For the moment between an idea and its source.
⇧⌘Y type a few words ↵
Ibis is a small, free app for researchers, students and anyone who writes with references. It finds a reference in Zotero or a BibTeX file and takes it to the place you write, on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Get the early preview or try it right here @try
No account, no uploads, no telemetry; sources read without changes. Privacy
@try
You need a source.
Lantern gardens follow the rhythm of imaginary cities
Press your Ibis shortcut, type “lantern” and choose with the arrow keys. Press Enter to copy the key, then paste into the sentence below.
[@vale2024lanterns]You paste it. Pandoc, LaTeX or Typst builds the reference list.
Lantern gardens follow the rhythm of imaginary cities [@vale2024lanterns].
Ibis finds and copies the key; it does not generate your document’s bibliography. It also copies formatted citations in APA, Chicago, Harvard and MLA, and IEEE reference entries.
@where
Ibis reads where you are writing and gives that app what it expects.
Pick where you write to see what Enter puts there for page 12 of the lantern gardens paper.
Lantern gardens follow imaginary cities (Vale, 2024, p. 12).
Word, Pages or Google Docs: A formatted APA citation. Choose another style in Ibis.
Enter pastes into the app you came from on macOS and Windows. On Linux, and wherever pasting isn’t safe, Ibis copies instead and says why.
@why
Write in any app you like, and bring your references with you.
I wanted the freedom to write wherever I want: an editor, a notes app or a plain text file. I just wanted my references one direct shortcut away, without depending on multiple apps, and something that works everywhere: Windows, macOS and Linux, because I move between all three.
Ibis is still early. I’m trying to make it very fast, easy to set up and easy to fit to the way you write, and I’d like your help shaping it.
Where do you write? How do you keep your references? What pulls you out of the flow? A workflow or a missing piece is enough to shape what gets built.
— @diyanko
Like where it’s heading?
