Publish a page

Knit keeps the published page separate from the draft you're working on. Your edits to the title, icon, and content save to the draft automatically. Nothing changes for readers until you publish.

How the draft works

• While you type, the status below the title shows Saving draft…, then Unpublished changes.
• The draft keeps unpublished changes until Publish.
• People who can only view the page see the published version.
• Search shows the published version. See Search.
• If you undo your edits back to how the page was, the status shows Matches published and returns to the published page.

On an existing page, your draft starts when you first edit. A new file starts as your private draft immediately. Other people cannot see it until you publish, unless you explicitly ask them to review it. Folders are shared immediately and can appear empty while their files are still private drafts.

The draft URL ends in /~draft/<draft-id>. The page tree shows a small D for Draft or R for In review, and breadcrumbs spell out the state. Draft markers use purple and review markers use amber. On a phone, the state also appears above the page because breadcrumbs are hidden. The tree link opens the identified draft or review. A normal published page has no state marker. Once the page has been published, use Page actions (…) to View published page from your draft, or Open draft from the published page when you have one. Other editors have their own drafts and cannot change yours. Copying either link shows a brief confirmation toast without adding a message above the page. On an existing page, if you undo all changes, the draft closes, its markers disappear, and the URL returns to the published page. A submitted review closes with it. An unpublished new file stays in your drafts until you publish or discard it.

For an optional review, open the menu attached to Publish or Update and choose Ask for review…, or open Unpublished changes and choose Ask someone to review. A clean published page keeps Update in place, disabled until there are unpublished changes. It shows no pending approval action. If you keep typing while Publish or Update is saving, those later edits stay in a new draft for the next update.

See what you changed

Select Unpublished changes below the title. A panel opens, Changes since last published, listing each change: title and icon changes first, then removed and added text.

• Select a change to jump to it in the page.
• Select Revert on a change to put back the published version of just that part. Press ⌘Z (Ctrl+Z) if you change your mind.

You can revert each change to restore the published page.

A never-published file says New page and shows its content without change highlights. Its first published history entry is Version 1, with the title and content you publish.

To remove the whole draft in one step, select Discard draft at the bottom left of the changes panel and confirm. Knit returns you to the published page and closes any review of that draft. Other people's drafts are unaffected. Discarding a never-published file removes it and returns you to Home.

Publish

Select Publish for the first release, or Update after that, either beside the title or at the bottom of the changes panel. The draft becomes the published page, and Knit records a new version in page history.

The action is available only when there's something to publish.

If something goes wrong

• Failed to save draft: select Retry, or Discard to drop the unsaved edits.
• Failed to publish: select Retry publish.
• Draft changed in another session: another tab with your draft changed it at the same time. Knit keeps your edits safe and asks how to continue. See The editor.

Want someone to check your changes first? On every plan you can ask for a review before publishing. See Get a review before you publish.