Open Source macOS MIT

Your markdown editor
assumes one author.

SideMark assumes two. When Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any AI agent edits your files, SideMark handles the merge automatically. Non-overlapping changes merge silently. Conflicting changes show an interactive per-hunk diff. You stay in flow.

SideMark showing three-pane layout — file browser, markdown editor with syntax highlighting, and live GitHub Flavored Markdown preview

The Problem

Every other markdown editor fights your AI agent.

You're editing a governance doc. Claude Code writes to the same file. Your editor pops a dialog: "File changed on disk. Reload?" You lose your cursor position, your unsaved edits, your train of thought. Or worse — it silently reloads and your changes vanish.

SideMark was built for two-author workflows. When both you and an AI agent edit the same file, non-overlapping changes merge automatically. When changes overlap, you get an interactive diff — accept or reject each hunk individually. No dialog. No data loss. No broken flow.

Built for Two Authors

The features that make AI co-editing work.

Three-Way Merge

You edit lines 5-10. Claude edits lines 40-50. Both changes merge silently. No dialog, no reload, no lost work. A toast confirms the merge happened.

Per-Hunk Diff

When changes overlap, SideMark shows an interactive diff. Click to accept or reject each change block individually. "Save Mine as New File" for an escape hatch.

Git Gutter

Green for added, blue for modified, red for deleted. See at a glance what changed since your last commit — whether you or your AI agent made the change.

Auto-Save

Configurable delay: 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s. Edit a governance doc, switch to Claude Code, and your changes are already on disk. No diff dialog when you switch back.

Copy with Context

Cmd+Opt+C copies your selection with file path and line numbers. No selection? Copies the entire file with a path header. Paste directly into an AI prompt with full context.

Change Notifications

Toast notifications when external merges succeed. File deletion detection with options to close or re-save. You always know what your AI agent did.

Concurrent Editing

Co-edit with AI. Nothing gets lost.

The interactive diff shows exactly what changed, grouped by related hunks. Accept incoming, keep yours, or save yours as a new file. Every change block is independent — no all-or-nothing decisions.

Toast notification showing 'test-features.md merged — External changes applied cleanly'

Clean merges get a toast. No interruption.

SideMark showing the interactive per-hunk diff view with color-coded changes and options to keep your version, accept external changes, or save as new file

Git Integration

See what changed since your last commit.

Git gutter markers show added, modified, and deleted lines in the editor. Whether you made the change or your AI agent did, you can see it at a glance before committing.

SideMark editor showing git gutter markers — green for added lines, blue for modified, red for deleted — alongside the three-pane layout

Editor

Everything you'd expect. Nothing you wouldn't.

Three-pane layout

File browser, CodeMirror editor, live GFM preview. Bidirectional scroll sync. Resizable panes.

File browser + favorites

Expandable directory tree with auto-refresh. Favorites panel with drag-and-drop reordering. Stale path detection.

Focus mode

Fullscreen distraction-free editing. Toolbar and centered text. Auto-save running in the background.

Find in folder

Project-wide search with case sensitivity. Results grouped by file with context lines. Cmd+Shift+G.

Smart formatting toolbar

Toggle-aware bold, italic, headings, lists, code, links. Keyboard shortcuts for everything.

Session restore

Tabs, folders, window positions, active file. Close the app, open it tomorrow, pick up exactly where you left off.

Multi-window

Cmd+Shift+N. Each window has its own tabs and folder. All windows restore on relaunch.

PDF & HTML export

Clean output for sharing with stakeholders. Standalone HTML with inline CSS, no dependencies.

Themes & customization

Dark, light, or system. Seven accent colors. Configurable editor and preview fonts.

Focus Mode

SideMark focus mode — fullscreen distraction-free editing with just the toolbar and centered text

Just the toolbar and your text. Auto-save running in the background.

Under the Hood

Security-hardened. Not an afterthought.

XSS prevention

DOMPurify sanitizes all rendered markdown. No script injection through crafted files.

Sandboxed windows

Chromium sandbox enabled. Context isolation enforced. All file operations route through IPC with path validation.

Filesystem access control

Path validation limits access to home directory and volumes. Sensitive directories (.ssh, .gnupg, .aws) blocked.

Signed & notarized

Apple Developer ID. Notarized. No Gatekeeper warnings on first launch.

No telemetry

No analytics. No crash reporting. No network calls except update checks to GitHub Releases.

Open source (MIT)

Full source on GitHub. Adversarial security review completed. Every line is auditable.

Deliberately Excluded

SideMark is focused. On purpose.

No cloud sync. No real-time collaboration. No plugin system. No Vim mode. No WYSIWYG. No proprietary format. No account creation. No subscription. No telemetry.

Your files are markdown on disk. Open them with anything, anywhere, forever. SideMark makes editing them fast and pleasant — especially when you're not the only one writing to them.

Technical Stack

Framework Electron 33
UI React 18
Editor CodeMirror 6
Markdown marked (GitHub Flavored)
Build Vite 6 + electron-builder
Security DOMPurify, sandbox, CSP
Diffing diff (three-way merge, git gutter)
Updates GitHub Releases (auto-update)
Signing Apple Developer ID + Notarization
License MIT
Platforms macOS 12+ (Intel + Apple Silicon)
Language JavaScript (React)

Support & Contributions

Found a bug? Have an idea?

SideMark is free, open source, and actively maintained. If something isn't working or you've hit a workflow gap, open an issue.

Try SideMark. It's free and open source.

No sign-up, no telemetry, no subscription. Download the latest release and start editing alongside your AI agents.