MarkView

The embeddable Markdown rendering stack & native macOS app.

A high-performance markdown engine available as a React Component, Web Component, and native Desktop App. Features GitHub-flavored rendering, WYSIWYG editing, Custom Themes, and 23 MCP tools for AI assistants.

✨ Features

Rendering & Viewing

📝 GitHub-flavored markdown with full spec support
🧜 Mermaid diagrams rendered inline
🔢 KaTeX math — inline and block equations
🎨 Syntax highlighting via Shiki (140+ languages)
📊 Tables, alerts, footnotes — all GitHub extensions

Workspace Management

📂 Multi-tab workspaces with nested file trees
💾 Persistent sessions via IndexedDB (survives refresh)
🔗 Inter-document linking — click links between docs
📎 Drag & drop file upload, open folders, or reorder files
🐙 GitHub import — paste a repo URL, instantly load docs
📋 Workspace templates — README, API Docs, Changelog, Meeting Notes, Tech Spec, Blog Post
🔗 URL sharing — share workspaces via URL (gzip + base64url in hash)
🤝 P2P Collaboration — real-time multiplayer editing via WebRTC, zero server required

Productivity

🔍 Full-text search across all documents (⌘K)
↔️ Split view — compare two files side by side
📊 Diff view — unified diff with line-by-line highlighting
✏️ Built-in editor — edit, split, and preview modes with formatting toolbar (⌘B/⌘I/⌘K)
🎬 Presentation mode — transform headings into slides
🧘 Focus mode — distraction-free reading
⌨️ Keyboard-first — navigate files, switch workspaces, adjust font size
📋 Export everywhere — PDF, Word, PowerPoint, PNG, SVG, HTML, RST, AsciiDoc, static site, or print
💬 Annotations — highlight text, add color-coded notes, persisted per file
📜 Version history — automatic snapshots on save, restore previous versions
🎨 Custom themes — 6 curated presets (GitHub, Dracula, Nord, Monokai, Solarized, Rosé Pine)

Extensibility

🔌 Plugin system — register custom code-fence renderers (alert, chart, tabs, timeline built-in)
🎬 Embed support — YouTube, Figma, CodePen, CodeSandbox, Loom via ```embed

Desktop App

🖥️ Native macOS app — built with Tauri v2, fast and lightweight
📂 Default opener — set MarkView as your system-default .md file handler
🍏 Mac App Store — Coming soon for a one-time purchase of $14.99
🚀 Build from source — completely un-gated for developers to compile locally

Privacy & Offline

🔒 Zero accounts — no sign-up required
☁️ Zero cloud — files never leave the browser
📡 Zero telemetry — no tracking, no analytics
✈️ Works offline — full PWA support

🚀 Quick Start

Web App

cd apps/web
npm install
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 — drop some markdown files and go.

Or use the live demo — no install needed.

Native macOS App (Recommended)

MarkView ships as a proper native macOS app via Tauri — set it as your default .md opener:

# Build the .app + .dmg
npm run desktop:build

# Install to /Applications
sudo cp -r apps/desktop/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/MarkView.app /Applications/

# Register file associations
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -f /Applications/MarkView.app

Then right-click any .md file → Get Info → Open With → MarkView → Change All.

For development:

npm run desktop:dev

Install as PWA

MarkView also works as a Progressive Web App — install it from Chrome/Edge for an offline-capable app-like experience.

Chrome Extension

Load apps/extension as an unpacked extension in Chrome to view .md files directly in the browser.

MCP Server

The MCP server lets AI assistants read, search, and manage your markdown documentation. First, build it:

cd apps/mcp
npm install
npm run build

Then add it to your AI tool:

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markview": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/markview/apps/mcp/dist/index.js", "/path/to/your/docs"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You'll see "markview" in the MCP tools menu (🔧).

