A live session puts several people on the same document at the same time. You start one from the Share button, a link is copied, and everyone who opens that link lands in your document with you: their edits appear on your screen as they make them, you see where their cursors are, comment threads sync as they are written, and on Ultra and Enterprise you can talk and share screens over the canvas. Live sessions run in six studios. In Sketch, Weave and Science everyone draws at once; in the Studio, BPMN and the Lab one person holds "the pen" and edits while the others watch, and the pen can be passed around. This page explains how to start, join and leave a session, what each studio does, the pen, voice and screen sharing, Sketch's facilitation tools, the plans involved, every limit and the messages you may see.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where can I go live? | Sketch, Weave, Science, the Studio, BPMN and the Lab |
| Where can't I? | Figure, Study and Evidence, and inside a private shared project in the Studio |
| How do I start? | Share → Start live session. The invite link is copied for you |
| Who can host? | Plus (up to 3 people in the session, you included), Ultra and Enterprise (no cap) |
| Who can join? | Anyone with a flowss account, on any plan, who can open that studio. They take seats on the host's plan |
| How do people get in? | They open the link. The link is the key: there is no password or waiting room |
| Voice and screen sharing? | Peer-to-peer, in beta, up to 8 people on a call. Each person who joins voice needs Ultra or Enterprise |
| What happens when I leave? | Your document stays exactly as it is on your screen. The others can carry on |
| Is anything kept on the server? | No. The session only carries changes between the people in it; each person's document is saved as usual in their own studio |
Note: The page at /live is a different feature. It is the Living Diagrams dashboard, which keeps a diagram bound to its source (a GitHub repo, a schema, an API spec) and flags drift. It has nothing to do with live sessions; see Integrations and extensions.
Studios and how editing works in each
| Studio | Editing model | Cursors | Comment threads sync | Voice | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sketch | Everyone edits at once, element by element | Yes, plus each person's view outline and selection | Yes | Yes | Follow a person's view; workshop facilitation |
| Weave | Everyone edits at once, shape by shape | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Science | Everyone edits at once, element by element | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Studio | One pen: the holder edits, everyone else watches | Yes, over the diagram area | No (Studio comments belong to shared projects) | Yes | None |
| BPMN | One pen | No | Yes, anchored to elements | Yes | None |
| Lab | One pen | No | Yes, anchored to source lines | Yes | None |
Everyone at once means each shape, node or element is synced separately. Two people can edit different parts of a board at the same moment and both changes land. If two people change the same shape at the same instant, every screen settles on the same single result. Deleted items stay deleted: an old copy arriving late cannot bring them back.
One pen is for documents that are a single piece of text or XML (a Studio diagram's source, a BPMN model, a FlowScript document), which cannot be merged character by character. Only the person holding the pen sends edits; the others see each update as it arrives. See "The pen" below.
Plans
| Capability | Free | Starter | Plus | Ultra | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host a live session | No | No | Yes, up to 3 people including you | Yes, no cap | Yes, no cap |
| Join someone else's session | Yes, in studios your plan opens | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| See live cursors and who is here | As a guest | As a guest | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice and screen sharing | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
The seats belong to the host. A Plus host's Free teammate can join, and the session holds three people in all, the host included. Voice is the exception: it is decided person by person, so in an Ultra host's session a Plus guest can edit but cannot join the call.
Every studio asks visitors to sign in. Studio and Sketch open on any plan. Weave, Science, BPMN and the Lab open from Starter, so a guest needs Starter or above to join a session in one of those four; anyone else is sent to the pricing page.
If your plan does not include hosting, Start live session shows a lock and its detail line gives the reason, for example "Live sessions start on Plus (up to 3 people) and are uncapped on Ultra. Your work stays yours either way — sharing a link never changes it." Clicking it opens the explainer described below, with See plans (or Sign in if you are signed out) and Not now.
Start a live session
- Open the document you want to work on together.
- Click Share at the top right.
- Under Live session, click Start live session ("Copies a link that edits with you in real time").
- The invite link is on your clipboard. You see "Live link copied — anyone who opens it lands in this diagram with you" (the last word is the studio's own: sketch, flow, figure, diagram or document).
- Paste the link to the people you want to invite.
You can also start from ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux): Share live (collaborate) in Sketch, Weave, Science, BPMN and the Lab, or Share live (no project needed) in the Studio. Every one of these six studios also lists Start a live session here ("Go multiplayer — copy an invite link to this document"), which runs the same action.
