Local Markdown files

The mdedit.ai desktop app can keep your non-collaborative documents as normal .md files on your computer. You can open the same files in VS Code, Cursor, Finder, or another Markdown tool while continuing to use mdedit.ai for editing, preview, review, and publishing.

Choose a storage folder

After signing in to the desktop app, use the Choose where local Markdown files live setup screen. Select Use Documents/mdedit for the default location or Choose Folder to use another directory. If you skip setup, you can turn local Markdown files on later from Settings. mdedit creates a directory for your authenticated workspace inside that root and downloads your existing non-collaborative documents.

Choose a folder that:

is easy for you to recognize and back up
has enough free space for your documents and assets
remains available whenever mdedit.ai is running

If you move, rename, or disconnect the root itself, mdedit pauses filesystem sync instead of silently creating a replacement folder. Relink the folder from the desktop local-files settings before continuing.

Edit a document outside mdedit

Each document uses a stable filename such as:

my-document--2f5c1c2e-8d6b-4cd8-a73c-25d1d8725fd0.md

The Markdown file also contains frontmatter with the same document ID:

---
id: 2f5c1c2e-8d6b-4cd8-a73c-25d1d8725fd0
title: My document
---

Edit the Markdown body normally, then save the file. When mdedit is open, the editor reconciles the external change and queues cloud sync when Sync Articles is enabled.

Do not manually change or reuse the id value. mdedit uses the filename suffix and frontmatter ID to preserve document identity. If they disagree, mdedit repairs safe mismatches or reports an identity conflict instead of silently overwriting another document.

Files, folders, and assets

A folder created in mdedit maps to a real directory on disk.
Moving a document between mdedit folders moves its Markdown file.
Local document metadata is stored in frontmatter and a hidden .mdedit directory.
Document assets are stored beside the workspace data and keep their upload state in .mdedit metadata.

The hidden .mdedit directory is managed by the app. Avoid editing or deleting it by hand.

Offline and cloud sync

Filesystem saves do not depend on an internet connection. While offline, your Markdown changes remain on disk and sync operations stay queued. After reconnecting, keep the desktop app open while the status returns to synced.

If Sync Articles is off, your files remain local to this computer and are not backed up to your mdedit.ai workspace.

See Offline & sync troubleshooting for status meanings and recovery steps.

Collaborative documents

Collaborative/Yjs documents remain cloud and IndexedDB-backed in this release. They are intentionally excluded from filesystem-canonical storage so an external editor cannot overwrite a live collaborative session.

Backups

Local Markdown files are readable outside mdedit, but local storage is not a substitute for a backup. Keep the selected root in your normal backup routine, and leave cloud sync enabled if you want access from other devices.

Beta Install & Update Guide Local AI