Software you can
pass around.

Make the tool. Change it live. Pass it on.

By David Miranda2 minute read

Make a weekend planner, by hand or with AI. Give a friend their own copy. They can change it while you keep using yours.

That's the promise of software as a malleable file.

weekend.htmlYOUR COPY

A little weekend
wander.

  • Coffee near the station
  • Wander through the old town
  • Lunch at the market

The plan, the layout, the code.
All in the same file.

family-trip.htmlTHEIR COPY

Fun-filled
family trip

  • Pancakes with the kids
  • Park walk with the stroller
  • Picnic by the playground

Their plans. Their changes.
A working tool of their own.

Copying the file carries the interface, behavior, content, and current state together.

Let the tool travel with the plan.

Send someone a spreadsheet and the formulas travel with the numbers. Small tools whose state fits in a document should always work that way.

I want to keep that work together. One HTML file can carry the interface, code, content, and state.

Frontend code is the full app in one HTML file.Frontend code =Full appplanner.html

Give the page a memory.

In a malleable HTML file, durable state lives in the document. Change a destination, and the text on the page changes. Saving captures the updated page, including persisted form values.

A compatible host writes that HTML to disk. Reopen it: your plan is there.

A checkbox is edited, then stays checked after a reload. Edited reload persisted

HTML file, now malleable

Install HTML Clay and open a .htmlclay file. ClayJS handles editing and saving in the page automatically.

Offline just works, as long as you have local scripts and assets. Putting it online lets you share it with anyone.

An HTML file passes through HTML Clay to become a malleable file. htmlfile HTML Clay malleablefile

Your friend's copy can grow differently

Your friend needs walks they can take with a stroller. You want a photo diary. Use the tool's controls, edit the source, or ask AI to help.

Start with the same file. Keep the versions that fit.

Your copy is a weekend photo diary; their copy is a family trip with stroller.Weekendphoto diaryFamily tripwith strollerYour copyTheir copy

When you want a link.

Hyperclay hosts your files online, with edit permissions and version history. Share a URL and get a collaborative visual canvas.

Host a malleable file on Hyperclay and share view or edit access.malleablefilehttps://…Share view/edit accessHyperclay

Make something for one person.

Make something for yourself. Use it, change it, save it. When your friend wants to use it too, give them something they can shape directly in the interface.

My tiny tool: one useful thing, only front-end code, shapeable software.My tiny toolOne useful thingOnly front-end codeShapeable software
The format and the tools