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Quick Look for molecular files on macOS.

Press Space on PDB, CIF, SDF, XYZ, trajectories, or chemistry tables. Open Burrete when you need tabs, 3D inspection, RDKit grids, sketching, or export.

Download for macOS $ brew install --cask burrete View on GitHub

Burrete previewing 3HTB.pdb in the Mol* illustrative renderer

Supported files 0 formats · one keystroke

PDB, CIF, SDF, XYZ, and tables.

.pdb.cif.mmcif.sdf.mol2.xyz.gro.smiles.smi.csv.tsv.cube.log.out.psi4.vasp.mae.bcif.trj.mol .pdb.cif.mmcif.sdf.mol2.xyz.gro.smiles.smi.csv.tsv.cube.log.out.psi4.vasp.mae.bcif.trj.mol

Mol* interactive 3D

Default path for most structures.

          PDB
          CIF
          MMCIF
          SDF
          MOL2
          XYZ
          GRO
        

RDKit molecule grids

Search, sort, SMARTS, export.

          SMILES
          SMI
          CSV
          TSV
          SD
        

External xyzrender

SVG artwork for QM outputs.

          CUBE
          LOG
          OUT
          PSI4
          VASP
          MAE
        

Finder Quick Look · Mol* 3D

Inspect a structure before opening an app.

Finder previews open in interactive 3D: chains, residues, ligands, and surfaces are visible before you decide what to do with the file.

Burrete Quick Look preview floating on the desktop

RDKit collections

Triage whole libraries as a grid.

Open SDF, SMILES, CSV or TSV as a searchable grid: sort, SMARTS-filter and highlight, select, merge and export. When the optional local executable supports the records, switch from RDKit to xyzrender cards.

Mol* trajectories

Scrub multi-frame runs like video.

Multi-frame XYZ and MD trajectories play back in place. Prev / Next / All and a frame counter drive the native Mol* trajectory controls, so a run reads like a short clip.

Viewport selection

Lasso atoms right in the scene.

Draw a lasso across the viewport to select and isolate residues and ligands directly in 3D. Pick a binding pocket without hunting a sequence list. The selection carries into measurements, isolation, and export.

Tabbed workspace

One tab per file

Compare structures, inputs, and outputs side by side. Tabs keep their renderer state as you switch.

Text + preview

Logs and inputs beside the structure

Read scripts, configs, and solver logs next to the molecule they describe.

xyzrender · single

Publication-ready SVG artwork

Render single-frame XYZ and QM outputs (CUBE, LOG, PSI4, VASP…) as clean, depth-cued vector figures for slides and papers.

xyzrender · grid

A whole collection as SVG cards

Batch-render an entire library through xyzrender for consistent, publication-style cards you can drop straight into a figure.

Sketch & command

Ketcher + ⌘P palette

Draw a molecule, then send it to Mol*, xyzrender, or a grid from the command palette.

          Ketcher
          ⌘P
          iPhone app
        

Target-aware drag & drop

Drop by intent, not just by file type

Open together, append to a grid, import into Ketcher, or build a valid docking view from the target under the pointer.

Drag guide →

Diagram of Burrete drag-and-drop sources, action resolver, and targets

Local calculations

xTB properties and CREST ensembles

Run installed executables as cancellable jobs with explicit settings, reports, logs, and reviewable artifacts.

Calculation guide →

Diagram of Burrete's local xTB calculation workflow

Codex plugin · local MCP Skills + typed tools

Let Codex operate the same molecular workspace.

The Burrete plugin combines focused workflow skills with a local stdio MCP server. Codex can open a structure, observe the active workspace, run allowlisted Mol* actions, and render bounded review panels while keeping local-file provenance explicit.

Open structures Inspect scene state Control Mol* Render reports

Plugin guide Source in Burrete ↗

Burrete · local MCP Local

$ bun run install:plugin
@Burrete open this structure and focus the ligand

01  burrete.get_context
02  burrete.open_workspace
03  burrete.observe_workspace
04  burrete.control_viewer

Read the MCP contract in the main repository ↗

Install macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon & Intel

Two lines with Homebrew.

Install the cask, then open Burrete once so macOS registers the Quick Look extension. If previews don't appear, run bunx burrete doctor.

Homebrew cask MIT License Notarized Local-first

Docs Source, plugin, releases

Read it, run it, fix it.

Install notes, platform guides, target-aware drag and drop, molecule collections, local xTB and CREST workflows, and recovery steps.

01

Getting started

Install, first launch, and how Quick Look picks up the extension.

Install guide →

02

Formats & engines

Which extension routes to Mol*, RDKit grids or xyzrender.

Reference →

03

Troubleshooting

Previews not showing? Run burrete doctor or reset Quick Look.

Fix previews →

04

Codex plugin & MCP

Install the local plugin and review its typed molecular tool surface.

Plugin guide →

05

Drag & collections

Route drops by target, then append, merge, edit, and export molecular collections safely.

Workflow guide →

06

xTB & CREST

Install local engines, configure bounded jobs, and review reports, ensembles, and recovery artifacts.

Calculation guide →

Keyboard

Quick Look previewSpace

Command palette⌘ P

Next / previous frame← →

Cycle tabs⌘ ⇥

Toggle theme⌘ ⇧ L

Fix previews

$ bunx burrete doctor

Sources & thanks

Open-source engines, wired into Finder.

Burrete keeps the viewer small and lets Mol*, RDKit, xyzrender, and Ketcher do the specialist work.

Mol* Interactive 3D structure viewer used across structural biology. molstar.org ↗ xyzrender Depth-cued SVG / PNG / PDF renderer for XYZ & QM output. aligfellow/xyzrender ↗ RDKit Cheminformatics toolkit behind the molecule grids. rdkit.org ↗ Ketcher The 2D chemical structure editor used for sketching. epam/ketcher ↗

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