SnapDock

A Minimal, Modern Markdown Editor

Status: Stable • Actively Maintained • Accepting Contributions

Why This Exists

Most Markdown editors fall into two extremes: they’re either too minimal to be useful or overloaded with plugins, settings, and IDE‑level complexity. There was no middle ground — nothing stable, calm, and modern that simply lets people write.

SnapDock was created to fill that gap.
It provides a predictable, distraction‑free Markdown workspace for writers, developers, and creators who want clarity, speed, and a local‑first environment that stays out of the way.

Features

• Multi‑tab Markdown editing
• Drag‑and‑drop tab reordering
• Selectable preview modes
• Workspace‑based file management
• Recent file tracking
• Local‑first document workflow
• Lightweight, modern UI
• Multiple built‑in themes
• Cross‑platform desktop support

Requirements

SnapDock runs on any modern system that supports Electron‑based desktop apps.

Operating System

• Windows 10 or later
• Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Mint, Pop!_OS, etc.)
• WSL is supported (in‑app updater disabled)
• macOS support is not currently available

Hardware

• CPU: 2GHz
• Memory: 2GB
• Disk Space: 2GB

Performance Recently snapdock has been start to slow on some builds, this is more a electron issue and im working on a fix

Note for Linux users:
SnapDock AppImage builds require FUSE to run.
Some modern Linux distributions no longer ship FUSE by default.
Install it using your package manager (e.g. sudo apt install libfuse2 on Ubuntu/Debian).

Quick Start

Get SnapDock running from source:

git clone https://github.com/ZFordDev/SnapDock.git
cd SnapDock
npm install
npm run build:dev

Installation

SnapDock is available through official stores for the easiest and most reliable installation experience.

Windows (Recommended)

Install SnapDock directly from the Microsoft Store:

👉 Microsoft Store

This provides:

• Automatic updates
• Clean installation & removal
• Verified publisher security

A standalone .exe installer is also available on GitHub Releases if preferred.

Linux (Broken)

SnapDock is available on the Snap Store:

👉 Snap Store

Install via terminal:

sudo snap install markdown-workspace

Warning

SnapStore is broken due to malformed .desktop, im activly working on a fix

Other Downloads

All installers and portable builds are available on GitHub Releases:

👉 [https://github.com/ZFordDev/SnapDock/releases]

Project Structure

SnapDock/
├── assets/                 # App icons, images, and user guide resources
│
├── src/
│   ├── modules/            # Core application logic
│   │   ├── file/           # File operations, autosave, workspace, tabs
│   │   ├── markdown.js     # Markdown rendering pipeline
│   │   ├── pdf/            # PDF export
│   │   ├── system/         # Dirty state + update system
│   │   ├── ui/             # UI logic 
│   │
│   ├── styles/             # CSS
│
├── index.html              # Main application window
├── main.js                 # Electron main process
├── build.js                # Build pipeline
│
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── SECURITY.md
└── temp_notes.md           # Internal notes (not part of the app)

Roadmap

SnapDock’s roadmap reflects active GitHub issues and near‑term development priorities.
For the most up‑to‑date list, visit:
https://github.com/ZFordDev/SnapDock/issues

Core Improvements

• Diff Viewer
  Side‑by‑side diffing for Markdown documents
  (#154)

• Markdown Page Break Syntax for PDF Export
  Support for --- or \page to control PDF pagination
  (#153)

• Find Box (Ctrl+F Search)
  Inline search within the editor
  (#152)

• Word Count for Selected Text
  Granular writing metrics
  (#151)

UI / UX Enhancements

• Unlock Native Right‑Click Context Menu
  Restore OS‑native context menus for better usability
  (#150)

• Editor Status Bar Metrics
  Live stats: words, characters, cursor position
  (#149)

• Document Outline Panel
  Heading‑based navigation sidebar
  (#148)

Markdown Engine & Plugin Pipeline

• Fix markdown‑it‑link‑attributes Wiring
  (#135)

• Fix markdown‑it‑emoji Wiring
  (#134)

• Fix markdown‑it‑container Wiring
  (#133)

• Markdown‑it Plugin Wiring Fix (Renderer Pipeline)
  (#132)

Build, Release & Automation

• Improve Versioning Discipline & Release Automation
  (#139)

• Improve Build Scripts & Build‑Type Workflow
  (#138)

Screenshots

Known Issues

SnapDock is stable on all supported platforms, but one upstream limitation is worth noting:

Electron on Linux (Wayland/X11 Variability)

Some Linux distributions may experience minor rendering or window‑manager issues due to upstream Electron/Chromium behaviour. These issues vary between distros and desktop environments and are outside SnapDock’s direct control.

We continue to update Electron regularly and are evaluating alternative runtimes to maximise long‑term stability on Linux.

Support

You can support SnapDock by:

• Leaving a ⭐ on GitHub
• Reporting bugs
• Suggesting features
• Improving documentation
• Contributing code

Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, feature requests, and feedback are welcome.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for project‑specific guidelines.

Security

See SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting guidelines.

License

SnapDock is MIT and always will be!

About ZFordDev

This project is part of the ZFordDev ecosystem — a collection of lightweight, practical tools built with clarity, simplicity, and long‑term maintainability in mind.

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