Sable Markdown Writer

A small, native Markdown editor for fiction, for macOS 14 or later. Source is included so the editor can evolve with your writing habits.

Use

Open build/Sable Markdown Writer.app after building. Use File → New or File → Open. Choose an existing UTF-8 .md, .markdown, .mdown, .mkd, .mkdn, .mdwn, or .txt file from your Mac or iCloud Drive. File → Save writes plain Markdown; prose overlays are never serialized. File coordination and document saving use Apple's SwiftUI DocumentGroup and FileDocument.

Open any Markdown file, with or without a writing folder

A writing folder is optional. You can use Sable as a calm Markdown editor for single files:

• Open a file from anywhere. Finder's Open With → Sable, File → Open Markdown File… (⌘O), File → Open Recent, dragging a file onto the Dock icon, or dragging it onto the window all work. The file's own folder need not be a writing folder, and the writing folder is never changed.
• Make Sable the default app for Markdown, if you want. Settings → General → Markdown files shows which app opens Markdown files now and has a Make Sable the Default for Markdown button; macOS asks you to confirm. Plain text (.txt) is a separate button, also off by default. Sable never changes either by itself and registers as an alternate handler only. To switch back, select a Markdown file in Finder, choose File → Get Info, pick another app under Open with, and click Change All.
• No writing folder needed. First launch offers Just Open a File and Explore a Sample Project beside choosing a folder, and a window opened on a file from Finder skips setup. With no writing folder, the writing desk shows the open file's own folder. Settings → General → Writing folder chooses one later, or stops using it; that only makes Sable forget the folder, and no file is touched.
• A file outside the writing folder. The desk keeps showing the writing folder and adds one quiet line: the file is in another folder, with Show Folder. That shows the file's folder for this session only, with a Back to link; the saved writing folder never changes.
• An optional Recent tab. Settings → General → Writing desk turns on a Recent tab in the desk with the files you have open, newest first. It is off by default, recorded only while on, and turning it off forgets the list.
• A desk that steps back while you type. After a few seconds of steady typing the writing desk fades almost away in place, so the page never shifts, and it comes back the moment you move the mouse. Turn it off in Settings → General → Writing desk or the View menu.
• The same protections everywhere. Safe saving, the moved-to-Trash or deleted notice with Put Back, and snapshots work from the open file itself, wherever it lives. A snapshot of a file outside a writing folder is kept in a hidden .sable-revisions folder beside it, and only when you save one.

The writing surface now displays bold, italic, combined emphasis, headings, links, quotes, lists, inline code, fenced code, and strikethrough. Markdown markers remain visible in a subdued color. Fonts and visual attributes never become part of the saved text. Supported web/mail links have native link attributes.

Text is centered in a 680-point column by default, including in a maximized window. Settings lets you change the width and text size. A two-finger horizontal swipe or the sidebar button (⌃⌘S) toggles the writing desk. Its outline options let you choose Chapters, Episodes, Scenes, Outline, or any custom label and filter to one heading level. Labels and filters are shared across documents and do not rename your actual headings.

The Files section's menu → Choose Writing Folder opens a persistent folder browser for Markdown and text files. Click folders to expand or collapse nested contents inline. Use the up arrow to return, and click a file to switch the active document. Sable asks macOS to save, discard, or cancel when the active document has unsaved edits, then opens the selected file in the same writing window. Automatic window tabs are disabled. The menu also refreshes the listing or returns to the root folder. Search filters loaded, visible file rows and outline headings. Folder listings refresh manually; recursive full-text search is not implemented. Hidden files, symlinks, and packages are excluded.

Any Markdown file in the writing folder can be opened beside the active document from its context menu. The split pane begins in a clean formatted reading view. Edit enables in-place Markdown editing beside the draft; Read returns to the formatted view. The secondary document saves separately and closes with the split pane. It is general-purpose, separate from Fiction Project cards, which already support characters, locations, and world notes.

Move the pointer to the top edge to reveal the quiet toolbar. Its Aa button opens font and style controls: five presets (Everyday / Georgia, Literary / Charter, Classic / Baskerville, Science fiction / Menlo, Manuscript / Courier New), a custom installed-font choice, size, page width, line spacing, and eleven themes (Graphite, Midnight, Chalk, Forest, Obsidian, Arcane, Starfall, Cosmic, Parchment, Paper, Mist). Styles are shared across documents; Markdown itself is unchanged. Some installed fonts do not include bold or italic faces, so available styles depend on the font.

Paragraph focus (target icon, ⇧⌘F) dims text outside the paragraph containing the cursor. It follows clicking, keyboard navigation, and typing. Paragraphs are separated by blank lines; soft line breaks stay in the same paragraph. Focus is per writing window and never modifies text.

A session goal shows net words added since the document window opened. Set the goal in Settings, or set it to 0 to hide it. This is a per-window session count, not a daily history or a cross-device statistic.

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