orion-tldraw3d",
        "src-hp-orion-propagators",
        "src-hp-orion-vaporware"
      ],
      "status": "ended",
      "title": "orion reed's canvas experiments",
      "url": null
    }

22. community agent demos · tldraw-quests · 2026-07 (month)

    Original location · source-94836d20e14dd26ef5d8

    Original structured fields

    {
      "dates": "2026-07",
      "detail": "the agent-drawing show hn — a community demo of an agent drawing on tldraw hit 53 points in july 2026. the sdk's second-order ecosystem: other people's agents on the canvas.",
      "id": "qst-agent-draw",
      "owner": "community",
      "sourceIds": [
        "src-ci-hn-agent-draw"
      ],
      "status": "continuing",
      "title": "community agent demos",
      "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48805475"
    }