1667 preserves every AI draft in a navigable story tree
Version 0.9.8 stores prose locally, brings no model of its own, and preserves rejected generations as branches writers can revisit.
By RuntimeWire Staff · Published
Primary source: 1667
Why it matters
1667 tests demand for AI writing software built around local files, user-selected model providers and reversible drafting choices rather than a hosted workspace.
The 1667 homepage currently lists release 0.9.8, a terminal writing tool that generates one paragraph at a time and preserves alternative takes in a navigable story tree.
The product reflects a specific view of AI-assisted writing: the model stops after each requested passage, while the writer decides which version belongs in the manuscript.
That division of labor shapes the entire interface. Writers press Enter, describe what happens next, and receive a new story part. Requesting another version does not overwrite the first response. Each take becomes a sibling branch, and arrow keys move among them. A writer can also enter prose manually, edit a generated passage, tag a line, create chapter breaks, or delete a branch.
The project's name comes from the pace of writing 1,667 words a day for 30 days, which produces a 50,000-word draft. The software does not track that target. The number serves as a statement of purpose: help the writer keep moving through a long manuscript without turning the model into an autonomous author.
The discarded draft becomes part of the product
In 1667, asking for another version leaves the earlier passage in place, so writers can compare sibling takes instead of losing the first response.
Its map has three views. The path view shows the currently selected version of the story. The tree view displays forks created by alternative takes. A mass view compares branches by the amount of writing accumulated on each one.
The distinction matters during long-form work, where a paragraph rejected in chapter three can contain a line, image, or plot direction that becomes useful later. Preserving alternatives also makes model use easier to inspect. Writers can see how many times they regenerated a passage and compare what changed instead of accepting the latest output by default.
The homepage demo illustrates the workflow with a story called "The lantern keeper." One passage has five takes. The writer enters the direction "let the unlit lantern answer," receives a new paragraph, and then moves backward through the manuscript to compare earlier branches. The program waits after generating the passage rather than continuing into a full scene.
That restraint separates 1667 from tools built around chapter generation, chat sessions, or persistent autocomplete. Hosted products such as Sudowrite combine drafting with brainstorming and rewriting features, while Novelcrafter couples manuscript organization with connections to external models. 1667 is narrower: it gives the writer a keyboard-driven manuscript, a branching history, and direct control over the model endpoint.
Bring a model, keep the files
1667 includes no language model and sells no inference. Writers provide their own API key or connect a local runtime. The settings include presets for OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp and KoboldCpp, along with custom OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible endpoints.
That design leaves the cost and data policy with the chosen provider. A locally hosted model can run without an API key or per-token charge. A commercial endpoint bills the writer directly.
Stories live in a user-selected directory, and exports are written as Markdown beside the project files. 1667 says it has no account system, analytics, telemetry, crash reporter or installation identifier. The project also says requests go directly to the endpoint configured by the user. Those privacy claims are inspectable in the Apache-2.0 source, though they have not been independently audited.
The local storage model gives 1667 a clean answer to a common risk in creative software: access to the manuscript does not depend on a subscription or a hosted workspace remaining online. It also places backup responsibility on the writer. The story directory must be copied or versioned like any other local project.
A developer tool wearing a novelist's coat
Release 0.9.8 supports native packages for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, Linux on arm64 and x64 with glibc 2.17 or later, and Windows x64. An npm installation requires Node 22, while running from source requires Node 22 and Bun 1.3.14 or later.
The project offers shell and PowerShell one-line installers, an npm package, and a source installation. The convenience commands execute downloaded code, a familiar supply-chain tradeoff for developer tools. 1667 also publishes an optional verification path that downloads the installer from its GitHub release and checks its attestation before execution.
1667 is free and has no paid tier listed. That removes the recurring software bill, while narrowing the immediate business model. The software is aimed at a specific user: a writer comfortable opening a terminal who wants AI in the drafting process while retaining local control of the manuscript.
The terminal will limit the audience, but it gives the project a distinct operating model. Generation happens only on request, alternative passages remain available, and the writer chooses which branch becomes the manuscript.