Installation

Alistair is currently available for Windows. Linux and macOS support is in progress. Download the installer and follow the setup wizard.

System Requirements

Setup

Windows

Windows 10 or later (64-bit)

macOS

Coming soon

Linux

Coming soon

For LLM Features

8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended). An NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support is optional but significantly improves LLM inference speed.

Download & Install

Setup

Download Alistair from the official website. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. Alistair will be ready to use immediately after installation.

Your First Project

Create your first writing project and explore the workspace.

Create a Project

Step 1

Launch Alistair and click New Project on the home screen. Choose your project type and give it a name. Alistair creates a project folder that contains all your manuscripts, characters, world-building data, and settings in one place.

Project Types:

Manuscript

Standard project for novels, short stories, and prose writing.

Chapbook

Poetry collections with specialized folders for Poems, Tales, and Notes. Includes a real-time helper sidebar with syllable counting and form guidance for Haiku, Sonnet, Villanelle, and more.

Explore the Workspace

Step 2

The workspace is divided into panel tiles on the left and the editor on the right. Use the panel tiles to navigate between chapters, characters, world-building, and other project areas. Open multiple items in tabs or pop them out into separate windows.

Start Writing

Step 3

Create a chapter and click the created tile to open the paginated editor. Use the formatting toolbar for headings, bold, italic, and more. When you want zero distractions, switch to Composition Mode for a fully immersive writing experience. Your work is auto-saved as you type.