Burrete Documentation
Burrete is a macOS desktop app, Finder Quick Look extension, source-built iPhone preview app, and local Codex plugin for molecular structure files.
It is built for the small daily loop of computational chemistry, structural biology, and cheminformatics work: open a structure, confirm what it is, switch renderer when needed, compare files in tabs, and recover quickly when Quick Look or renderer caches need maintenance.
Burrete is intentionally a compact utility, not a full molecular modeling environment.
What you can do
- Press Space in Finder to preview supported molecular files.
- Open the desktop workspace to inspect files in tabs, browse folders, search commands and structures, sketch molecules, and route files or molecule records with target-aware drag and drop.
- Use Mol* for interactive 3D structures.
- Search, select, edit, append, merge, and export SDF, SMILES, CSV, and TSV collections in RDKit-powered grids.
- Use external
xyzrenderfor formats that need artwork-style SVG rendering. - Run local xTB calculations for a small structure or selected molecular object.
- Generate conformer ensembles with local CREST and optionally prune existing XYZ/SDF ensembles with PRISM.
- Build the iPhone preview app from source when you need iOS document handoff.
- Connect Codex to the local molecular workspace through focused skills and typed MCP tools.
Platform scope
| Surface | Best for | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| macOS desktop | Tabs, projects, drag and drop, grids, Ketcher, docking/FEP workspaces, xTB, CREST/PRISM, exports, and diagnostics | Full workflow surface; external engines must be installed locally. |
| Finder Quick Look | A fast preview from Finder with Space | Preview surface, not the full desktop workflow. |
| iPhone source target | Opening supported documents from Files and inspecting mobile previews | Built from source; not included in the macOS Homebrew release. |
| Codex plugin and MCP | Typed local workspace observation, opening, viewer control, and bounded report panels | Purpose-built tools, not arbitrary shell or unrestricted file access. |
Recommended reading path
- Install Burrete
- Open your first file
- Choose the right surface
- Learn target-aware drag and drop
- Work with SDF and molecule collections
- Run xTB calculations
- Generate conformers with CREST
- Check supported formats
- Install the Codex plugin and MCP integration
- Fix Quick Look registration