Cursor

Go to Settings → MCP Servers → Add Server and use:

{
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["/absolute/path/to/markview/apps/mcp/dist/index.js", "/path/to/your/docs"]
}

Any MCP-compatible client

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markview": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/markview/apps/mcp/dist/index.js", "./your-docs"]
    }
  }
}

What you can ask your AI:

"Search my docs for authentication setup" "What are the headings in API.md?" "Find all broken links in my documentation" "Create a new doc called getting-started.md with an intro section" "Show me all code examples in Python across my docs"

🤖 MCP Tools (23)

The Model Context Protocol server lets AI assistants interact with your documentation workspace:

Category	Tools
Read & Analyze	`list_documents` `get_document` `search_docs` `get_headings` `get_links` `get_code_blocks` `get_frontmatter` `get_tables` `get_related_docs` `get_glossary` `get_mermaid_diagrams` `get_math_blocks` `analyze_reading_level`
Workspace Health	`validate_workspace` `get_stats` `generate_toc`
Write & Manage	`create_document` `update_document` `rename_document` `delete_document` `merge_documents`
Share & Export	`share_document` `render_document`

See apps/mcp/README.md for full documentation.

🌐 WebRTC Context Bridge

Stream your local documentation context to any browser-based AI tool via a peer-to-peer WebRTC data channel — zero cloud, zero uploads, zero trust required.

┌─────────────────┐     WebRTC DataChannel     ┌──────────────────────┐
│  Browser Agent  │◄──────────────────────────►│  Local MCP Server    │
│  (/agent page)  │   Encrypted P2P tunnel     │  (your terminal)     │
└─────────────────┘                            └──────────────────────┘

Quick start:

# 1. Start the signaling relay
npx tsx apps/mcp/scripts/signaling-server.ts

# 2. Launch MCP in WebRTC mode
npx markview-mcp ./docs --webrtc --room my-room

# 3. Open the Agent Bridge in your browser
#    → http://localhost:3000/agent

Once connected, the browser has direct read/execute access to all 23 MCP tools running on your local machine. No files ever leave your device.

Feature	Detail
Transport	RTCPeerConnection + RTCDataChannel
Signaling	Lightweight WebSocket relay (localhost)
Encryption	DTLS 1.2 (built into WebRTC)
Latency	Sub-millisecond on localhost
Dependencies	Zero — uses browser-native WebRTC APIs

See the live demo or the Agent Demo source.

🏗️ Architecture

markview/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/          # Next.js 16 documentation viewer
│   ├── desktop/      # Native macOS app (Tauri v2)
│   ├── mcp/          # MCP server (23 tools)
│   └── extension/    # Chrome extension
├── packages/
│   └── core/         # Framework-agnostic rendering engine
├── LICENSE           # AGPL-3.0
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
└── README.md

App	Tech	Description
Web	Next.js 16, React, Zustand, Shiki, Mermaid, KaTeX	Main documentation viewer
Desktop	Tauri v2, Rust, WebKit	Native macOS app with file associations
MCP	TypeScript, @modelcontextprotocol/sdk	AI documentation tools
Extension	Chrome Extensions API	View .md files in browser

🗺️ Roadmap

MarkView is actively maintained. Here's what's shipped and what's next:

Status	Feature	Description
✅	Rich rendering	GFM, Mermaid, KaTeX, Shiki, alerts, tables
✅	Workspace management	Multi-tab, file trees, IndexedDB persistence
✅	Productivity suite	Search, split view, diff, editor, presentation, export
✅	MCP server	23 AI documentation tools
✅	WebRTC Context Bridge	P2P browser-to-local AI tool execution
✅	Chrome extension	View .md files in the browser
✅	PWA & offline	Install as desktop app, works without internet
✅	Import workspace ZIP	Load shared workspace archives
✅	Custom themes	6 curated color schemes — Dracula, Monokai, Nord, Solarized, Rosé Pine
✅	URL sharing	Share workspaces via URL — gzip + base64url, zero server
✅	Drag-and-drop reorder	Rearrange files in the sidebar via drag & drop
✅	WYSIWYG editor toolbar	13 format buttons + ⌘B/⌘I/⌘K shortcuts + Tab indent
✅	Workspace templates	6 starter templates — README, API Docs, Changelog, and more
✅	Annotations	Highlight text, add color-coded notes, persisted
✅	Plugin system	Custom code-fence renderers — alert, chart, tabs, timeline, embed
✅	Embed support	YouTube, Figma, CodePen, CodeSandbox, Loom embeds
✅	Version history	Auto-snapshot on save, restore any previous version
✅	P2P collaboration	WebRTC-based workspace sharing — zero cloud
✅	npm publish MCP	`npx markview-mcp ./docs` — published!
✅	Native macOS app	Tauri v2 desktop app — set as default `.md` opener, ships as `.app` + `.dmg`
🔮	GitHub bi-directional sync	Pull & push docs to/from repos
🔮	VS Code extension	View docs without leaving the editor
🔮	AI writing assistant	Grammar check, autocomplete, summarize
🔮	Windows / Linux desktop	Tauri supports all platforms — packaging pending

🔮 = exploring — contributions welcome!

