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StepStep

SPACES

Persistent browsing contexts.

Each Space is a self-contained world. Tabs, groups, splits, scroll positions, annotations, everything restored when you come back.

Modern browsers treat your browsing as ephemeral. Close the window and most of the shape of your work is gone, scroll positions, the page you read three times, the trail you were following. Spaces flip that assumption. Each Space is a persistent context that survives close, restart, and crash. Open the browser tomorrow and your Research Space is exactly where you left it.

A Space holds tabs, groups, the active split layout, scroll positions per tab, annotations, and the navigation trail. State is written to a local SQLite database on every meaningful change. Switching Spaces is instant: the previous Space stays alive in memory, the new one swaps in. Closing the browser flushes everything to disk. Reopening reads it back.

Use Spaces to separate the contexts you naturally have: Work, Personal, a long-running research project, a shopping comparison, travel planning. The first Space is created automatically. Add more from the sidebar with a single click. There's no limit. Spaces you haven't touched in a while stay on disk and don't consume memory.

Where it shows up

Frequently asked

How are Spaces different from Chrome profiles?
Profiles separate accounts (cookies, extensions, history). Spaces separate contexts (tabs, groups, layouts) within a single profile. Most users want one profile and many Spaces, no need to log in twice.
Is there a limit on the number of Spaces?
No. Inactive Spaces don't consume memory. They live on disk until you switch back.
What happens if Step crashes?
State is written to SQLite continuously. After a crash, reopen Step and your Spaces are restored from the last write. Lost work is measured in seconds, not sessions.
Can I share a Space with someone else?
Not yet. Local-first means no built-in sync. Export and re-import from another machine is on the roadmap.

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