If the browser refuses to write to the clipboard, the session still starts and you see "You're live — share this page's URL to invite people". The page's address is the invite link: starting a session adds ?session=… to it, so you can copy it straight from the address bar.
When you start a session you are the first one in, so your document is what everyone sees when they arrive. In the Studio, BPMN and the Lab you also start out holding the pen.
While you are live
| Where | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Share button | A red dot while a session is running |
| Faces beside Share | Up to three people's initials in their colours, then "+N" for the rest. Hover or focus to read "N people here: *names*"; click to open the Share panel. Shown only while the connection is live and someone else is in the room |
| Mute button beside the faces | While you are on a voice call: Mute microphone or Unmute microphone |
| Share panel, Live session group | The connection state ("Live", "Connecting…", "Reconnecting…" or "Not connected"), then "with *names*", "only you so far" or "your diagram is safe either way" |
| Share panel rows | Copy live link, Leave session ("Your diagram stays as it is"), and the voice rows |
Flow Dock (⌘J) | A Live session row: "Just you so far — share the link" or "N people here" (counting you), with buttons to copy the invite link ("Copy the invite link") and to leave ("Leave the live session") |
| Canvas | Other people's cursors, each with a coloured arrow and their name |
People appear under the name on their account. Someone without a name on their account appears under the first part of their email address.
Connection states
A session that exists is not always a session that is connected. flowss tells you which:
| State | Meaning | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Live | The channel is open and carrying changes | Everyone's edits flow |
| Connecting… | You have asked to join and nothing has confirmed yet | Nobody can see your edits yet |
| Reconnecting… | The channel dropped. You see "Couldn't open the live channel — you're editing alone. Retrying…" | You are editing alone until it comes back. It retries by itself, waiting a little longer each time (from under a second up to 15 seconds), six times. When it recovers you see "Back in the live session — everyone's changes are flowing again" |
| Not connected | It gave up. You see "Live channel is down — you're editing alone and your changes are safe locally. Leave and re-share to try a fresh session." | Leave, then start a new session and send the new link |
Your document is safe in every state. The list of faces is hidden whenever the connection is not live, so it never suggests company that is not there.
How fast changes travel
- In Sketch, Weave and Science, your changes are sent in small batches, at the latest about half a second after you make them, even in the middle of a long drag.
- In the Studio, BPMN and the Lab, the pen holder's changes are sent after a short pause in typing, about 0.7 seconds, so they usually appear on other screens in under a second.
- Cursors are sent up to 12 times a second, and only when they move. In the Studio, a cursor fades away after 5 seconds without movement.
Copy the link again, reload and leave
- Copy live link in the Share panel, the copy button on the Flow Dock's Live session row, or
⌘K→ Copy live session link copies the invite again. You see "Live link copied — …". If the clipboard refuses, you see "Couldn't copy — share this page's URL instead". If you are not in a session, you see 'Not live yet — hit "Share live" to start a session first'. - Reloading the page keeps you in the session: the address still carries it, and the tab remembers it was already in this room, so nothing is set aside.
- Leave session in the Share panel, the leave button on the Flow Dock row, or
⌘K→ Leave live session leaves. You see "Left the live session — your diagram stays with you". The?session=part is removed from the address.
The session does not belong to the host. If the host leaves, everyone else stays connected and carries on; in the pen studios the pen passes on as described below.
Joining a session
What a guest needs
- A flowss account. Sign in when asked; the link is carried through sign-in.
- A plan that opens the studio: any plan for Studio and Sketch, Starter or above for Weave, Science, BPMN and the Lab.
- A free seat. On a Plus host's session, three people fit, the host included.
Then open the link. The studio opens, joins the session, and the host's document arrives.
What happens to the guest's own work
Opening a live link never merges your own work into someone else's session. Each studio protects it differently:
| Studio | What happens when you join |
|---|---|
| Sketch | If your current board has anything on it, the session opens on a new board named "Live session …". You see "Joined the live session on a new board — your own board “*title*” is still in your library, untouched." |
| Weave | If your board has anything on it, it is saved to the Vault first and your canvas clears for the session. You see "Joined the live session — your own board was set aside in the Vault as "*title*" (Flow Dock → Vault restores it). Undo also brings it back once you leave." If the board on screen had never been saved (the starter board, for example), there is nothing to put in the Vault and you see "Joined the live session — the unsaved board you had open was set aside. Undo brings it back once you leave." |
| Science | As for Weave: "Joined the live session — your own figure was set aside in the Vault as "*title*" (Flow Dock → Vault restores it). Undo also brings it back once you leave." |
| Studio | The figure you have open takes on the session's diagram. Your previous version is kept in undo history, so ⌘Z brings it back after you leave |
| BPMN | The diagram tab you have open takes on the session's diagram. A copy of your version is saved in that diagram's version history as "*title* — before live session" |
| Lab | The document you have open takes on the session's document. Your previous version is kept as an undo step |
In the Studio, BPMN and the Lab you will usually also see "A live update replaced your local diagram — hold the pen to broadcast your own edits". That is expected the first time the host's document arrives.
