BearGraph support
Start with your notes.
Follow the connections.
A quick guide to connecting your library, exploring your graph, and keeping a copy.
Connect your library
- Open BearGraph and choose Connect Bear. You can also use the welcome screen’s sample link to try the app first.
- Approve Bear’s database folder in the macOS chooser. BearGraph suggests the usual location; select the correct folder if your library is elsewhere.
- Leave Remember access on this Mac checked to load your library automatically on later launches. Uncheck it for this session only.
Your notes stay read-only. Disconnect removes BearGraph’s saved folder permission. Remembering permission is separate from Remember this library, which can save graph metadata and views locally after its own disclosure.
Explore and export
Use Config to choose note links, tag links, or both. Add Highlights to color topics, or hide labels until you hover. Search with Command-F, pan with two-finger scrolling, and zoom with a pinch.
PNG exports are still images. Choose a preset or enter a custom size; valid changes update the preview automatically. The maximum is 4096 pixels on either side and 4,194,304 pixels total. A 2048 × 2048 square fits the limit.
HTML exports contain an interactive viewer that works offline in a desktop browser with JavaScript and WebGL enabled. Hidden labels still appear through hover and search. Review exports before sharing: hiding labels does not remove their information from an HTML file.
Common questions
Why are the export buttons unavailable?
A live library’s connections must finish verification before export becomes available. Watch the status in BearGraph. Larger libraries can take longer; you can switch apps after starting an update. If verification fails, follow the displayed guidance and try Refresh.
An open export configuration defers new graph updates. Canceling the Save panel keeps your export options open; a successful save closes them.
Why does macOS ask for folder or app-data access?
BearGraph needs your permission to read Bear’s database folder. Knowing its location does not grant access. macOS may also display an app-data access prompt. BearGraph opens the source read-only.
If remembered access can’t be restored, use Connect Bear again. BearGraph won’t automatically open a permission chooser at launch.
Does Disconnect remove an export I already shared?
No. PNG and HTML exports are independent snapshots. Disconnect removes the saved BearGraph connection and its remembered library, but it cannot revoke copies you saved or shared.
How do I use BearGraph with Shortcuts?
In Shortcuts, search for BearGraph’s Open Graph, Refresh Bear Library, or Import Graph File actions. Open BearGraph once after installation if the actions aren’t visible, then reopen Shortcuts.
Refresh requests an update; its completion doesn’t mean graph verification is finished. Import opens the graph JSON chooser in BearGraph. Finish any open export dialog before starting Refresh or Import.
What can I import?
Import Graph File accepts a supported BearGraph graph JSON file. It does not import Bear Markdown or TextBundle files. Disconnect a live Bear library before importing. Canceling the chooser preserves the graph already open.
Need a hand?
Email beargraph@appythoughts.com.
Tell us your BearGraph and macOS versions, what you tried, and what happened. If helpful, include a support-status report from the app after reviewing it.
Don’t send your Bear database, note contents, passwords, or screenshots with private labels. Nothing is attached or sent automatically when you choose Email Us.