Sync & Reimport
Kindling can keep source-backed projects in sync with their original files while preserving the prose you’ve written in the app.
Sync vs. Reimport
Section titled “Sync vs. Reimport”| Sync Preview | Reimport | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Compares your source file to the current project and lets you apply selected changes | Re-reads the source file and updates the outline structure in one pass |
| Control | You choose which changes to apply | All outline changes are applied at once |
| Prose | Preserved | Preserved |
Both options preserve existing prose written in Kindling.
Supported Sources
Section titled “Supported Sources”Sync and reimport are available for projects imported from:
- Plottr (
.pltr) - Markdown (
.md) - yWriter (
.yw7) - Longform/Obsidian (Longform index file)
Scrivener is not currently supported for sync/reimport. If you’ve made changes to a .scriv bundle and want to bring them back into Kindling, use Export → Scrivener → Update existing — this merges your Kindling project back into the bundle with a match preview before any changes are written.
Sync Preview Workflow
Section titled “Sync Preview Workflow”Use sync when your outline has changed in Plottr (or another tool) and you want to review what’s new before applying it:
- Open the project
- Choose Sync from the project menu to generate a preview
- Review the list of additions and changes
- Select which changes to apply, then confirm
Reimport Workflow
Section titled “Reimport Workflow”Use reimport for a faster, all-at-once update:
- Open the project
- Choose Reimport from the project menu
- Kindling re-reads the source file and updates the outline
- Review the summary after completion
What Sync Updates
Section titled “What Sync Updates”Sync and reimport focus on outline structure:
- Chapter, scene, and beat additions
- Title and synopsis updates
- Beat content updates
Locked chapters or scenes are skipped during sync. Prose you’ve written inside Kindling is always preserved.
What Sync Does Not Change
Section titled “What Sync Does Not Change”- Prose written in Kindling beats
- Reference data (characters, locations, etc.) — reference enrichment is not re-run on sync
- Locked scenes or chapters
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting””Project has no source path”
Section titled “”Project has no source path””Sync and reimport only work for projects originally created by importing a source file. Blank projects (created without an import) cannot be synced.
”Source file not found”
Section titled “”Source file not found””The source file has been moved or deleted. Either move the original source file back to its original location, or start a fresh import from the new path.
Changes not detected
Section titled “Changes not detected”- Ensure the source file saved successfully before syncing
- For Markdown sources: only outline structure is synced (no references), so reference changes in the source won’t appear