Native · Rust · GPU-accelerated

Your documents,
finally native.

One window for Markdown, JSON, code, PDF, Word, HWPX — even your iCloud Notes. Git built in. Forged in Rust on Zed’s GPUI. No web view, no Electron.

Install with Homebrew Download .app
Free & open source · 8 MB download · macOS 13+ · Apple Silicon & Intel
README.md main
EXPLORER
▾ src
▸ docs
▾ assets
   README.md
   Cargo.toml
▸ iCloud Notes

MarkForge

A native macOS Markdown app.

Features

GPU-accelerated preview
Split editor & live reload
Git diffs built in

fn main() { … }

# MarkForge A **native** macOS Markdown app. ## Features - GPU-accelerated preview - Split editor & live reload ```rust fn main() { println!("fast!"); } ```
8MBdownload size
0%CPU when idle
0×Electron / web views
Everything you read

One window for
everything you open.

The Markdown engine that powers Zed’s preview — now reading code, PDFs, Word docs, and your notes too.

GPU-accelerated

Rendered with Metal via GPUI — the same engine as the Zed editor. Instant startup, idle at ~0% CPU.

Code, not just Markdown

JSON (auto pretty-printed), Python, TypeScript, Rust, Go, YAML and more — syntax-highlighted in the viewer and editor.

PDF · Word · HWPX

PDFs render as real pages via CoreGraphics, with whitespace auto-trimmed so slides fill the view. Word & HWPX convert to Markdown.

Git built in

Branch chip & switcher, status badges, diffs (⌘D), commit, push/pull, file history, and a rendered-Markdown diff (⌘⇧D).

Import iCloud Notes 2-way soon

File ▸ Import iCloud Notes pulls every Apple Note into a folder of Markdown files, organized by folder — yours to keep. Two-way sync arrives in the next release.

Split editor + live reload

⌘E into a resizable split editor. Edit anywhere else and MarkForge updates automatically, debounced for smooth typing.

Finder-style sidebar

Your home folders, iCloud Drive and favorites in one expandable tree. Arrow-key navigation; PageUp/Down to scroll.

Light · Dark · System

Follows your macOS appearance with a soft translucent backdrop, or pick a fixed theme and syntax preset (Nord, Dracula…).

Never lose an edit

Unsaved changes are guarded with a native Save prompt before you open, reload, close, or quit. Settings are plain JSON (⌘,).

Install

Up and running
in ten seconds.

One command. No runtime, no setup — just a single 24 MB native binary.

# Homebrew (recommended)
$ brew install --cask rescenedev/tap/markforge
# or build from source (needs Rust)
$ git clone https://github.com/rescenedev/markforge && cd markforge && cargo run --release

Or grab MarkForge.app from the latest release.

Open file / folder⌘O / ⌘⇧O
Toggle sidebar⌘B
Toggle editor⌘E
Save⌘S
Git diff⌘D
Rendered diff⌘⇧D
Zoom in / out⌘ + / −
Settings (JSON)⌘,

Your Markdown
deserves better.

Stop reading docs in a browser tab. Read them in an app that feels like macOS.

Get MarkForge Star on GitHub