Scaffold User Guide
Covers Scaffold v1.1
What's New in 1.1
The Bridge is open. Put your Scaffold library anywhere — iCloud Drive, Dropbox, an external drive, any folder you choose — and open that same library from another Mac. See The Bridge — Your Library, Anywhere.
Also in this release:
- A welcome screen on first launch, available anytime from Help → Show Welcome Screen
- A clearer path back to your Clients list after adding a new client
- General polish and bug fixes throughout
What Scaffold Does
Scaffold sets up every project before you start.
Every time you begin a new job — a video shoot, a recording session, a commission, a design project — you need the same thing: a folder structure that matches the way you work. The right folders in the right places, named the way you name them, with the files you always start from already inside.
Most people do this by hand, every time, from memory. Scaffold does it for you, perfectly, in seconds.
Getting Started
The first time you open Scaffold, a welcome screen walks through the basics — pick a template, fill in the details, create the project. You can bring this screen back anytime from Help → Show Welcome Screen.
- Launch Scaffold
- Create your first template — or use My First Template to see how it works
- Click Use Template on any template card to start a project
- Fill in the project details and click Create Project
- Choose where the project should live
- Done — your folders are ready
That's the whole flow. Everything else — clients, starter files, folder colors, Sync Folders, and The Bridge — builds on top of this.
The Template Chooser
When Scaffold opens, you see the Template Chooser — a grid of all your templates.
Click Use Template on any template card to start a new project from it.
Click the ⓘ button on a card to preview the folder structure inside without opening it.
Right-click any card for options: Edit Template, Duplicate Template, Delete Template.
The Recent Projects section below the grid shows your five most recent projects. Click any of them to view the project, or click Use Again to start a new project pre-filled with the same client and template.
The + button in the top-right toolbar opens New Project directly.
Templates
Templates are the heart of Scaffold. A template defines the folder structure that gets created every time you start a new project from it — folders, subfolders, naming conventions, colors, and starter files.
Scaffold ships with one default template — My First Template — to show you what a template looks like. Replace or delete it once you've built your own.
Template Cards
Each card in the Template Chooser shows:
- The template name
- How many folders it contains
- A ⓘ button to preview the structure
Templates List
Click Templates in the sidebar to manage all your templates as a list or grid. From here you can edit, reorder, duplicate, or delete any template.
Building a Template
Click + New Template from the Template Chooser or the Templates list to open Template Builder.
Template Name
Give your template a clear name — this is what appears on the card and in the dropdown when creating a project. "Video Production", "Commission", "Podcast Episode" — whatever fits your workflow.
Root Folder Name
The Root Folder Name is what the project's top-level folder will be called on disk. Use the Insert chips to add tokens — placeholders that get replaced with real values when you create a project.
Available tokens:
| Token | What it inserts |
|---|---|
| Date: MMDD | The project's event date as month and day, e.g. 0701 |
| Date Full | The event date as full YYYYMMDD, e.g. 20260701 |
| Project Full Name | The full project name |
| Project Short Name | The short name for folders (falls back to full name if blank) |
| Client Short Name | The client's short name, e.g. Ragazzi |
| Client Full Name | The client's full name, e.g. Ragazzi Boys Chorus |
Example: {DATE:MMDD}-{CLIENT}-{PROJECT_SHORT} becomes 0701-Ragazzi-SpringConcert when you create a project.
Click the × button to clear the Root Folder Name field and start fresh.
Numbered Folders
Turn on Numbered Folders to prefix every folder in the structure with a number: 01-, 02-, 03-. The number is based on the order folders appear in the editor — drag to reorder, numbers update automatically.
Folder Structure
Build the folder structure your project needs.
Add Folder — creates a new folder at the root level. The name field is immediately selected so you can type the name right away.
Tab after typing a folder name — commits the name and creates another folder below it. Build a whole list without touching the mouse.
Subfolders — click the + button that appears on any folder row to add a subfolder inside it. Or right-click a folder for the option. Subfolders can have their own subfolders — unlimited depth.
Reorder — drag the three-line handle on the left of any folder row to move it up or down. If Numbered Folders is on, the numbers update immediately.
Move Up One Level — click the ← chevron on a nested folder to promote it one level. Or right-click for the same option.
Folder Colors — click the color circle on any folder row to assign a Finder tag color. The folder will have that color in Finder the moment the project is created — no manual tagging needed. Works on all folders at any depth.
Collapse/Expand — click the disclosure triangle on any folder that has subfolders to collapse it. The collapsed state is saved — the next time you open this template, it's exactly as you left it.
