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User guide

How to use Rodeo

Everything Rodeo can do and how to do it, from your very first page to databases, automations, AI, and real-time collaboration. Skim the contents, or read it top to bottom.

Free for up to 3 members · no card · import from Notion

Start here

Getting started

You can be writing in Rodeo in under a minute. There is nothing to install and no password to remember.

  1. 01

    Sign in

    Go to Rodeo and choose Continue with Google or Magic link (we email you a one-time sign-in link). Your session persists, so you sign in once and stay in.

  2. 02

    Land in your workspace

    On first sign-in Rodeo sets up a personal workspace for you automatically — your top-level home for everything.

  3. 03

    Create a page

    Click + in the sidebar (or press ⌘K → Create page). Click the title and start typing. Everything autosaves — there is no Save button.

  4. 04

    Add structure

    Type / to insert any block, or drag pages in the sidebar to nest and reorder them.

TipThe three regions you'll use constantly: the sidebar (workspaces, spaces, page tree), the topbar (breadcrumbs, ⌘K, share, theme), and the editor in the middle. Rodeo has full light and dark modes — toggle from the topbar.

Writing

The editor & blocks

Everything you write is made of blocks — paragraphs, headings, images, tables, and much more. Blocks can be dragged, nested, and turned into one another.

Inserting content

  • Slash menu — type / to browse and insert any block. Keep typing to filter (/call → callout).
  • Markdown shortcuts — # for a heading, - for a bullet, [] for a to-do, > for a quote, ``` for code.
  • Paste rich text, Markdown, or HTML — nested lists, quotes, code, links, and images all keep their structure.

Formatting text

Select any text for the formatting toolbar: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, inline code, text & background color, links, superscript/subscript, add a comment, and — when AI is on — an AI transform button.

Every block type

  • Headings 1–3
  • To-do / checklist
  • Bullet & numbered lists
  • Toggle lists & headings
  • Quote
  • Code
  • Callout
  • Math / LaTeX
  • Columns
  • Mermaid diagrams
  • Image
  • Embed / bookmark
  • HTML block
  • Child page
  • Page link & @mentions
  • Database
  • Linked database
  • Button
  • Ask AI block

Documents

Pages

A page is a document; pages nest inside pages to form an unlimited tree. Any page can become as rich as you need.

  • Nest & organize — drag rows in the sidebar to reorder or re-parent, or add subpages directly.
  • Icon & cover — click above the title to add an emoji or image icon and a banner cover.
  • Favorites & recents — star a page to pin it; recently visited pages are tracked for you.
  • Display modes — toggle full width or small text per page.
  • Version history — Rodeo auto-snapshots as you edit; open History to browse and restore any past version.
  • Export — download any page as Markdown or HTML from the ⬇ Export menu.
  • Present — press ⌘⇧P to turn a page into a full-screen slide deck (splits on your headings).

Structured data

Databases

A database is a set of rows that are themselves pages, with typed columns on top. View the same rows as a table, board, calendar, and more. The fastest start is a template from the gallery.

Create one

Type /database or use the sidebar +. Add columns with + on the header row; add rows with + New. Click any row to open it as a full page.

Property types

  • Text
  • Number
  • Select / Status
  • Multi-select
  • Date
  • Checkbox
  • URL / Email / Phone
  • Person
  • Files
  • Relation
  • Rollup
  • Formula
  • Created / Edited time & by

Views

  • Table
  • Board
  • Calendar
  • Gallery
  • List
  • Timeline
  • Chart

Each view has its own filters (compound AND/OR groups), multi-sort, grouping & sub-grouping, and column visibility.

Go further

  • Relations & rollups — link rows across databases, then aggregate (count/sum/avg/min/max).
  • Formulas — compute values per row with prop("Name") references and operators.
  • Row templates — save a configured row and reuse it for new entries.
  • CSV import — bring existing data in; columns match your headers.
  • Automations — on row created/updated/changed, set a property, notify someone, or AI-fill a field.
  • Buttons — one-click open URL or create a row in a chosen database.
  • Linked databases — embed a live view of any database inside any page to build dashboards.
  • Forms — collect entries internally, or publish a public form anyone can submit without an account.