Tip: In the Studio, BPMN and the Lab, open a new, empty figure, diagram or document before you follow a live link. The session then fills that one, and your other work is never touched.
If something goes wrong while setting work aside, flowss says so before anything is replaced:
- Weave and Science: "Joined the live session — your own board was set aside, but could not be checkpointed: … Undo brings it back once you leave; export it before reloading." Export your board before you reload.
- Sketch, at the board limit of your plan: "Couldn't join the live session — it opens on a board of its own, and no new board can be made." followed by the reason. Delete a board or upgrade, then open the link again.
- BPMN, when browser storage is full: "Couldn't bank a backup of your local diagram before the live session overwrites it — storage is full. Export it (.bpmn) now if you want to keep it."
When the session is full
Seats are counted when you arrive. If the room already holds as many people as the host's plan seats, you are not admitted and see "This live session is full — the host's plan seats 3 people. Ultra removes the cap." Nobody already in the session is removed.
Opening your own link in another tab
A tab that started or joined a session remembers it. If you open your own invite link in a new tab or window, that tab is treated as a guest: its own document is set aside in the way described above, then the session's arrives. Nothing is lost, but you will see the guest messages.
The pen (Studio, BPMN and the Lab)
In the pen studios, one person at a time edits and everyone else watches. The pen is never locked away: anyone can ask for it.
The pen banner
Once someone else has joined, a banner over the canvas says where the pen is:
| Banner | When | Button |
|---|---|---|
| "*Name* has the pen — watching live. The holder’s next update replaces edits you make here." | Someone else holds the pen | Request the pen, or "Pen requested…" once you have asked |
| You have the pen, with "N waiting" when people have asked for it | You hold the pen | Release ("Release the pen — the next person to edit takes it") |
| "The pen is free — the next person to edit takes it." | Nobody holds it | Take the pen |
The banner does not appear while you are alone in the session.
Passing the pen
| You want to | Do this | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Take a free pen | Click Take the pen, or simply start editing | "You have the pen — your edits to this diagram broadcast live" |
| Ask the holder for it | Click Request the pen, or ⌘K → Request / release the pen (Studio) or Take or request the pen (BPMN and Lab) | "Asked name for the pen" |
| Hand it to someone who asked | Click Grant in the "*name* asks for the pen" message (it stays up for 10 seconds) | "Pen handed to name — you're watching live now". Your last changes are sent first, so they start from your latest version |
| Give it up without naming anyone | Click Release on the banner ("Release the pen — the next person to edit takes it"). In the Studio, running Request / release the pen while you hold it does the same | "Pen released — the next person to edit takes it" |
While you hold the pen, the banner's "N waiting" count shows how many people have asked for it. In the Lab, asking for the pen from a different document tab than the session's is refused with "The live session is on "*title*", not this document — switch back to it to take the pen."
If the holder leaves or closes their tab, the pen goes to the first person who asked for it ("The pen is yours — the previous holder left"), or becomes free ("The pen is free — the next person to edit takes it"). If two people grab a free pen at the same moment, one wins on every screen and the other sees "*name* now holds the pen — you're watching live".
Warning: Without the pen, your editor is not locked, but anything you change is replaced by the holder's next update. Each time that happens to work you had changed, flowss keeps your version first (as an undo step, or in BPMN as a version) and tells you with "A live update replaced your local diagram — hold the pen to broadcast your own edits". Ask for the pen before you edit.
Which document the session carries
- Studio: the figure open on the pen holder's screen. If the holder opens a different figure, that figure is sent and replaces the figure open on everyone else's screen.
- BPMN and Lab: the diagram or document that was open when the session started or was joined. If you switch to another tab during the session, your edits there stay local and you see "Live edits are still arriving for "*title*" — switch back to that tab to follow along. They are not being applied here." Switch back to rejoin the flow.
