a local markdown editor for the notes you share with ai.
a cross-platform (macOS · Windows · Linux) markdown editor specialized for ai context management. live editor on the left (codemirror 6), rendered preview on the right (markdown-it + shiki + mermaid). minimal chrome, full catppuccin + matcha themes, orange octopus mascot. ~10 mb bundle.
built around one loop: collect notes → write → share with ai. nothing leaves your machine until you copy.
works with claude, chatgpt, gemini, your local agent — anywhere that reads plain markdown.
- live preview — ~50 ms render, shiki code highlighting, mermaid diagrams
- 8 themes — catppuccin family (latte / frappé / macchiato / mocha), matcha, kanagawa, rose pine, ayu + system auto-switch · hover-to-preview in menu
- reading mode — ⌘. distraction-free preview with iA-style typography
- find — ⌘f works in BOTH editor (codemirror) and reading mode (text-node walker w/ live highlights)
- command palette — ⌘k, fuzzy + grouped
- ide-style sidebar — drag-to-move, right-click rename / new / delete, ⌘⌥Z undo
- share to ai — ⌘⇧c copies clean markdown to clipboard
- export to pdf — ⌘p
- external file watch — auto-reloads when the file changes outside the app · conflict toast on dirty buffer
- cross-platform auto-update — minisign-signed releases on macOS / Windows / Linux
- window transparency slider — continuous opacity, macOS vibrancy
- platform-aware shortcuts — ⌘ on mac, Ctrl on Windows/Linux, surfaced correctly everywhere
- no autosave — ⌘s commits. trust your fingers, not background daemons.
- apple silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4): grab
marka.md.dmg→ drag marka.md.app into/Applications→ open. - intel mac: grab
marka.md_intel.dmg→ same install steps.
grab marka.md_*-setup.exe → run.
Windows SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC". Click More info → Run anyway. marka.md is free + MIT — we don't sign Windows builds (paid certs aren't worth it for a free OSS project). Full source is right here if you'd rather build it yourself.
three flavors, pick what fits your distro:
- AppImage (works anywhere):
chmod +x marka.md_*.AppImage→ run. self-contained, no install step needed. - .deb (Debian / Ubuntu / Mint / Pop!_OS):
sudo dpkg -i marka.md_*_amd64.deb - .rpm (Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / openSUSE):
sudo dnf install marka.md-*.x86_64.rpm
no signing required on Linux — it's the freedom platform 🐧
requires bun (or npm), rust toolchain. on macOS: xcode command line tools. on Windows: MSVC build tools (Visual Studio installer → "Desktop development with C++"). on Linux: libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libsoup-3.0-dev + friends.
bun install
bun run tauri dev # native window with hmr
bun run tauri build # produces .dmg / .exe / .AppImage / .deb / .rpm under src-tauri/target/release/bundle/shortcuts shown with macOS modifiers below. on Windows / Linux, substitute ⌘ → Ctrl, ⌥ → Alt, ⇧ → Shift.
| key | does |
|---|---|
| ⌘K | command palette |
| ⌘O | open a .md file |
| ⌘⇧O | open a folder of notes |
| ⌘N | new untitled buffer |
| ⌘S | save (manual — no autosave) |
| ⌘B | toggle sidebar |
| ⌘. | toggle reading mode |
| ⌘F | find / replace in editor · or find in reading mode |
| ⌘G | find next match |
| ⌘⇧C | copy markdown to clipboard |
| ⌘P | export to pdf |
| ⌃⌘F | toggle fullscreen (macOS) · F11 on Windows/Linux |
| ⌘/ | help overlay |
| esc | close any popup |
| layer | choice |
|---|---|
| shell | tauri 2 (rust + webview), macOS universal + Windows + Linux |
| frontend | react 19 · vite 7 · typescript 5.8 · bun |
| editor | codemirror 6 + @codemirror/lang-markdown + @codemirror/search |
| markdown | markdown-it + shiki + mermaid |
| icons | lucide-react |
| styling | css variables, no framework |
src/
├── app.tsx # shell — state + layout
├── components/
│ ├── primitives/ # button, icon, popover, kbd, shortcut, tooltip
│ ├── chrome/ # title-bar, breadcrumb, status-bar
│ ├── editor/ # editor, preview, splitter
│ ├── files/ # sidebar, file-tree, context-menu
│ └── overlays/ # palette, help, about, welcome, toast
├── hooks/ # debounced, shortcuts, file-watcher, persisted-state
├── lib/ # markdown, theme, platform, files, commands, window-drag
├── styles/ # tokens, globals, per-domain css
└── assets/mascot/ # in-app sprites
src-tauri/ # rust shell, tauri config, capabilities
.github/workflows/ # release.yml (matrix build) + dependabot
every folder exports its public api via index.ts. path alias @/* resolves to src/*.
per-release detail lives on the changelog (auto-fresh from GitHub releases). high-level:
next (v1.4+):
- session restore — remember last folder + open file + scroll position
- context tray — multi-file bundling, ⌘-click to stage, copy as one prompt
contributions welcome — see feedback below to suggest priorities.
local-first. nothing ever leaves your machine. no telemetry, no analytics, no accounts, no cloud sync. your .md files stay on disk. clipboard transfers happen only when you press ⌘⇧C — and then they're yours, going wherever you paste them.
see the full privacy notice for the website analytics caveat (vercel speed insights, cookieless).
ideas, bugs, or just want to say hi?
- structured form (GitHub) — feedback · bug report
- prefer email? → enarlem10@gmail.com
- landing page hub → markamd.vercel.app/feedback
- security issues → SECURITY.md
i read everything. PRs welcome.
marka.md is free + MIT, and intends to stay that way. if it saves you time wrangling AI context:
- ⭐ star the repo — biggest single signal
- 🗣️ tell another dev / share it
both appreciated, neither required. 🐙
mit · matt enarle (@mattenarle10)