Update: Unified Mentions, Collaborate with Agents, and Threaded Conversations

This update introduces collaboration with agents directly inside comments for the first time and makes working with teammates feel more consistent and responsive. We’ve unified @-mention autocomplete across agents and teammates so you can trigger agent responses directly from comments, polished agent visuals and behavior, introduced threaded conversations with popouts, and added per-user, per-agent rate limits to keep things reliable at scale.

Update: Private Are.na Channels Loading Fix

Fixed an issue where private Are.na channels you have access to would fail to load correctly inside projects and grids.

Update: Improved Are.na Authorization Flow and Navigation

We've improved the authorization flow to reduce blocking by redirecting users back to their original page after are.na authorization. Added helpful links to API key providers on settings pages and improved navigation with an agents page link in the command launcher. Also fixed missing tooltips on version and column settings tools.

Feature Release: Tools for Agents and Web Search

Agents can now be equipped with powerful tools to perform specific tasks including web searching, analysis, accessing domain-specific knowledge, and creating diagrams. We've integrated Exa and Firecrawl for web search capabilities, added a direct login button for faster access, and improved agent model configuration options.

Feature Release: Image Drag & Drop and Text Tool

Users can now drag and drop images directly into the grid to create blocks, making content creation faster and more intuitive. The new text tool on traces allows users to input, move, and rescale text elements. We've also improved the create block UI, decluttered the trace toolbar, and fixed several styling and hotkey issues.

Improvements: Shape Selection and Transformation

Added support for transforming multiple selected shapes together with move and resize options. Enhanced marquee selection to include shapes fully contained within the selection area, and added visual resize handles and bounding indicators for grouped selections. Updated the color of the last saved indicator for better visibility.

Improvements: Performance Settings and Chaos View Updates

Added a "Performance" section in project and channel management settings with a "Disable grid animations" toggle to improve performance. Settings automatically sync across browser tabs and windows. Chaos view now includes an auto-rotate toggle in settings that persists, defaults to enabled, and syncs across tabs and windows. Per-image rotate handles in Chaos view enable pointer-based manual rotation. Fixed accidental clicks triggering presentation mode immediately after rotating or dragging images.

Feature Release: Block Creation and Grid Refresh

Users can now create blocks directly from Proximity by setting a default channel and uploading images, URLs, text, and other content. Created blocks are automatically added to both Proximity and Are.na. Added grid refresh functionality with a refresh button and Shift+R shortcut that invalidates queries, fetches with bypassCache, and revalidates project pages. New keyboard shortcuts include refresh (Shift+R) and add block (a), with updates to the settings and hotkeys panel. Enhanced error feedback provides clearer information when channel loading encounters errors.

Feature Release: Comment Attachments

Users can now upload, preview, and remove images and files in trace and project comments, enabling richer collaboration and context sharing. This release also fixes local grid loading errors and private channel rendering issues.

Bug Fixes

This release fixes bugs related to content display, layout responsiveness, and grid configuration. Special characters in image titles now render correctly, layout dynamically adapts to panel height adjustments for improved responsiveness, and column configuration can be changed on preview grids without issues.

Feature Release: Channel Creation and UI Updates

Users can now create a new Are.na channel directly while creating a project, streamlining the workflow for setting up new projects. Added a top progress indicator during page navigation to provide visual feedback, and redesigned the settings page layout with improved profile card display and navigation for better usability.

Improvements: Are.na Integration Improvements

Added informational UI prompts that guide users to connect their Are.na account via Settings. Toast notifications now alert users when private channels aren't accessible, and the app now supports accessing private Are.na channels when users are signed in and connected. Improved fallback behavior and error handling for rate-limited Are.na API requests provide a more reliable experience when working with Are.na data.

Improvements: Collaborators and UI Improvements

Added collaborators management with a modal that includes search, add, and remove functionality. Collaborator avatars now display in the action panel for quick visibility. Sort controls have been reorganized with expanded custom ordering options, and various button sizing and spacing adjustments improve UI consistency across the interface. Projects now automatically generate URL-friendly slugs based on project names, and navigation uses these slugs with intelligent fallbacks. Project settings now separately handle privacy level changes for improved reliability.

Feature Release: Print Feature

Added print functionality to easily print out projects. Users can configure print settings including orientation (portrait or landscape), page layout (single-sided or double-sided), and control whether block titles and descriptions appear on the printout.

Feature Release: Channel Preview

Users can now preview linked channels directly in Proximity before adding them to a project. When a block contains a linked channel, users can open and preview the channel's contents within Proximity to evaluate whether it fits their project before committing to add it. Channel clicks now open preview routes, and autosave intelligently switches between local and remote modes based on the current context.

Feature Release: Column Settings and Sorting Improvements

Users now have full control over column layout with manual configuration from 1 to 50 columns or automatic sizing. These preferences persist across sessions, so layouts are automatically restored when returning to projects. Swap mode streamlines image reordering in custom sort view—press 'w' to quickly rearrange blocks.

Sorting has been enhanced with visual feedback, toast notifications, and new options to sort by "Channel" and "Connections". The image info UI now reveals all linked channels where a block appears, providing better context for cross-channel connections. Are.na channel inputs auto-save on blur, and project creation now uses separate quotas for public and private projects, giving users more flexibility in how they organize their work.

Feature Release: Traces and Channel Creation

Traces allows users to capture snapshots of their grid and annotate them with live tools. Users can draw freehand with the pen tool, add geometric shapes, overlay images, and attach comments directly on snapshots.

A new block selection tool enables creating projects from selected blocks. When creating a project, users can configure the name, slug, and privacy level (Public, Closed, or Private). Slugs are automatically generated from project names, and keyboard shortcuts streamline the workflow: press B to toggle selection mode and Enter to create a project. When saving projects created from blocks, corresponding Are.na channels are automatically created.

Launching IRLProximity (Beta)

IRLProximity is a spatial research surface that turns Are.na blocks into programmable, multiplayer grids.

It sustains complexity instead of flattening it. Unlike "second brains" or productivity apps, it is a living interface where ideas are arranged in space, worked with in real time, and cultivated together. IRLProximity transforms collecting into shared memory and living arguments.

IRL Proximity is now available for general beta.