Conditional documentation
One source folds out into the exact manual each reader needs. Tag content in Notion, let readers configure their case, ship a manual that adapts — online, offline, or as one self-contained file.
This is the actual mechanic. In your manual the axes are your models, regions, editions — authored as plain tags in Notion.
Why this exists
Conditional documentation — one source, many filtered outputs — is a solved problem in the enterprise: MadCap Flare, Paligo, Heretto. But those tools are XML/DITA, cost four figures per seat, and need trained technical writers and weeks of setup.
So most teams don't do it. They duplicate PDFs per product variant and let them rot.
Meanwhile Notion is where everyone already writes — but every Notion publishing tool (Super, Notion Sites, react-notion-x) only serves the content. None transform it, so none can do conditional filtering.
Foldout is the missing middle: MadCap's conditional power, with Notion's authoring.
What you get
Tag content [modelX][outdoor][-20C] in Notion. Readers pick their
case in a wizard; the manual filters itself. Tag inheritance included.
The thing that doesn't exist accessibly anywhere else.
The output is one browsable artifact, plus an optional desktop viewer. No server, no account, works air-gapped.
Even the enterprise tools don't ship this cleanly.
Images and video are downloaded, optimized (WebP, GIF→MP4) and bundled into the output at build time.
No expiring signed URLs — your manual works in five years.
Why not X?
| Foldout | MadCap / Paligo | Super / Notion Sites | react-notion-x | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional output | ✓ wizard + inheritance | ✓ (its core) | ✗ | ✗ |
| Where you author | Notion | XML / DITA editor | Notion | Notion |
| Learning curve | low | weeks, trained writers | low | dev (React) |
| Offline / self-contained | ✓ one file + viewer | partial | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cost | open-source | $$$ / seat | SaaS | free lib |
The defensible line: Notion tools can't add conditional — they serve content, they don't transform it. MadCap can't get simple — legacy XML, enterprise model. Foldout sits where neither can reach. If you searched for a MadCap Flare alternative without DITA, or single-sourcing in Notion — this is that slot.
Foldout already powers configure-by-instrument manuals in production for a tribology instrument maker — wizard, conditional filtering, offline installer, baked media. The open-source release is being carved out of that engine now.
one email when it ships — nothing else