Overview

Runebender edits UFO and designspace font sources. It also opens and edits Glyphs files and compiled fonts, converting them to UFO/Designspace on the way in. These pages cover what it does, how to install it, and how to use it.

Status	Alpha documentation, approximately 80% unedited AI text
Stability	The editor changes quickly; verify against the source

Read This First

Runebender is alpha software. Keep your font sources under version control and work on copies. The editor writes UFO and designspace files in place, and a bug can damage them.

Everything on this site describes one editor. Runebender runs in your browser and as a native application from the same Rust code.

Start

Install Run it in the browser, or build the native application with cargo. Draw a Glyph A tutorial: from an empty font to a saved, spaced letter. Opening and Saving What opens, what converts, and how saving works. Concepts Sources, the em, outlines, and what interpolation needs. Architecture One headless core, several front-ends, and why. The Interface What each panel and bar does.

Editing

Tools The eight edit modes and what each one does. Glyphs Add, rename, encode, group, and remove glyphs. Paths and Filters Clean up, combine, and transform outlines. Components and Anchors Build composites that follow their base. Masters and Interpolation Work across a designspace. Spacing and Kerning Widths, metric keys, and kerning by dragging. Feature Code Edit features.fea, or generate it from names and anchors. Color Fonts Palettes, layers, and COLRv0 or v1. Text and Shaping Type in context, including Arabic and other RTL scripts. Font Info Names, vertical metrics, and hinting values. Checking a Font Compare masters, measure weights, verify joining.

AI

Agents Point an AI agent at your sources. The seam is the filesystem. Local Models Run a model on your machine, over your own sources. Experimental.

Learn

Draw a Glyph A tutorial from empty font to saved letter. Workflows Recipes for jobs that span several parts of the editor.

Reference

Shortcuts Every keyboard command and menu item. Configuration The config file: theme, models, and the session journal. Themes The token file: greys, corners, rule weights, and marks. File Format What Runebender writes into a UFO. Exporting Build a font file from your sources. Scripting Automating alongside the editor, and what is not there. Troubleshooting What to check when something fails. Development Build from source and work on core alongside. Code Layout Where each piece of code lives, the conventions, and what is still out of place. FAQ Short answers, including the uncomfortable ones. Glossary Terms used across these pages.