DocsReader

Point it at any folder. DocsReader scans the directory for Markdown files, organizes them into a navigable tree, and renders each one in a clean reader. macOS, Linux, Windows.

Linux: AppImage works on most distros - for .deb (Debian/Ubuntu) or .rpm (Fedora/RHEL), see Releases.

Or install via Homebrew or one-liner.

Features

Reading

• Rendering: GitHub-flavored Markdown via remark-gfm (tables, task lists, footnotes, autolinks, strikethrough)
• Math expressions: LaTeX rendered inline and in blocks via KaTeX
• Diagrams: Mermaid renderer (lazy-loaded, follows theme)
• Box-drawing art: svgbob converts ASCII diagrams to SVG (experimental)
• Code blocks: 20 bundled language grammars via Shiki, twelve highlighter palettes (5 light, 7 dark)
• Appearance: light, dark, or follow-system, with six accent hues
• Type controls: font family, body size, and reading column width

Browsing

• Workspaces: keep multiple unrelated folders open and pivot between them
• Lenses: four browsing modes over the same library (Tree, Recent, Tags, Pinned)
• Jump-to-file: fuzzy finder across every workspace, opens with Cmd+P (binding configurable)
• Document outline: auto-built TOC that follows the active heading as you scroll
• Tabs: many docs open at once; scroll position remembered per tab
• Split view: read two docs side-by-side or stacked; each pane keeps its own tabs, scroll, and external-change banner. Toggle from the header, drag the splitter to resize, or use Cmd+\ (horizontal), Cmd+Shift+\ (vertical), Cmd+1 / Cmd+2 to focus a pane. "Open in other pane" lives in the file context menu.
• Search: filename, path, frontmatter title, or tag
• Sticky favorites: pin individual files to the top of any workspace
• Clutter rules: glob patterns silently exclude files and folders from the explorer
• External changes surfaced: when a file you have open changes on disk (other editor, sync service, AI agent), a banner shows what changed with reload / keep / show-diff actions; configurable to silent reload

Project-aware

DocsReader stays "point it at any folder" by default. When a workspace happens to ship a .docs.yaml or live inside a git repo, extra signals light up automatically.

• .docs.yaml manifests: projects shipping a v0.1 manifest get curated navigation (hand-curated items and auto-listed folder sections with sort, title-from, badges, and nesting), project metadata in the workspace switcher, automatic homepage open on first add, cross-project links between open workspaces, ignore patterns, a visibility toggle for previewing public-only views, and a sidebar pane that surfaces manifest issues
• Git status decorations: in a git repo, the file tree shows per-file status badges (M / A / D / R / ? / U) that refresh as files change
• Git diff vs HEAD: right-click any tracked file to see the diff between HEAD and your working tree, with unified or side-by-side views and word-level highlighting

Quiet by default

• Minimal chrome: flat active states, no badges, only user-initiated motion (ADHD-friendly, low visual load)
• One thing at a time: lenses replace the tree instead of stacking on top of it
• Same place, every launch: controls do not migrate around the window
• Resumes where you left off: tabs, scroll, sidebar, and active lens persist across sessions

Trust

• Stays local: no telemetry, no sync; the only outbound request is the updater check
• Signed updates: every release artifact ships with a minisign signature; the updater verifies before applying
• Gatekeeper-friendly: code-signed and Apple-notarized on macOS
• Hardened renderer: strict CSP, sanitized HTML, scheme-allowlisted links

Found a bug, want a feature, or have feedback? Open an issue - I'm actively building this and feedback shapes the roadmap.

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for the full picture. Short version:

• Next: find-in-page, full-text search, focus mode, recognition for markdown task formats (Backlog.md, taskmd, generic frontmatter).
• Later: PDF export, kanban view over recognized task files, drag-a-folder-to-add-root, file management.
• Considering: plugin API, annotations, drag tabs between panes / N-pane nesting, local "smart" features (related-docs, TL;DR).

Screenshots

Install

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install --cask anbturki/tap/docsreader

macOS / Linux (curl)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anbturki/docsreader/main/install.sh | bash

Manual

From Releases:

OS	File
macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon)	DocsReader_*_universal.dmg
Linux	docsreader_*_amd64.AppImage or .deb
Windows	DocsReader_*_x64-setup.exe

Security

See SECURITY.md.

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Development

Built with Tauri 2, React, and Rust. Requires Bun, Rust, and the Tauri 2 system deps for your OS.

bun install
bun run tauri dev

Releasing

GitHub → Actions → Cut Release → enter the version (e.g. 0.1.2). The workflow bumps tauri.conf.json + Cargo.toml + Cargo.lock, commits, tags, and triggers the release pipeline (signs, notarizes the macOS bundle, drafts a GitHub Release, updates the Homebrew tap).