AnnexHub – User Manual

1. Overview

AnnexHub is the central control and store app of the AnnexCREATE suite – the first point of contact for all customers. It manages apps, licenses, teams, assets, and brand kits, installs and updates the other apps of the suite, and hosts the MCP host for automation.

Key benefits at a glance:

• One place for the whole suite: install, update, and open all ten apps – including update checks with changelogs.
• License management online and offline: redeem license keys, manage devices, activate entirely without an internet connection.
• Shared stores: a local asset library and brand kits that take effect in every app of the suite.
• Automation: the MCP host for AI agents is started exclusively through AnnexHub.

AnnexHub itself is free and forms the foundation of the AnnexCREATE "Creative OS".

2. Installation & Activation

Install AnnexHub as the first app of the suite from the provided installation package (.dmg or .zip). An onboarding sheet appears on first launch.

• AnnexHub is free – no license is required for the app itself.
• Licenses for the other apps are activated in AnnexHub under Licenses (⌘2): online with a license key, or offline via a signed activation file (generate an .annex-request, then read in the offline token).

Offline-first: the local areas (Library, Brand Kits, Search, Downloads, Settings, app management for installed apps) work without a server connection. Server-dependent areas (Store Assets, Teams, update checks) show an honest notice when the connection is missing – local content stays available.

3. Basic Workflow

The typical entry into the suite:

1. Launch AnnexHub and go through the onboarding.
2. Activate a license: redeem your license key in the Licenses area – or use offline activation.
3. Install apps: in the Apps area (⌘1), install or update the suite apps you want and open them directly from there.
4. Create a brand kit: in the Brand Kits area, define your brand's colors, fonts, and formats – this then takes effect in all apps.
5. Manage assets: in the Library (⌘4), manage images, graphics, and files with tags, clients, and projects.
6. Start a document: choose a template via "New Document" – AnnexHub creates the file and launches the target app.
7. Stay current: trigger the update check for all suite apps via AnnexHub ▸ Check for Updates….

4. Core Features

App Management

The Apps area (⌘1) lists all ten suite apps with installation status, version, and accent color. You install apps from downloaded .zip or .dmg archives into /Applications, uninstall them to the Trash, and open installed apps directly. The per-app update check runs through the server, including changelog display and marking of mandatory updates.

License Management and Device Management

The Licenses area (⌘2) shows the license status per component as a card grid. You redeem license keys online through the server API, or use offline activation: generate a signed activation request as an .annex-request file, then read in and apply the offline token file. License keys are stored in the SecretStore; in Settings you can reset the local license cache. Device management lists the activated Macs per license (device name, masked hardware ID, timestamps; the current device is marked) and allows remote deactivation with a confirmation dialog – deactivating your own device removes the license locally.

Team Management

In the Teams area you load and create teams, invite members by email (roles owner/admin/member/guest), remove them, and hand over transferable licenses. Per team, asset sync and version sync of the document index level are available (last-write-wins); both require a reachable server API and a valid license.

Local Asset Library

The Library (⌘4) is the suite's local asset store: manage assets, tags, clients, and projects, filter by type/tag/client/project, and search free text. A thumbnail grid shows the content, the inspector the metadata (dimensions, format, file size, note, tags). The library is also used by the other apps.

Store Assets (Server)

The Store Assets area (⌘3) lists the store's content (content packs, templates, plugins, stock) with type, description, and size. If the server is unreachable, the view shows an honest notice with a retry button; local content remains unaffected.

Brand Kit Management

In the Brand Kits area you create, edit, duplicate, and delete brand kits: color palettes with color roles and harmony generators, a font whitelist, paragraph and character styles, and linking with assets from the local library. Changes take effect suite-wide in all apps through the shared store.

Managing Fonts

Under Brand → Fonts you manage the suite's fonts centrally. The view lists managed fonts; each entry shows the family, included styles, license information, and source.

Importing fonts

Click the import button or drag font files into the view. AnnexHub supports TTF, OTF, TTC, dfont, WOFF, and WOFF2 formats. On import, AnnexHub reads the family and styles through CoreText, then registers the font with CoreText so it becomes available in all apps.

If a file cannot be imported, AnnexHub names the reason instead of silently skipping it:

• Unsupported format – file extension is not among the supported formats.
• Unreadable – the file is damaged or contains no valid font metadata.
• Duplicate – all styles in the file are already present in the library.

Recognizing capabilities

In the fonts list and the font picker, AnnexHub shows OpenType and Variable badges for every font. If the font supports the capability, the badge appears in color; otherwise it is grayed out. The badges are never missing and never deceptively active, so you can see at a glance which capabilities are actually available.

Favorites and collections

Mark frequently used fonts as favorites via the star in each row. Assign fonts to collections so they appear as a separate section and filter in the shared font picker. Favorites and collections take effect in all suite apps that use the central font picker.

Central Search

Search queries the local version index, which the apps fill when saving. You filter by free text (title/file name/editor) and approval status, and sort by modification date, title, status, or version count.

Plugin Store

The Plugin Store (⌘5) shows the plugin list from the server assets; plugins can be installed (with download) and activated or deactivated – activation survives app restarts. An internal demo plugin registers a sample command and is only activated automatically in debug builds; external plugin bundles are not loaded yet.

