I’d love to use ChatGPT inside Scrivener as an external bookmark. However, when I load the page it immediately switches back to the log in window, and when I try to log in again, it opens ChatGPT in my web browser instead of within the inspector area for bookmarks. Apparently, the embedded browser has only limited functionality and cannot handle authentication scripts.
Given the dramatic importance of LLMs for writers today adding this functionality (which doesn’t seem too difficult) would be a crucial feature for Scrivener.
PS: direct integration of a LLM would be even better still, but this might require a bit more effort.
Yikes, no thanks (for countless reasons). K has already stated there is no intent to add LLM things to L&L apps (I believe).
Having said that, you do get some external LLM integration via Apple Intelligence and Grammarly. The latter works well, and the former is hidden behind the Language Tools menu. If you’re looking for ChatGPT as a research tool… I don’t think that should be anywhere near Scrivener.
Well, I use ChatGPT simply to refine my language—particularly helpful if you’re not a native speaker… Perhaps you might also find it useful for polishing your tone, making it sound less condescending and contributing to a more pleasant forum experience overall That aside, the issue extends beyond ChatGPT to all sites requiring a login!
Inability to handle authentication scripts is due to the web toolkit that Scrivener uses, which is more of a “viewer” than a full-fledged browser. Modern computers are generally very good at multitasking, though.
FWIW, “does Scrivener scrape my data for AI training” questions (no, we do not) are much more common than “how can I use an LLM in Scrivener” questions. Your belief that these tools are essential is not at all universally shared.
Thanks for the reply! I understand the concerns with respect to ai, and I know how to multitask on my computer - but isn’t the whole idea of Scrivener bookmarks to have everything in one place? The benefit for me is not to have switch screens and to minimize distractions from the browser while writing. And as I mentioned, the issue doesn’t only apply to ai sites, but all sites that require login (e.g. scientific journals for research …) .
You do not HAVE to put all your research documents and links inside Scrivener. Use another app that is designed for that. Show the windows side by side to multi-task. I use DEVONthink but there are others. Or just put in the file system and use Finder.
To respond to the initial general request (bereft of any LLM use), of not redirecting to a browser: to confirm, do you have the Allow limited navigation in web pages setting ticked, in Scrivener’s Behaviors: Navigation options tab? Without that, I’m pretty sure most websites will redirect to a browser when you try to log in. The exception would be anything running the form purely in Javascript, without reloading the page.
That said, this checkbox doesn’t turn Scrivener into a browser. We use the word ‘limited’ for a reason. It should allow more navigation without ending up in a browser, but we can’t handle every scenario, and not every page will work particularly well once you are logged in (some people try to use Google Docs inside of Scrivener, for example, and I hear it doesn’t work well or at all).
Overall I do very much agree with the sentiment that computers multitask well, and for a good reason. Using a writing program to browse the internet at all, is just asking for exploits, tracking, and so on. We use off the shelf web page rendering tools, which are updated with the operating system or the programming toolkit (depending on OS), but those tend to update at far slower pace than your browser does. It’s a personal choice of course. For myself I wouldn’t let any program touch the 'net unless its explicitly designed to do so (I firewall/filter everything), but we give you the checkboxes so you can choose to leave your door wide open at night, so to speak, if you please.
Note that excellent utilities like BetterTouchTool (https://folivora.ai) and Alfred (https://www.alfredapp.com) offer app integration of LLM tools (any model, not just ChatGPT) easily into any app. So you can select text in Scrivener, activate using key/mouse/gesture and they will do the model interaction for you . I do use these for quick rewording / alternative sentance structures etc., and the same interface works in Scrivener, Mail, LibreOffice etc. This IMO is much better than each app offering their own take on using an LLM.
AND even better you can run the models locally:
This means no data leaking, no subscriptions, more control etc. The quality of local models are rapidly improving by the week. LM Studio and a good local model plug into Alfred or BTT and so you can even work with them on the plane etc. I often program on a long flight, and having an LLM to use as an offline Google search is amazing (a rough and ready universal library). I do recommend a 16GB+ apple silicon machine for the best experience.
That aside, the issue extends beyond ChatGPT to all sites requiring a login!