markra

Markra is a local-first, open-source Markdown editor that brings AI into the writing flow. Edit in WYSIWYG or source mode, keep everything as plain .md files on disk, and let AI polish, rewrite, or expand your content — with full preview before any change lands.

No account required. Files stay on disk by default; optional WebDAV sync, remote image storage, and AI requests only contact the services you configure.

Screenshots

Native AI commands	Review AI edits

Markra AI side panel	Multi-provider AI settings

Download

Use the web editor at editor.markra.app.

On macOS, install with Homebrew:

brew install --cask markrahq/tap/markra

Download the latest desktop builds from GitHub Releases: macOS Apple Silicon/Intel, Windows installer/portable, and Linux AppImage/DEB/RPM/Arch Linux packages.

On Arch Linux, download the x64 package from the release and install it with:

sudo pacman -U ./Markra_<version>_linux_x64.pkg.tar.zst

Custom User Data Directory

The desktop app accepts --user-data-dir=<path> or --user-data-dir <path>. Relative paths resolve from the launch working directory. Markra creates the directory if needed and stores settings, AI sessions and attachments, themes, templates, document history, spellcheck dictionaries, logs, and window state there. Without the option, the existing system directories are used.

For a Windows portable package on a USB drive, place this launcher beside the Markra app folder:

@echo off
cd /d "%~dp0"
start "" "Markra\Markra.exe" "--user-data-dir=.\Markra_Data"

On macOS/Linux, use markra --user-data-dir "./Markra_Data" with the installed shell command or executable. File and folder arguments can follow the option.

Quit Markra completely before switching data directories. A new directory starts with fresh settings; existing data is not moved automatically. Markdown documents and paths to external files remain where you saved them. To reuse existing settings, restore a settings backup into the new profile.

Windows/Linux WebView data is stored in the selected directory. On macOS, custom profiles use a temporary WebView cache because WKWebView does not support an arbitrary cache directory; persistent Markra data still uses the selected directory.

Demo

Documentation

• Changelog
• Privacy and data flow
• Theme customization and Typora compatibility
• Contributing guide

Desktop And Web

Capability	Desktop app	Web editor
WYSIWYG and source editing	Full editor experience	Full editor experience
Installation and offline use	Installed desktop app; local editing works offline	Installable editor PWA; desktop Chrome/Edge can reopen offline after the first complete online load
Open local files and folders	Native dialogs, file paths, and watchers	Browser file picker, folder picker, and file handles
File tree operations	Create, rename, move, delete, sort, reveal, and multi-select	Create, rename, move, and delete where browser permissions allow
Auto-save and restore	Existing files, tabs, drafts, workspace windows	Browser file handles and IndexedDB state where available
AI providers	Native runtime requests with app proxy settings	Browser requests subject to provider CORS support
Spellcheck	Markra-managed local spellcheck with on-demand language packs and a personal dictionary	Not available yet
Image storage	Local folders, WebDAV, PicGo/PicList, and S3-compatible storage	Local/browser handles and WebDAV where CORS permits
Backup and sync	Local backups, WebDAV note sync, and settings backup to local files, WebDAV, or S3-compatible storage	Settings backup to local files or WebDAV where CORS permits; note backup and sync are unavailable
Custom themes	Theme folder, separate light/dark CSS files, manual refresh, and basic Typora compatibility	Custom CSS editing, import/export, and basic Typora compatibility
Export	HTML, PDF, and Pandoc formats when configured	HTML download and browser print/PDF

For offline web use, open the editor online first and allow its resources to finish downloading, then close and reopen it. Installation through the browser is optional. Files stay in the folders you select; browser permissions still apply. Updates take effect after all editor tabs and installed windows are closed. AI, WebDAV, remote images, and other network services still need a connection; mobile folder editing is not covered by this release.

Comparison

Markra is not trying to replace every Markdown tool. It is closest to a calm document editor with native AI and local files.

Focus	Markra	Typora	Obsidian
Primary fit	Local-first Markdown writing with built-in AI editing	Minimal live-preview Markdown writing	Personal knowledge base and linked notes
Editing model	WYSIWYG document surface plus source mode	Seamless live preview with Markdown syntax hidden while writing	Markdown notes with reading/live-preview editing modes
AI workflow	Native inline actions, side panel, and ACP local agents, with preview before applying edits	Not a core product workflow	Not a core product workflow; plugins may vary
Spellcheck	Markra-managed local dictionaries, on-demand downloads, correction suggestions, and a personal dictionary	System spellcheck on supported platforms, with Hunspell dictionaries where needed	Electron/Chromium-style editor spellcheck with configurable languages
File model	Plain .md files, single-file or folder workspaces	Plain Markdown files and folder/file tree workflows	Local vaults using open file formats
Knowledge features	Tabs, outline, workspace search, and double-bracket link completion	Outline, file tree, internal links, and export-oriented writing tools	Backlinks, graph view, Canvas, and large plugin ecosystem
Sync and storage	Optional WebDAV sync, local backups, and configurable image storage	Uses local files; external sync services can be used	Optional paid Obsidian Sync and Publish services
Openness and cost	Free and AGPL-3.0 open source	Paid app after trial	Free app with optional paid services and licenses

Key Features

WYSIWYG Markdown

• Render links, images, HTML, KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, and GFM tables inline — expand any element back to source when needed.
• Slash commands and drag handles for block-level editing; full source mode one click away.
• Adjustable writing width, font size, and line height.
• Desktop spellcheck highlights likely mistakes, offers suggestions with the default Ctrl/Cmd+. shortcut, and keeps custom terms in a personal dictionary; the suggestion shortcut can be changed in keyboard shortcut settings.
• Markra manages its own local dictionaries instead of relying on OS or Electron spellcheck, so behavior stays consistent across desktop platforms while language packs download on demand and stay out of the app bundle.

