Stackwyn Docs

Stackwyn is a visual full-stack design tool. You work on a single canvas where you place nodes — database tables, API endpoints, cron jobs, Redis, S3, auth blocks and more — connect them with edges, and then interact with real systems and export production code.

Quick start

After downloading and opening Stackwyn:

1. Sign in or continue as guest — guests get full canvas access. Sign in to enable cloud save and AI.
2. Drag a DB Table node from the left sidebar onto the canvas.
3. Add columns — click the table node to select it, then use the right sidebar to add column names, types, and constraints.
4. Add a DB Connector — configure your Postgres/MySQL connection and click "Test connection".
5. Link the table to the connector — drag from the connector's right handle to the table's left handle.
6. Push to DB — with the connector selected, click "Push tables" to create the table in your database.

The canvas

The canvas is the main workspace. It's an infinite, pannable, zoomable surface. You can:

• Pan — click and drag on empty canvas space, or hold Space and drag.
• Zoom — scroll wheel, or pinch on trackpad. Use Ctrl + 0 to fit all nodes.
• Select — click a node to select it. Shift+click to multi-select. Drag on empty space to box-select.
• Move nodes — drag any selected node. Hold Shift to snap to grid.
• Connect nodes — hover a node to reveal the circular handles on its edges, then drag from a handle to another node.
• Delete — select a node or edge and press Backspace or Delete.
• Undo/Redo — Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z.

The canvas auto-saves to local storage every 800ms and on drag-stop. If you're signed in, it also saves to cloud.

View modes

Use the top toolbar to switch between four views over the same project:

• Canvas — the full diagram with all node types.
• Schema — shows only DB tables and their FK relationships as a clean schema diagram.
• API — a flat list of all API Endpoint nodes with method, path, and auth.
• UI Design — a separate canvas for building low-fidelity UI layouts. Uses a different palette of primitive nodes (Button, Input, Container, etc.) and exports to React or HTML.

Node overview

Every node represents a part of your stack. Drag any node type from the left sidebar onto the canvas. Click a node to configure it in the right sidebar.

DB Table

The DB Table node represents a database table. Each table has a name and a list of columns.

Adding columns

Select a DB Table node and use the right sidebar to add columns. Each column has a name, a type (e.g. UUID, VARCHAR(255), INT, BOOLEAN, TIMESTAMP), and optional flags: Primary Key, Not Null, Unique, and a default value.

Foreign keys

To create a foreign key, connect two DB Table nodes with an edge. In the edge properties (click the edge), you can set the referenced column and cascade behaviour (CASCADE, SET NULL, RESTRICT).

Pushing to a database

Link a DB Table to a DB Connector, then select the connector and use "Push tables" to run CREATE TABLE (or ALTER TABLE for changes) on your live database.

DB Connector

The DB Connector node manages a live database connection. Supported databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server.

Connecting

Fill in host, port, database name, username, and password in the right sidebar. Click "Test connection" to verify. The connection status appears in the bottom bar.

Introspecting an existing schema

Once connected, click "Import schema" to pull all existing tables and columns from the database into DB Table nodes on the canvas automatically.

API Endpoint

Models an HTTP endpoint. Fields: method (GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE), base URL, path, auth type, query/body params, and expected responses.

Testing

With the node selected, click "Test request" in the right sidebar. The app sends a real HTTP request and shows the response body, status code, and latency. You can also copy the cURL command.

Cron Job

Defines a scheduled task using a standard cron expression (e.g. 0 9 * * * for 9am daily). The Stackwyn backend (bundled in the desktop app) runs the job on schedule while the app is open.

Target types

• URL — makes an HTTP request to a specified URL on schedule.
• Database — connects to a DB Connector and runs one or more SQL steps in sequence.

Exporting code

Open the Export modal (toolbar or Ctrl+E) to export your canvas as code:

• SQL DDL — CREATE TABLE statements for PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server.
• Prisma schema — schema.prisma with models and relations.
• TypeORM — TypeScript entity classes.
• OpenAPI 3.0 — YAML spec generated from your API Endpoint nodes.

UI Design exports are in the separate UI Design Export modal: React JSX or HTML with Tailwind, CSS Modules, or inline styles.

AI Assistant

The AI Assistant (right sidebar AI tab, or Ctrl+K) can suggest table schemas from a plain-English description and add them directly to your canvas.

Supported providers: OpenAI (bring your own API key), OpenRouter, or a local Ollama instance. Configure in Settings → AI.

Keyboard shortcuts

FAQ

Is Stackwyn free?

Yes — fully free to download and use. All canvas features, node types, DB connections, exports, and cron jobs are free. Cloud save and AI require a free account. Future paid features (team workspaces, advanced AI) will be opt-in.

Does my data leave my machine?

For guest users: no. The canvas is stored entirely in your browser's localStorage. DB credentials never leave your machine — all connections are made by the local Express server bundled in the Electron app. For signed-in users, the canvas data is also saved to Stackwyn's Supabase-hosted cloud database.

Can I use Stackwyn without a database?

Absolutely. You can design schemas, APIs, UI, and infrastructure entirely as documentation without connecting to any real database, Redis, or S3 instance.