Cursors and following (Sketch, Weave, Science and Studio)
In Sketch, Weave and Science, everyone's cursor is drawn on the canvas in their colour with their name, and moves with the drawing as you pan and zoom. In the Studio, cursors are drawn over the rendered diagram area.
Sketch adds two more kinds of presence:
- each person's view is drawn as an outline on the board, and what they have selected is highlighted;
- a Follow strip at the top of the board lists everyone in the session. Click a name ("Follow *name*'s viewport") to ride their view as they pan and zoom; you see "Following — any pan or zoom of your own stops it". Click the name again, or move the board yourself ("Stopped following — you moved"), to stop.
Voice and screen sharing
Voice and screen sharing ride the live session. They are peer-to-peer and in beta: audio and video travel between the browsers of the people on the call, and some very restrictive networks cannot connect. Each person who joins voice needs Ultra or Enterprise. A call holds up to 8 people.
Join and leave a call
- Start or join a live session and wait until it shows Live.
- Open Share and click Join voice ("Peer-to-peer (beta)"). The row reads Joining voice… while your browser asks for the microphone.
- Allow the microphone when the browser asks.
Once you are in the call, the Share panel shows:
| Row | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mute microphone / Unmute microphone | Turns your microphone off or on. The same button also sits beside the faces at the top right |
| Share your screen / Stop sharing your screen | Starts or stops sharing a screen, window or tab with the call |
| Leave voice ("You stay in the live session") | Hangs up. You stay in the session |
In Sketch, Science, the Studio, BPMN and the Lab, the same actions are also in ⌘K: Join voice (beta), Leave voice and Share your screen (voice). In Weave, use the Share panel. Leaving the live session also hangs up the call.
Watching someone's screen
When someone starts sharing, their screen opens in a floating tile headed "*name*'s screen" and "peer-to-peer beta":
- drag the tile by its header to move it;
- click the picture, or the enlarge button ("Enlarge" / "Shrink to a corner tile"), to switch between a corner tile and a large view in the middle of the screen;
- the close button ("Stop watching (they keep sharing — click their avatar to watch again)") hides the tile without stopping their share.
The tile goes away by itself when they stop sharing, and opens again the next time someone starts sharing. Only one shared screen is shown at a time.
Note: Despite its tooltip, there is currently no avatar to click to reopen a screen you closed: the faces beside Share open the Share panel instead. Once you close the tile, you see that person's screen again only when a share starts afresh, so ask them to stop and start sharing again.
Voice messages
| Message | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Voice and screenshare are part of Ultra — upgrade to talk over the canvas with your team." | Your plan does not include voice | See Plans and what they include |
| "Voice is full — up to 8 people can talk at once" | The call already has 8 people | Wait for someone to leave voice |
| "Microphone access was declined — voice needs the mic. Re-allow it in your browser's site settings to join." | The browser blocked the microphone | Allow the microphone for the site, then join again |
| "No microphone found — plug one in (or enable it) to join voice." | No microphone is available | Connect or enable one |
| "Couldn't open the microphone — another app may be holding it." | Another app is using it | Close the other app's call, then retry |
| "No microphone track was available." | The browser granted access but gave no audio input | Check the browser's microphone choice in its site settings, then join again |
| "This browser can't do peer-to-peer voice — try a current Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari." | The browser lacks the features voice needs | Use a current browser |
| "Someone couldn't connect to voice: their network blocks direct peer-to-peer connections, and this deployment has no relay (TURN) server configured to route around it." | One person's network blocks direct connections | Try another network for that person, such as a phone hotspot |
| "Screen sharing isn't available in this browser." | The browser cannot capture the screen | Use a desktop browser |
| "Couldn't start the screenshare — your browser blocked the capture." | The browser or operating system refused the capture. (Cancelling the screen picker yourself shows no message.) | Allow screen recording for the browser in your system settings, then try again |
| 'Voice rides a live session — hit "Share live" first', or in the Studio 'Voice rides a public live session — hit "Share live" first' | You ran Join voice (beta) from ⌘K outside a session | Start or join a live session first |
| "Screensharing rides the voice call — join Voice first" (Sketch, Science, BPMN and Lab), or "Join voice first — screensharing rides the call" (Studio) | You ran Share your screen (voice) without joining voice | Join voice, then share |
The explainer
How live sessions work, at the bottom of the Share panel's live-session group, opens Live sessions — how they work, a three-step summary:
- Hit “Share live”. Your invite link is copied instantly, and the page becomes the room: the
?session=in the address is the key, so the address bar is always the link too. - Send the link to anyone. Opening it drops them straight into your document; they join on your plan's seats, whatever plan they are on.