Native AI

• Inline AI on selected text, or open the side panel for document-wide tasks.
• Quick actions: polish, rewrite, continue, summarize, translate.
• Preview every AI edit before applying — accept, reject, or copy.
• The built-in side-panel agent follows layered AGENTS.md files from the workspace root to the current document directory.
• Add repo-scoped Agent Skills at .agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md; the agent exposes descriptions first, then loads full instructions only for $skill-name invocations or tool-selected matches. A closer directory overrides the same Skill name from a broader scope.
• Agent Client Protocol (ACP) support for compatible local AI agents, including model discovery, permission prompts, and editor write previews.
• Sessions are searchable, renamable, and archivable.

Local Workspace

• Open a single file or an entire folder; browse, create, rename, move, delete, sort, reveal, and multi-select files from the file tree.
• Document tabs, side-by-side panes, quick open, workspace search, outline navigation, and double-bracket link completion.
• Auto-save existing files, restore tabs and workspace state, and show document or selected-text word counts.

Storage, Backup, and Sync

• Paste or drop images to local storage, WebDAV, PicGo/PicList, or S3-compatible storage.
• Create one-way local backups manually, on exit, or on a schedule.
• Optional WebDAV sync keeps notes aligned across devices and preserves conflict copies.
• Back up portable settings to a local file, WebDAV, or S3-compatible storage and restore them on another device; sensitive credentials are excluded by default.

Blocks, Tables, and Code

• GitHub-style callouts (note, tip, important, warning, caution).
• Visual table controls for rows, columns, sizing, and alignment.
• Syntax-highlighted code blocks with language picker and one-click copy.

Themes and Export

• Built-in palettes and scoped custom CSS, with separate light/dark settings and CSS import/export/reset.
• Choose a desktop theme folder or use the default folder with editable starter files. Folder and file choices survive restarts; manual refresh applies edits across open windows. Missing or unreadable files fall back to the CSS saved in Settings.
• Basic Typora theme compatibility: automatically adapt colors, installed fonts, heading sizes, weights and letter spacing, links, code fonts/backgrounds, and common syntax colors while preserving the original CSS.
• Customize inline and fenced-code fonts with --editor-code-font-family.
• Export to standalone HTML or PDF with page, margin, and metadata controls. Exports use their own styles rather than the editor theme.

To use a desktop theme file:

1. Open Settings → Appearance and use Choose theme folder to select an existing CSS directory, or keep the default. Open theme folder opens the active directory.
2. Add a CSS file, or copy and edit starter-light.css or starter-dark.css from the default folder.
3. Enable Custom theme and select a file for each appearance.
4. After editing and saving a file, click Refresh themes to apply it across open windows.

On desktop or web, you can also use Import CSS in the same settings section. Supported files are UTF-8 CSS up to 1 MiB. Theme files stay local and are not included in portable settings backups.

One folder is active at a time. Switching to a different folder clears file selections so you can choose its themes. Use default folder returns to Markra's managed directory. Custom folders are only read; Markra does not move files or add templates to them.

Typora compatibility covers basic appearance, not every theme rule. Complex layouts, conditional rules, bundled fonts/images, and imported stylesheets are skipped with notices in Settings. See the theme guide for supported variables and compatibility details.

Multi-Provider AI

Supports cloud models, local models, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Separate model selection for inline editing and the side panel.

Built-in providers: OpenAI · Anthropic · Google Gemini · DeepSeek · Mistral · Groq · OpenRouter · OrcaRouter · Together.ai · Qwen · Xiaomi MiMo · Volcengine Ark · xAI · Azure OpenAI · Ollama

Web search: Provider-native search, Bing, and SearXNG — with configurable result and content limits.

Use Cases

Product docs · Blog posts · Research notes · Technical writing with tables, code, and math · AI-assisted drafting and polishing · Personal knowledge bases

Philosophy

• Local first — files and workspace data stay on your disk unless you opt into WebDAV sync or remote image storage.
• Open and free — core features are inspectable and never paywalled.
• Writing first — AI, file management, and settings serve the document, not the other way around.
• Confirm before apply — AI edits are previews until you say yes.

Roadmap

• More stable workspace behavior and edge-case handling
• Smarter AI edit previews and conflict resolution
• Deeper knowledge organization and link workflows
• Richer export templates and sharing workflows

Getting Started

1. Open the web editor or download the latest desktop release for your platform.
2. Open a Markdown file or folder.
3. Write — use WYSIWYG, slash commands, or source mode.
4. Configure AI providers in settings when you're ready for AI assistance.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome — whether it's product experience, Markdown editing, AI workflows, cross-platform fixes, or docs. See issues for open tasks or start a discussion.

Contributors

Thanks to everyone who has helped shape Markra through code, docs, design, testing, and feedback.

Sponsors

License

Markra is licensed under AGPL-3.0.