Preview — click Preview to switch from the editor to a read-only view showing exactly what the folder structure will look like on disk, with real token values substituted.
Clear Structure — removes all folders from the current template and starts fresh. Does not affect the template name or root folder name.
Scan Existing Folder — point Scaffold at a folder on your Mac and it reads the structure, detects your naming conventions, and imports it as a template. The fastest way to turn a project you already did by hand into a reusable template.
Starter Files
Attach real files to any folder in your template. When a project is created, those files are automatically copied in — named correctly and ready to open.
Click the + Add File button on any folder row. A file picker opens — choose any file. Scaffold copies it into your library.
A naming sheet appears where you can set the filename pattern for this project type. Use the same token chips as the Root Folder Name to include the project name, date, or client in the filename. The file extension is locked — it always stays the same as the original.
Single file per folder — copied automatically, no prompt. Multiple files per folder — a picker appears at project creation time asking which one to use for this project.
To edit a starter file's name pattern, click the pencil icon on the file row. To remove it, click the trash icon.
You can drag a starter file from one folder to another to reorganize.
Saving
Click Save when you're done. Click Back to Templates to discard changes.
Clients
Keep a database of everyone you work with. Scaffold remembers which template you use most for each client and can suggest it automatically.
Click Clients in the sidebar to see your client list. Click any client to view their profile.
Client Profile
- Full Name — the complete name shown in Scaffold, e.g. "Ragazzi Boys Chorus"
- Short Name — what appears in folder names via
{CLIENT}and{CLIENT_SHORT}tokens, e.g. "Ragazzi" - Default Template — the template Scaffold pre-selects when you start a project for this client
- Contact, Phone, Email — click the phone or email icon to call or email directly
- Address — the client's location, shown on a live map
- Projects — all projects you've created for this client, most recent first. Click any project to view its detail, or click + New Project to start a new one for this client.
Adding a Client
Click + at the top of the Clients list to add a new client. After entering the name, you go directly to the client's full profile to fill in the rest of the details. From there, use the back arrow to return to your Clients list at any time.
Card and List View
Toggle between card view and list view using the icons at the top of the Clients list. The view you choose is remembered.
Creating a Project
Click Use Template on any template card on the home screen — or click + New Project in the toolbar or sidebar — to open the New Project canvas.
Source
Client — choose who this project is for. Select "None" if there's no client. When you pick a client with a default template set, the template updates automatically.
Template — required. Choose the template that defines the folder structure for this project. If the list shows "Choose a Template", you must select one before creating.
Project Name — the full name of the project, e.g. "Spring Concert 2026". This is what appears in Scaffold's project history.
Short Name for Folders — optional. A condensed version used in folder names via {PROJECT_SHORT}, e.g. "SpringConcert". Leave blank to use the full project name everywhere.
Schedule
If your template's root folder name uses a date token, an Event Date field appears. Set it to the date of the shoot, performance, session, or event — it feeds the date token in the folder name.
Venue Address — optional. Store where the project takes place. Shown on a map and saved with the project for reference.
Preview
The Preview section shows a live rendering of the folder structure that will be created. It updates as you type — the root folder name resolves in real time so you can see exactly what will be created on disk before you commit.
Folder Checklist
Every folder from the template appears as a checked checkbox. Uncheck any folder you don't need for this particular project. Unchecked folders won't be created — the template itself is unchanged.
Add a folder that isn't in the template by clicking + Add Folder at the bottom of the checklist. This folder is for this project only.
Creating
Click Create Project when everything looks right. A folder picker opens — navigate to where this project should live and confirm.
If a folder with the same name already exists at that location, Scaffold asks how to proceed: cancel, choose a different location, or merge (add missing folders only, never delete or overwrite anything already there).
After creation, the project folder opens in Finder automatically.
Project Detail
Click any project in Recent Projects to open its detail view.
Project Detail is read-only by default. Click Edit to make changes.
From Project Detail you can:
- Edit the project name, short name, client, template, event date, and venue address
- Click Show in Finder to open the project folder in Finder
- Click Duplicate Project to start a new project pre-filled with this one's details (name gets " COPY" appended — edit it to match the new project)
- Click Sync Folders to update the project's folder structure on disk (see below)
- Delete the project from Scaffold's history (the folder on disk is never affected)
Sync Folders
When you update a template — add a new folder, assign a color, attach a starter file — existing projects don't automatically change. Sync Folders lets you apply those changes to a project that's already been created.
Click Sync Folders on any Project Detail screen to see a preview of what will be added.