Download Manager

The Downloads area shows running and completed downloads with a progress indicator (bytes, percent, status: pending/downloading/completed/failed).

Tutorials

The Tutorials area (⌘6) bundles the suite's documentation: for each of the ten apps you can open the manual and the quick tutorial right in the built-in reader – the documents are bundled with the Hub and therefore available offline (language follows the app language, with German/English fallback). If a tutorial video is bundled or has already been downloaded for an app, the integrated player plays it; otherwise you can download the video from the server on demand (it is cached locally) or see the honest note that it is not available yet.

New Document from Template

Via "New Document" you reach the template catalog of the other nine apps, grouped by app, with a preview and format hint. AnnexHub creates a real file in the target app's format and launches it (fallback: reveal the file in Finder).

Feedback Form

The feedback form accepts a category, free text, and optional contact details. It is only transmitted when explicitly sent – there is no telemetry equivalent.

Settings and Menu Bar

Settings combine theme/color scheme, diagnostics, and privacy, the configurable server URL (empty = default http://localhost:8080/v1, validated for http(s)://, "Default" button to reset), the license cache reset, and the version display.

The menu bar contains:

• AnnexHub ▸ Check for Updates… – update check for all suite apps (no keyboard shortcut)
• AnnexHub ▸ Settings… (⌘,)
• View ▸ Apps (⌘1), View ▸ Licenses (⌘2), View ▸ Store Assets (⌘3), View ▸ Library (⌘4), View ▸ Plugins (⌘5), View ▸ Tutorials (⌘6)

The interface is localized in German, English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

5. Formats & Interoperability

No native document format: AnnexHub is a management app and does not create its own container documents.

• Installer formats: app installation from .zip and .dmg archives.
• Offline licensing: activation request as an .annex-request file (export); signed offline token (stored as offline-license.annex under ~/Library/Application Support/AnnexCREATE/Licenses/).
• Template generation: real files in the target apps' formats (e.g. .axd, .axtext, .axsheet, .axpublish), followed by opening the target app.

Shared stores (suite interop):

• Asset library as a shared SQLite store in Application Support – also used by the other apps.
• Shared version index: the apps write on save, AnnexHub reads for central search.
• Shared brand kit store (brandkits.json in Application Support), effective in all apps.

App control: apps and documents are opened via bundle IDs (com.annexcreative.<app>).

Server connection: HTTP API at http://localhost:8080/v1 (default; configurable in Settings, e.g. for a server/proxy installation on the LAN) for licenses, teams, updates, and assets. iCloud sync is not wired.

6. MCP Control

The suite's MCP host runs in AnnexHub (JSON-RPC 2.0 via STDIO) and is started automatically at app launch – exclusively from here. Through it, AI agents control the apps of the suite.

Suite tools (for all apps):

• list_apps – lists all available Annex apps with installation status and version.
• open_app – opens an Annex app by its ID.
• open_document – opens a file in the given Annex app.
• get_active_document – returns information about an app's active document.
• get_license_status – returns the license status of an Annex product.
• search_assets – searches the central asset library by name or tags.

AnnexHub also provides two dedicated tools:

• hub_tutorials_list – lists all apps with the availability of manual, tutorial, and tutorial video.
• hub_open_tutorials – opens the Tutorials area in the Hub window.

The app-specific tools (e.g. text.create_document, calc.set_cell, design.open_document) are documented in the feature lists and manuals of the respective apps.

Skills (suite-wide): suite.discover, brandkit.apply.

7. Diagnostics & Privacy

AnnexHub logs errors and actions locally via AnnexLog into rotating JSON log files under ~/Library/Logs/AnnexCREATE/AnnexHub/, mirrored to os_log (subsystem com.annexcreative.annexhub). Logs are written with a PII filter. Diagnostics are enabled by default during the development phase and can be switched off in Settings (Privacy); nothing is transmitted.

Telemetry runs strictly on opt-in (default: off). Feedback is only transmitted when explicitly sent. License keys are stored in the SecretStore; UserDefaults only holds redacted copies.

8. FAQ

Does AnnexHub cost anything? No. AnnexHub is free; licenses are only needed for the other apps of the suite.

Can I use AnnexHub without a server connection? Yes. Library, Brand Kits, Search, Downloads, and managing installed apps work offline. Store Assets, Teams, and the update check need the server – if it is unreachable, the app says so honestly.

How do I activate a license without internet? Via offline activation in the Licenses area: AnnexHub generates a signed .annex-request file; you then read in the corresponding offline token and apply it.

Where are my license keys stored? In the SecretStore. UserDefaults only holds redacted copies; you can reset the local license cache in Settings.

What happens if I remotely deactivate my own device? The license is removed locally on this Mac. Deactivation only happens after a confirmation dialog.

Does AnnexHub create its own documents? No. AnnexHub is a management app. Via "New Document" it creates files in the target app's format and launches that app.

Are external plugins loaded? Not yet. Currently only the internal demo plugin is activated (automatically only in debug builds); external plugin bundles are planned as a later step.

Where do I start the MCP host for AI agents? Automatically when AnnexHub launches – the MCP host is based exclusively here.