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Dialogue
Features
Real-Time Collaboration

Real-Time Collaboration

Dialogue supports live multi-user document editing. Share a note or transcript, and multiple people can view and edit it simultaneously with cursor presence and instant updates.

How It Works

Real-time collaboration uses a separate layer from the encrypted sync system:

  • Yjs CRDTs handle real-time document merging via WebSocket
  • BlockNote provides the rich-text editor with full formatting support
  • Cursor awareness shows where each collaborator is editing in real time
  • Changes are merged automatically with no conflicts

When you open a shared document, the editor connects to the collaboration server. All participants see each other’s edits as they type.

Collaboration on macOS

On macOS, shared documents open in the native Dialogue editor. When a document has active collaborators, you’ll see their cursors and edits in real time within the same BlockNote editor used for local notes.

Collaboration on the Web

The web app provides the same collaborative editing experience in any browser. Sign in, open a shared document, and start editing. The web editor supports:

  • Full rich-text formatting
  • Live cursor presence with collaborator names
  • Read-only and read-write permission modes
  • Dark and light theme

Starting a Collaboration Session

  1. Open a note or transcript in Dialogue
  2. Click Share to create a share (see Sharing)
  3. The recipient opens the document from their notification or the web app
  4. Both parties are now editing the same document in real time

Privacy Considerations

The collaboration server can see document content during active editing sessions. This is necessary for real-time merge — the server must process edits to combine them.

However, this applies only to the live session:

  • Persistent storage is always end-to-end encrypted — when the session ends, data is synced back through the E2EE channel
  • Only shared documents enter the collaboration layer — your private, unshared notes never touch the collaboration server
  • You control who has access — shares are explicit and revocable

For more on how encryption and collaboration interact, see Encryption.

Cross-Device SyncEnd-to-End Encryption