- Talk over it. Once live you can join voice and share your screen (peer-to-peer beta, up to 8 on a call).
Underneath, a note says you can re-copy the link at any time, that leaving never changes the document, that live sessions are included from Plus (3 people together) and that Ultra removes the cap and adds voice and screen sharing. When your plan cannot host, the explainer also shows the reason with See plans (or Sign in) and Not now. Esc, the close button or a click outside closes it.
Facilitation in Sketch
Sketch adds workshop tools for running a session, opened with the Facilitate button at the top right (or F9, or ⌘K → Facilitate a session). In a live session the timer, votes, estimation rounds, reactions and the presenter's view are shared with everyone; the timer says "everyone sees this" while you are live.
| Tool | Controls |
|---|---|
| Timer | Start, Pause, Resume, + 1 min (one more minute from now, even on a timer that has run out), Reset, and quick starts of 5m, 10m and 15m. A timer chip stays on screen when the panel is closed, and during presentation mode |
| Spotlight (live sessions only) | Present my view ("Bring everyone to your view — they follow until they opt out") and Stop presenting. Followers see "Following the presenter — click to explore freely" on the board, and Rejoin the presenter after they wander off; in the panel they have Stop following and Follow again |
| Reactions | Six emoji reactions, sent to everyone in the session |
| Dot voting | Set Dots each, then Open a vote, Dot the selection, Close, Reveal and End. Totals stay hidden until you reveal |
| Estimation | Choose a Scale (Fibonacci, T-shirt or 1–10), Open a round, pick a card, then Reveal or End. Answers stay hidden until the reveal; matching answers show Consensus |
| Gather and sort | Set Columns, then Tidy into columns or Arrange stickies in a grid. Locked and hidden elements are left where they are |
| Decisions | Type in "What did we decide?" and press Enter or Record |
| Agenda | When the board came with a scripted agenda, each step is listed with its own button (Start, Open the vote or Open the round) |
When the workshop is over, ⌘K → End session and write the outcome turns the session into a document of what was decided. See Sketch for the full facilitation guide.
Comments during a session
In Sketch, Weave, Science, BPMN and the Lab, comment threads are part of the document and sync to everyone in the session as they are written; someone who joins late receives the threads so far. In the Studio, comments belong to shared cloud projects and do not travel with a live session. Everything about both kinds is on Comments and review.
Live sessions and shared projects
A live session and a shared cloud project are different things:
| Aspect | Live session | Shared cloud project (Studio) |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets in | Anyone with the link, while it is in use | Named members with roles |
| What is shared | The document, as it changes, between the people present | A saved workspace everyone opens |
| Cursors, voice | Yes (voice on Ultra and Enterprise) | Temporarily unavailable |
| After everyone leaves | Each person keeps their own copy | The project stays, saved |
Inside a private shared project in the Studio, live presence, cursors and voice are temporarily unavailable. Trying them shows "Live presence, voice and screen sharing are temporarily unavailable in private projects. Saved projects and comments still work." In the Studio, ⌘K → Share live (no project needed) inside a project says "Saved project changes sync for current members. Private live presence and voice are temporarily unavailable." and Copy live session link says 'Project invites live in Collaborate — try "share & copy a friend link"'. If you open a shared project while you are in a public session, you leave the session quietly first. To work in real time on a Studio diagram, start a live session from your personal workspace. See Sharing and permissions for shared projects.
Privacy and security
- The link is the key. Anyone who has the invite link can join while people are in the session. There is no password, approval step or waiting room. Send it only to people you mean to invite, and start a new session if a link has gone further than you wanted.
- The host's plan travels with the link for 24 hours. The room a session uses is prepared when you open the studio (up to an hour before you start), and for 24 hours from then its link admits guests on your plan's seats. After that the link still names the same room, but each person who opens it is judged on their own plan: a Free guest then sees that live sessions start on Plus.
- Nothing is stored for the room. The session only relays changes, cursors, comments and call set-up between the people in it. Each person's document is saved by their own studio in the usual way.
- Names are visible. Everyone in the session sees your account name (or the first part of your email address) on your cursor and in the list of people.
- Voice and video are peer-to-peer. They travel between the browsers on the call rather than through the live session. When a network blocks direct connections, a relay server can forward them if one is available; if none is, that person cannot connect to voice and you see a message saying so.