Moving in

Importing

Bring an existing workspace with you. Click Import at the bottom of the sidebar and pick where you're coming from.

  • Notion — export as Markdown & CSV and import the .zip as it is. Pages keep their nesting, CSVs become databases, and links between pages still work. How switching works.
  • Confluence — import a space's HTML export (.zip).
  • Evernote — import exported notes (.enex).
  • CSV — import a single CSV file into a database; columns match your headers.

Work together

Collaboration

Rodeo is multiplayer at its core — edit the same page together, live, with offline support.

  • Real-time co-editing — changes appear character-by-character; concurrent edits merge cleanly (CRDT), never overwrite.
  • Presence — see who else is on the page.
  • Offline — pages you've opened keep a local copy in your browser, so you can keep writing through a dropped connection. Your edits sync when you're back online.
  • Comments — anchor threaded comments to a selection or the page; reply and resolve.
  • Mentions — type @ for a unified menu of people, pages, and dates.
  • Notifications inbox — mentions, comments, reminders, assignments, and automations, with filter tabs.
  • Reminders — attach a reminder to a date; it lands in your inbox when due.
  • Assignments — set a Person property on a row to assign & notify people.
  • Email digests — opt into a daily email of your unread notifications.

Access control

Spaces, sharing & permissions

Three layers compose: your workspace role sets the baseline, Spaces group and gate pages, and per-page shares grant access to individuals — including people outside the workspace.

Roles

Owner (full control, can transfer/delete) · Admin (manage members, sharing, spaces, billing) · Member (create & edit) · Guest (read-only by default; sees only pages shared with them).

Spaces

Organize a workspace into sections like General or Engineering. Set visibility to Open (all members), Closed, or Private (members only — non-members can't even see it exists). Move a page to a space and its whole subtree follows.

Sharing

  • Per-page share — share one page (and its subtree) at view, comment, or edit level. Guests see nothing else.
  • Invite members — by email or a shareable invite link; pending invites auto-accept on sign-in.
  • Enforced everywhere — search, graph, activity, databases, comments, and live collaboration all respect the same rules. Un-granted content returns a clean 404 — no leaks.

Assisted

AI

AI is woven through Rodeo — and always permission-aware. Where it's enabled, these light up; where it isn't, the app works exactly the same without them.

  • In-editor assist — select text and use the AI button to improve, fix grammar, summarize, shorten/lengthen, change tone, translate, or run a custom instruction.
  • Workspace Q&A — ask a question and get an answer grounded in your own pages, with clickable citations. Only pages you can view are used.
  • Database autofill — an AI fill automation classifies, summarizes, or extracts into a property as rows change.
  • Ask AI block — type a prompt in the page and generate content in place; regenerate or edit the prompt.

Rich content

Media, embeds & export

Bring in images and files, embed the web, run custom HTML safely, and get your content out.

  • Uploads — images, file attachments, and custom page icons/covers.
  • Embeds & bookmarks — paste a URL for a rich player (YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, Figma, CodePen, Maps) or a tidy link-preview card.
  • HTML block — paste raw markup that runs in a sandboxed iframe: scripts work, but can never touch your workspace.
  • Present mode — ⌘⇧P turns any page into a slide deck.
  • Export — download pages as Markdown or HTML anytime.

Extend it

Build on Rodeo

Rodeo is a platform. Script it, react to it, or connect an AI agent.

  • Public REST API — create scoped personal access tokens and read/write pages & database rows. See the developer docs.
  • Webhooks — get an HMAC-signed callback when pages or rows change.
  • MCP server — connect Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client at api.rodeo.so/mcp to read and write your workspace with your consent.

Go faster

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts
⌘K / Ctrl+KQuick switcher: jump, search, run a command
/Slash menu: insert a block
@Mention a person, page, or date
⌘B / ⌘IBold / italic
⌘. / ⌘⇧,Superscript / subscript
⌘⇧PPresent the current page as slides
Drag handle ⋮⋮Move or nest a block

Bring the team's docs, plans and data into one place.

Free for up to 3 members · no card · import from Notion