A Markdown viewer built for AI output
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and opencode leave plans, specs, and instructions across your repo. PrettyMD turns that folder into one review surface—then shows you what changed.
The short answer
If your coding agent writes Markdown for you, a normal editor solves the wrong half of the job. The bottleneck is no longer typing the document. It is finding the right file, reading rendered output without syntax noise, spotting what the agent revised, and sending precise feedback back into the loop.
PrettyMD is a focused desktop Markdown viewer for that exact workflow. Open a project folder once. Every .md file appears in a folder-scoped view, opens in tabs, and renders locally. When the agent rewrites a plan, PrettyMD highlights what is new since your last read. When a line is wrong, highlight it and leave a comment for the connected agent to read, answer, and fix.
AI output at a glance
| Agent artifact | The usual problem | PrettyMD's answer |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Long revisions force a full re-read | PMD Highlights what's new since last read |
| Specs | Feedback loses the exact line and context | PMD Sidecar comments compatible agents can read and answer |
| AGENTS.md | Instructions are scattered across folders | PMD Folder view, outline, tabs, and search |
| Reports | Raw Markdown obscures structure and diagrams | PMD Rendered Markdown, code, and Mermaid |
| Private docs | Uploading project context is unnecessary | PMD Works fully offline on Mac and Windows |
A four-step review loop, not another editor
Search results for this problem mostly explain how to configure AGENTS.md or offer a generic Markdown preview. They help agents consume Markdown. The missing job is helping you consume what the agent produced—and route corrections back without breaking context.
1Open the project, not one file
Point PrettyMD at a folder. Its Markdown-only view filters out source-code clutter while keeping plans, specs, skills, and instructions together. Open several files in tabs, jump by outline, or search the folder instead of bouncing between Finder, terminal output, and browser previews.
Find a file, open or preview it, close it, find the next one, then repeat. The tool renders Markdown but never understands that a repo contains a connected set of review artifacts.
2Read the document as a document
Headings become a navigable outline. Tables, code blocks, and Mermaid diagrams render cleanly. Light and dark themes, focus mode, keyboard navigation, and tabs keep attention on the reasoning rather than Markdown punctuation.
A split preview can render the file, but the source tree, panels, terminals, extensions, and editor chrome remain around it. That is useful while coding; it is unnecessary friction when the job is careful reading.
3Review only what changed
When an agent revises a document, PrettyMD highlights what is new since you last looked. A 400-line implementation plan with a changed trade-off section becomes a targeted review, not a memory test. You spend attention on the revision, not unchanged background.
You re-read the entire file, compare it against memory, or leave the reading surface to inspect a source-control diff. Each workaround makes you reconstruct the document's context.
4Leave feedback where the mistake lives
Highlight the exact line, write the correction, and keep reading. Compatible agents such as Claude Code, Codex, opencode, or Cursor can read the sidecar comment, reply in that comment thread, and update the Markdown file. The document becomes the shared review surface.
Copy an excerpt into chat, explain which file and section it came from, describe the change, then later hunt through the file to confirm it landed. The feedback is detached from its source the moment you send it.
What PrettyMD is—and is not
Use PrettyMD if…
- Your coding agents produce plans, specs, skills, or instruction files
- You review revised Markdown more often than you author it
- You need line-specific feedback to reach the agent
- You want agent-written docs to stay local
Use a normal editor if…
- Your main job is writing Markdown by hand
- You need inline WYSIWYG editing
- You want a plugin-heavy knowledge base
- You need Linux or mobile support
PrettyMD is deliberately read-focused. For hand-writing Markdown, Typora is the stronger fit. For backlinks, plugins, and a long-lived knowledge base, see PrettyMD vs Obsidian. For the daily agent-review loop, PrettyMD removes steps neither tool was designed to address.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to read Markdown output from AI coding agents?
Open the project folder in a dedicated Markdown viewer so plans, specs, and instruction files stay together. PrettyMD adds rendered reading, folder tabs, change tracking, and line comments that connected agents can act on.
Does PrettyMD work with Claude Code and Codex?
Yes. PrettyMD lists built-in integrations for Claude Code, Codex, opencode, and Cursor.
Can PrettyMD show what an AI agent changed?
Yes. PrettyMD highlights what is new since you last looked, so you can focus on changed lines instead of re-reading the whole document.
Can I review AI-generated Markdown offline?
Yes. PrettyMD works fully offline on Mac and Windows, including Markdown, code blocks, and Mermaid diagrams.
Product facts checked August 26, 2026 against the live PrettyMD homepage and the project's dated product-truth record. Search gap checked the same day: ranking results largely cover writing/configuring AGENTS.md or generic previews, not a human review loop for agent-written plans and specs.