Tips
- Make sure you are in the session before you send the link, and stay until your guests arrive: someone who opens the link while nobody is there finds an empty room.
- In the pen studios, ask for the pen before you start typing, so your work is never replaced by the holder's next update.
- Use the Flow Dock's Live session row to re-copy the link from any studio panel without opening Share.
- In Sketch, use Present my view when you want everyone looking at the same part of a large board, and Follow to watch one person work.
- For a recurring meeting, start a fresh session each time: the plan attached to a link lasts 24 hours.
- If voice will not connect for one person, everything else in the session still works; they can follow along without audio.
Limits and known constraints
- Live sessions run in Sketch, Weave, Science, the Studio, BPMN and the Lab only.
- Plus seats 3 people per session, host included; Ultra and Enterprise have no seat cap. Seats are checked when people arrive.
- Voice and screen sharing are in beta, peer-to-peer, limited to 8 people per call, and need Ultra or Enterprise for each person on the call. Some restrictive networks cannot connect.
- The Studio, BPMN and the Lab use one pen: only one person's edits are sent at a time.
- BPMN and the Lab have no live cursors.
- Very large items are not sent: anything bigger than about 200,000 characters in one piece (a single shape, element or pasted image in Sketch, Weave and Science; the whole document in the Studio, BPMN and the Lab) stays on the sender's screen. Sketch: "Some pasted images are too large to sync live — they stay on your canvas only". Weave: "Some shapes are too large to sync live — they stay in your copy only". Science: "Some items are too large to sync live — they stay in your copy only". Studio: "This diagram is too large to sync live — it stays in your copy only". BPMN and Lab: "This diagram is too large to sync live — edits stay in your copy until it shrinks" (or "This document…").
- Joining and leaving very quickly is limited. More than five joins in ten seconds shows "Live is reconnecting too quickly — give it a moment before trying again."
- The host's plan is attached to a link for 24 hours.
- Private shared projects in the Studio and Evidence projects have no live presence or voice at the moment.
Troubleshooting
| Message or symptom | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Start live session is locked, with "Live sessions start on Plus (up to 3 people) and are uncapped on Ultra. …" | Your plan cannot host | Ask a Plus or Ultra teammate to host, or see Plans and what they include |
| "You're signed out, so we can't see your plan. Sign in, then hit “Share live” — live sessions are included from Plus (3 people) and uncapped on Ultra." | You are signed out | Sign in, then start again |
| "This live session is full — the host's plan seats 3 people. Ultra removes the cap." | No seats are left | Ask someone to leave, or have an Ultra member host |
| A guest is sent to the pricing page | Their plan does not open that studio | Weave, Science, BPMN and the Lab need Starter or above to open |
| A guest is told live sessions start on Plus | The link is more than 24 hours old, so they are judged on their own plan | Start a new session and send the new link |
| "You're live — share this page's URL to invite people" | The clipboard was blocked | Copy the address from the address bar |
| 'Not live yet — hit "Share live" to start a session first' | You tried to copy a link outside a session | Start a session first |
| "Couldn't open the live channel — you're editing alone. Retrying…" | The connection dropped | Wait; it retries by itself |
| "Live channel is down — you're editing alone and your changes are safe locally. Leave and re-share to try a fresh session." | Reconnecting failed | Leave, start a new session and send the new link |
| "Live is reconnecting too quickly — give it a moment before trying again." | Too many joins in a short time | Wait a few seconds |
| "A live update replaced your local diagram — hold the pen to broadcast your own edits" | You edited without the pen | Ask for the pen; undo (or BPMN version history) has your version |
| "Live edits are still arriving for "*title*" — switch back to that tab to follow along. They are not being applied here." | You switched away from the session's document in BPMN or the Lab | Switch back to that tab |
| The guest's own board or figure disappeared on joining | It was set aside to protect it | Weave and Science: Flow Dock → Vault, or Undo after leaving. Sketch: it is still in your library |
| "Live presence, voice and screen sharing are temporarily unavailable in private projects. Saved projects and comments still work." | You are inside a private shared project | Leave the project and use a live session from your own workspace |
| 'The pen rides a live session — hit "Share live" first' or 'The pen lives inside a live session — hit "Share live" first' | You asked for the pen outside a session | Start or join a session |
| Faces and cursors vanish | The connection is not live, so the roster is hidden | Check the connection state in the Share panel |
| Someone's changes are missing | Their item was too large to sync, or they edited without the pen | Ask them to export it to you, or to take the pen and edit again |