The fast, complete markdown browser and static site generator

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Why mbr?

No crazy syntax. No required directory structures. Just markdown.

Most markdown viewers don't browse and are riddled with broken links because they don't understand the current project. And most static site generators force you into their world: custom folder layouts, proprietary frontmatter, bespoke shortcodes, and more. mbr takes a different approach. Point it at any collection of markdown files and it just works for previewing a single file, browsing thousands of notes, searching, navigating, or building a deployable website.

It's fast, keyboard-first, multi-purpose, customizable, and beautiful. And it makes media embeds (images, videos, PDFs, etc.) first-class citizens.

Oh and on mac, it includes a quicklook plugin that's head and shoulders above any I've seen before.

Features

Feature	Description
Instant Preview	Sub-second markdown rendering with live reload
Native GUI	macOS/Linux app with native menus and shortcuts (Windows should work, but is untested)
Static Sites	Optionally generate deployable websites with full-text search
Smart Navigation	Browse by folders, tags, recents, and full-text search
Keyboard Friendly	Vim-like shortcuts are available for everything in the UI
Rich Media	Embed videos, audio, PDFs, and YouTube with simple markdown standard syntax
Fully Customizable	Override themes, templates, and UX per-repo

Quick Start

Install

# Using Nix to quick run without installing
nix run github:zmre/mbr-markdown-browser -- /path/to/notes

# Using Cargo
cargo install --git https://github.com/zmre/mbr-markdown-browser

File an issue if you want it packaged in a particular way.

Run

mbr README.md         # Launch native GUI window
mbr -s ~/notes        # Start live web server at http://127.0.0.1:5200/
mbr -b ~/notes        # Build static site to ./build/

Documentation

See the full documentation for detailed guides. The documentation site itself is built with mbr, serving as a live example of its capabilities.

• Getting Started - Installation and first steps
• Modes of Operation - GUI, Server, Build, and QuickLook
• Customization - Themes, templates, and components
• Markdown Extensions - Extended syntax reference
• Architecture - Technical overview
• Development - Building and contributing

License

MIT - see LICENSE for details.