Play with an AI
Connect a compatible assistant, load campaign context, play naturally, then ask it to save the session.
See the connection stepsGetting started
Your campaign, from one session to the next.
Canonwell keeps sessions, characters, locations, lore, story threads, and what is currently true together—so you can stop rebuilding context every time you return to play.
Your campaign takes shape when its first session is saved. Start from Campaigns, import notes, or ask a connected assistant to save your opening session.
The Canonwell loop
- 01
Create
Save your first session to give the campaign a name and a place for the story to grow.
- 02
Play
Use ChatGPT, Claude, an oracle, your game system, or your own imagination.
- 03
Save
Keep the session as readable prose, with structured moments when they help.
- 04
Return
Load current campaign context in a fresh chat—or simply open your journal.
The AI conversation can end. Your campaign doesn’t.
Choose your way
Play your way. Keep one campaign record.
Canonwell fits around the tools and rituals you already enjoy.
Write in Markdown
Import ordinary prose as a readable chapter. Optional directives capture rolls, discoveries, scenes, and more.
Import a Markdown sessionBring JSON
For custom tools, automation, external session generators, migrations, and other advanced workflows.
Open the importerA session with an assistant
Pick up the story, not the old chat.
Connect Canonwell once, then use plain language to retrieve the campaign record and save what happens.
Connect ChatGPT or Claude
- 1. Create an API key. In Canonwell, open Settings → API Keys and create a key for your assistant.
- 2. Add a custom connector. Use the Canonwell MCP address below when remote access is available. The connector asks you to authorize Canonwell and enter your API key.
- 3. Start with context. Ask the assistant to load a campaign or, for a new story, help create and save its opening session.
Canonwell connection address
https://canonwell.app/api/mcpThe public ChatGPT plugin and connector-directory listings are not available yet. A custom MCP connection is the path once Canonwell is deployed.
Read connection helpA simple session rhythm
Before play
“Load my current Canonwell campaign and catch me up before we continue.”
During play
“What does Canonwell know about Mira? Have I encountered this place before?”
When you stop
“Let’s stop here. Save this as the next session and update the campaign state.”
Canonwell can return the current situation, recent sessions, active threads, key characters and places, challenges, lore, and unresolved questions. Ask for specific details when they come up; you don’t need to load every old record.
One story, two views
What happened then. What is true now.
Canonwell preserves finalized session history while your Codex evolves with what the campaign has learned.
History
“The Black-Eyed Girl finally tells Ash that her name is Mira.”
That session remains the record of what was known and said at the time.
Current truth
Mira — once known as the Black-Eyed Girl
The Codex can now reflect the character’s identity and current details without rewriting that old scene.
Canonwell isn’t the GM. It’s the memory.
Use the tools you enjoy—ChatGPT, Claude, Mythic, your game system, dice, or your own imagination. Canonwell keeps the campaign record underneath them, so changing tools doesn’t mean abandoning the story.
Whenever you return
Start a new chat. Keep the same campaign.
You don’t need to preserve one enormous conversation forever.
- 01Start a fresh conversation
- 02Connect or open Canonwell
- 03Ask for current play context
- 04Continue where the story stopped
“Load my Canonwell campaign and catch me up before we continue.”
Your first-session checklist
- Save your first session to start a campaign
- Connect an assistant, or write on your own
- Load campaign context
- Play a scene
- Save what happened
- Return in a fresh conversation
A few helpful answers
Good to know
A few details before you begin.
Do I need ChatGPT?
No. Canonwell works as a campaign journal on its own, and you can write sessions or import them.
Does Canonwell replace my RPG system?
No. Canonwell keeps the campaign record; you choose the rules, oracle, and way you play.
Can I use Claude or change AI providers?
Yes. Connect a supported client to Canonwell, or switch tools whenever you like. Custom connectors are available when the remote MCP service is deployed; Canonwell is not yet in a public connector directory.
Can I edit characters or locations?
Yes. Your Codex is the current reference for campaign characters, places, and other remembered details.
Does renaming a character change old sessions?
No. Session history preserves what was written then; the Codex can reflect what is currently known.
Can I export my campaign?
Yes. Open Campaigns and choose Export JSON for the campaign you want.