🐳 Self-Hosting

MarkView ships a static export — host it anywhere, or run it locally with Docker.

Docker Compose (quickest):

# Copy and configure environment variables
cp apps/web/.env.example .env

# Build and start (serves on http://localhost:3000)
docker compose up --build -d

Manual Docker:

docker build -f apps/web/Dockerfile -t markview .
docker run -p 3000:3000 markview

Variables you can configure in .env:

Variable	Default	Description
`NEXT_PUBLIC_YJS_SIGNALING_SERVER`	`wss://signaling.yjs.dev`	WebRTC signaling server for collaboration

Note

For production collaboration use, self-host a signaling server. See y-webrtc signaling setup.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions and guidelines.

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feat/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feat/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

💰 Pricing & Licensing

MarkView is supported by a dual-license model for developers, and a one-time purchase for consumers.

1. Developer SDKs & Components

For integrating @markview/core, @markview/react, or @markview/webcomponent into your software:

License	Price	Terms
Open Source	Free	AGPL-3.0. You must open-source your entire application.
Indie	$149 / year	Valid for 1 developer, up to 3 commercial projects. No open-source requirement.
Business	$499 / year	Up to 15 developers, unlimited commercial projects. Priority support.
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited developers, custom integrations, SLA, dedicated support.

To purchase a commercial license to embed MarkView into a closed-source product, see the Pricing Section on our Website.

2. Desktop App (Consumers)

The native macOS Tauri app will soon be available on the Mac App Store for a one-time purchase of $14.99, giving you lifetime updates and unparalleled native integration.

You can always compile the desktop app from source for free (see "Quick Start" guidelines).

📦 Packages

MarkView is available as standalone npm packages:

Package	Install	Use case
`@markview/core`	`npm i @markview/core`	Framework-agnostic rendering engine
`@markview/react`	`npm i @markview/react`	Drop-in React component
`@markview/webcomponent`	`npm i @markview/webcomponent`	Web Component for Vue, Angular, Svelte, plain HTML
`@markview/mcp`	`npx markview-mcp ./docs`	MCP server — give AI assistants access to your docs

React:

import { MarkView } from '@markview/react';
import '@markview/core/styles';

<MarkView content={markdown} theme="dark" shiki mermaid katex />

Any framework / plain HTML:

<script type="module">
  import '@markview/webcomponent';
</script>
<mark-view content="# Hello" theme="dark" shiki mermaid katex></mark-view>

MCP for AI assistants:

npx markview-mcp ./your-docs

See each package README for full API docs.

📄 License

For commercial use without AGPL obligations, see COMMERCIAL_LICENSE.md.

⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!

Built with 💜 using Next.js, Shiki, Mermaid, KaTeX, and MCP

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 133 Commits
.changeset		.changeset
.claude		.claude
.github		.github
.husky		.husky
apps		apps
packages		packages
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitignore		.gitignore
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
COMMERCIAL_LICENSE.md		COMMERCIAL_LICENSE.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
eslint.config.js		eslint.config.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
turbo.json		turbo.json

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MarkView

✨ Features

Rendering & Viewing

Workspace Management

Productivity

Extensibility

Desktop App

Privacy & Offline

🚀 Quick Start

Web App

Native macOS App (Recommended)

Install as PWA

Chrome Extension

MCP Server

🤖 MCP Tools (23)

🌐 WebRTC Context Bridge

🏗️ Architecture

🗺️ Roadmap

🐳 Self-Hosting

🤝 Contributing

💰 Pricing & Licensing

1. Developer SDKs & Components

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MarkView

✨ Features

Rendering & Viewing

Workspace Management

Productivity

Extensibility

Desktop App

Privacy & Offline

🚀 Quick Start

Web App

Native macOS App (Recommended)

Install as PWA

Chrome Extension

MCP Server

🤖 MCP Tools (23)

🌐 WebRTC Context Bridge

🏗️ Architecture

🗺️ Roadmap

🐳 Self-Hosting

🤝 Contributing

💰 Pricing & Licensing

1. Developer SDKs & Components

2. Desktop App (Consumers)

📦 Packages

📄 License

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