Show HN: Markdown Prism – A Non-Electron Markdown Editor for macOS(prism.huconn.xyz)
prism.huconn.xyz
Show HN: Markdown Prism – A Non-Electron Markdown Editor for macOS
https://prism.huconn.xyz
3 comments
Very nice!
I've been using mdserve. A nice feature is a sidebar that lists all the MD files in a directory. I wish it could also list sub-directories.
The reason is because I organize related MD files in directories, with sub-directories. Folders without MD files should be filtered out.
Here is an example project with MD files in both reference and specs (and root) folders. Other folders should be filtered out: https://github.com/Leftium/rift-transcription
---
The brew install did not work; the App source name is wrong: `Error: It seems the App source '/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/markdown-prism/0.2.0/Markdown Prism.app' is not there.`
I've been using mdserve. A nice feature is a sidebar that lists all the MD files in a directory. I wish it could also list sub-directories.
The reason is because I organize related MD files in directories, with sub-directories. Folders without MD files should be filtered out.
Here is an example project with MD files in both reference and specs (and root) folders. Other folders should be filtered out: https://github.com/Leftium/rift-transcription
---
The brew install did not work; the App source name is wrong: `Error: It seems the App source '/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/markdown-prism/0.2.0/Markdown Prism.app' is not there.`
Thanks for the bug report! The cask had the app name wrong (Markdown Prism.app vs the actual MarkdownPrism.app). Just pushed a fix — should work now:
brew update && brew reinstall --cask hulryung/tap/markdown-prism
--- Short and to the point — acknowledges the report, explains the fix, gives the command. Want me to adjust the tone or add anything?
brew update && brew reinstall --cask hulryung/tap/markdown-prism
--- Short and to the point — acknowledges the report, explains the fix, gives the command. Want me to adjust the tone or add anything?
Nice to see a native viewer. The electron fatigue is real. I've developed several apps on Electron and have moved away from it.
Curious about the rendering pipeline ... are you using a Swift markdown parser or wrapping something like cmark/commonmark under the hood? The tricky part I've found with GFM rendering is getting tables and task lists to behave consistently, especially when you add LaTeX and Mermaid on top.
Curious about the rendering pipeline ... are you using a Swift markdown parser or wrapping something like cmark/commonmark under the hood? The tricky part I've found with GFM rendering is getting tables and task lists to behave consistently, especially when you add LaTeX and Mermaid on top.
I built a macOS-native Markdown viewer/editor called Markdown Prism.
Website: https://prism.huconn.xyz
GitHub: https://github.com/hulryung/markdown-prism
I originally built this for myself. I wanted a lightweight Markdown viewer on macOS that:
wasn’t Electron-based
rendered GFM properly
supported LaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams
worked fully offline
Most native apps I tried were either minimal but missing key features (math, diagrams), or full-featured but Electron apps. I wanted something in between — native feel, but with the mature JS Markdown ecosystem.
How it works
It’s a hybrid approach:
SwiftUI for the native app shell
WKWebView for rendering
markdown-it, KaTeX, highlight.js, and Mermaid.js bundled locally
So you get native performance and integration (Quick Look, file watching, drag-and-drop), but still benefit from battle-tested JS rendering libraries. Everything is bundled for offline use.
Features
Split-pane editor with live preview (400ms debounce)
GFM (tables, task lists, strikethrough)
LaTeX math via KaTeX
Mermaid diagram support
Syntax highlighting (190+ languages)
Quick Look extension (preview .md in Finder)
Dark mode
File watching for external edits
Install via:
brew install hulryung/tap/markdown-prism
or download the DMG from the website.
It’s free and open source (MIT), macOS 14+.
Would love feedback — especially from people who use Markdown heavily. What’s missing? What would make this your daily Markdown tool?