Sync Folders only adds — it never removes or overwrites anything. If a folder already exists on disk, it's left exactly as it is. Only missing folders and files are created. Finder tag colors are updated on existing folders if they've changed in the template.
After confirming, Scaffold opens the project folder in Finder so you can see the result.
If the project folder has been moved or renamed since the project was created, Scaffold shows an error with a Re-link button. Re-link the folder to its new location, then sync.
Not to be confused with The Bridge (below). Sync Folders updates a project's folders on disk to match a template. The Bridge is about opening your Scaffold library — your templates, clients, and history — on more than one Mac. Different tools, different jobs.
The Bridge — Your Library, Anywhere
All your templates, clients, and project history live in a single file: ScaffoldLibrary.scaffoldlib. It's a real file, on your disk, wherever you put it — your Mac's own storage, a Dropbox folder, an external drive, a folder inside iCloud Drive.
The Bridge is how Scaffold works with that file no matter where it lives, including opening the same library from more than one Mac.
Everything lives under File → Library in the menu bar.
Open Library
Choose File → Library → Open Library... and select any .scaffoldlib file. Scaffold switches to using that file directly, in place — nothing is copied.
If you already have a library with data open, Scaffold asks first:
Scaffold will stop using your current library and switch to the one you selected. Your current library isn't deleted. You can open it again later.
You can also just double-click any .scaffoldlib file in Finder — this opens it the same way, whether Scaffold is already running or not.
Working From Two Macs
Put your library in a folder that's shared or synced between your Macs — iCloud Drive, Dropbox, an external drive you move between them, anything. Then use Open Library on each Mac to point it at that same file.
Scaffold doesn't know or care which service you're using — it only needs to read and write that one file. There's no account to sign into and nothing to configure beyond choosing where the file lives.
One caution: working on the same library from two Macs at the exact same moment isn't something Scaffold coordinates for you. If you're switching between machines, give sync services like iCloud Drive a moment to catch up before opening the library on the other Mac.
Import Library
File → Library → Import Library... brings another library's data into the one you're currently using. This is different from Open — Import replaces your current library's contents, while Open just switches which file you're using. Scaffold always confirms before an import replaces your data.
Export Library
File → Export Library... saves a copy of your current library anywhere you choose — Desktop, a backup folder, wherever. The exported file is a snapshot; it doesn't become your active library, and your current library keeps working exactly as it was.
If a Library Can't Be Opened
Sometimes a library file can't be reached — it's moved, the drive holding it isn't connected, or a sync service hasn't finished downloading it yet. Scaffold tells you exactly what's wrong and gives you a way forward:
- Library Missing — Scaffold can't find the file where it expects it. Reconnect the drive or wait for sync and click Try Again, or use Locate Library... to point Scaffold at it directly.
- Library Read-Only — Scaffold can open the file but can't save to it (a permissions issue, or a drive mounted read-only). Choose Continue Read-Only to look at it without editing, fix the permissions and Try Again, or pick a different library.
- Library Invalid — the file exists but its contents can't be read. Choose another file, or import from a backup.
From any of these screens, Start New Local Library gets you working again immediately with a fresh, empty library, kept separate from the file Scaffold couldn't open. Nothing about the original file is touched or deleted — it's still there, exactly as it was, whenever you're ready to deal with it.
Library Status
Preferences shows the path to whatever library is currently active, with a Reveal in Finder button to jump straight to it — handy any time you want to confirm exactly which file you're working in.
Preferences
Open Preferences with ⌘, or from the Scaffold menu.
General
- Appearance — System, Light, or Dark mode
- Library Status — the current active library's path, with Reveal in Finder
Advanced
- Reset Scaffold — clears all templates, clients, and project history and returns to a fresh default library. Whatever library was active before Reset is never touched — your data there stays exactly as it was. Project folders already created on disk are never affected either way.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘N | New Project |
| ⌘T | New Template |
| ⌘⇧N | New Client |
| ⌘, | Open Preferences |
| ⌘F | Focus search (on list screens) |
| ⌘⇧L | Export diagnostic log |
| Esc | Cancel / close |
In Template Builder:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘⌥N | Add Folder |
| Tab | Commit folder name and add another |
| Enter | Commit folder name |
| Esc | Cancel rename |
A quick note: if your active library is Read-Only, actions that create or edit content — including their keyboard shortcuts — are disabled until you switch to a library you can save to.
Getting Help
Something not working as expected? We're here.
- Support: getochre.app/support.php
- Diagnostic log: Press ⌘⇧L to export a diagnostic report and attach it to your support request
The diagnostic log contains no file names, folder names, client names, or personal information — just app version, template and client counts, and preference settings.