mdWatch is a live markdown viewer for macOS. It detects file changes instantly and re-renders without losing your scroll position — perfect for watching AI tools edit your files in real-time.
Download on the Mac App StoreMarkdown files are no longer written by humans typing in an editor. AI writes them. You review them. mdWatch bridges this gap.
Other tools try to be editors, IDEs, or note-taking apps. mdWatch does exactly one thing: watch a markdown file and render it live as something else writes it.
Most editors ignore or delay external file changes. mdWatch uses macOS FSEvents to detect the instant another process — like an AI tool — saves the file. No polling. No “file changed, reload?” dialog.
When AI rewrites half your document, other viewers jump to the top. mdWatch uses text-anchor tracking to keep you at the paragraph you were reading, even when the structure around it changes.
Editors that open the same file as your AI tool create save conflicts and lock contention. mdWatch never writes to the file. It only watches. Zero interference with Claude Code, Copilot, or any other tool.
No existing tool was designed for the workflow where AI writes markdown and you review it.
| mdWatch | VS Code Preview | Marked 2 | MacDown | Typora | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Dedicated viewer | IDE feature | Viewer | Editor | Editor |
| Detects external file changes | ✓ Instant (FSEvents) | Delayed / unreliable | ✓ | “Reload?” dialog | “Reload?” dialog |
| Keeps scroll position on change | ✓ Text-anchor based | Resets | Approximate | Resets | Resets |
| Works alongside terminal AI tools | ✓ Standalone app | Must use VS Code | ✓ | ✓ | Opens as editor |
| No save conflicts with AI | ✓ Read-only | Editor — conflicts | ✓ | Editor — conflicts | Editor — conflicts |
| Price | $0.99 | Free (but it’s an IDE) | $14.00 | Free (unmaintained) | $14.99 |
Dedicated markdown viewers start at $14. Full IDEs are overkill.
$0.99
One-time purchase. No subscription. Does exactly what you need.
mdWatch shines wherever AI is writing markdown and you need to see the result.
Tell Claude Code or Copilot to update your README, API docs, or changelog. Watch the rendered result appear in mdWatch as the AI writes.
Instruct the AI to draft tutorials, guides, or specs. Review the formatted output as a reader would see it — not raw markdown in a terminal.
When the AI modifies design docs or architecture specs alongside code, see those markdown changes rendered beautifully instead of in a diff view.
Ask the AI to write explanations, summaries, or notes to a markdown file. Read them in a clean, formatted view that updates live.
The only markdown viewer built for AI workflows. One-time purchase, no subscription, no bloat.
Download on the Mac App Store