Write with Focus

A local-first markdown editor. Plain files on your filesystem, real-time style feedback, and an interface that stays out of the way.

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Main editor interface showing split-pane markdown editing

Features

Markdown Editor

Syntax highlighting, live preview, and synchronized scrolling between editor and preview panes.

Style Check

Flags filler words, redundancies, and clichés as you type. Add your own rules to match your style.

Folder Workspaces

Open any folder on your computer. Drag-and-drop files, right-click to manage, and changes sync automatically.

Quick Capture

Global hotkey opens a capture window from anywhere. Create timestamped notes or append to existing documents.

Focus Mode

Typewriter scrolling, paragraph dimming, and minimal chrome. The interface fades so the text doesn't.

Export

PDF, DOCX, and plaintext. Configurable page layout, fonts, and an inline preview before you commit to a file.

Local-First

Your documents stay on your machine as plain markdown files. No cloud sync required, no vendor lock-in. Writer uses your existing folder structure as the source of truth.

Fast and private by design. Everything runs offline and on your machine.

Workspace browser showing folder structure

Writing Assistance

Style checking runs in real-time, highlighting potential issues without being intrusive.

Parts-of-speech highlighting shows sentence structure at a glance. Customize patterns to enforce a house style guide.

Style check highlighting filler words

Quick Capture

Set a global hotkey and capture ideas from anywhere on your system without switching windows. Three modes: quick note, append to document, or start a writing session.

Notes land in your inbox folder, ready to be triaged later.

Quick capture window

Everything in Writer

Markdown Editor

Fast, accessible, keyboard-driven.

  • Live Preview - Rendered output alongside raw markdown
  • Split Panes - Editor-only, preview-only, or side-by-side
  • Resizable Divider - Drag to set pane ratio
  • Document Tabs - Multiple open files, draggable to reorder

split-pane editor

Focus Mode

Strips the interface down to the text.

  • Typewriter Scrolling - Cursor stays centered as you type
  • Dimming - Surrounding text fades to keep you in the current paragraph
  • Minimal Chrome - Toolbars and panels step aside until needed

focus mode with dimming

Writing Assistance

Real-time feedback without getting in the way.

  • Style Check - Flags fillers, redundancies, and cliches as you type
  • Parts-of-Speech Highlighting - Visualize sentence structure (nouns, verbs, etc.)
  • Custom Patterns - Add rules to match your own style guide

style check decorations

File Management

The sidebar is a full file browser. Every operation is instant and reliable.

  • Drag and Drop - Reorder documents, move between locations, import .md files from your OS
  • Context Menu - Right-click to move, rename, or delete
  • Nested Directories - Full folder tree support with create/rename/delete
  • Filesystem Watching - External changes are picked up automatically
  • Conflict Detection - Writer tells you when a file was modified outside the editor

context menu in sidebar

Quick Capture

A global hotkey opens a capture window from anywhere on your system. Three modes:

  • Quick Note - Timestamped markdown file in your inbox folder
  • Append - Add text to an existing document
  • Writing Session - Create a note and jump into the editor

quick capture

Export

Turn your markdown into something you can hand to someone else.

  • PDF - Configurable page size, margins, fonts, headers, and footers. Inline preview before export.
  • DOCX - Word-compatible output for collaborators who need it.
  • Plaintext - Strip formatting and export raw text.

Filenames are cleaned up automatically so you don't have to worry about special characters.

pdf export

Session Persistence

Close Writer, reopen it, and everything is where you left it. Open tabs, pane sizes, layout state are restored automatically.

Open Source

Writer is free and open source. The code is available to inspect, fork, and contribute to.