@michaelolof/markdown-serve

@michaelolof/markdown-serve is a portable markdown viewer for serving a directory of .md files as a standalone local website with clean pathname routing.

It keeps the current markdown viewer behavior intact while removing the old make, manifest.json, and Python HTTP server requirements.

Features

• Clean document routes such as /FAQ and /guides/Getting%20Started
• Filename-safe routing for spaces, Unicode, #, %, and other URL-sensitive characters
• Automatic refresh when the currently open markdown file changes on disk
• Sidebar document tree, heading legend, in-document search, code highlighting, and Mermaid rendering
• CLI binary for local or global installation
• Programmatic server API for embedding in other tools

Installation

Global install

If the package is published, install it globally with your package manager of choice:

pnpm add -g @michaelolof/markdown-serve

or

npm install -g @michaelolof/markdown-serve

Then run it against any directory that contains markdown files:

markdown-serve ./docs

From this repository

If you are working from a source checkout:

pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm start -- ./docs

pnpm build is required in a source checkout because the viewer assets are emitted into dist/viewer.

CLI usage

markdown-serve [directory] [options]

Options:

• --port <number>: bind the server to a specific port
• --host <address>: bind to a specific host interface; defaults to 0.0.0.0 so other devices on the same local network can connect
• --title <text>: override the viewer title shown in the UI
• --open: open the viewer in the default browser after startup
• --help: print usage help

Examples:

markdown-serve ./docs --port 7000

markdown-serve ./docs --port 8080 --title "Project Docs"

MARKDOWN_SERVE_PORT=9000 markdown-serve ./docs

Local network access

By default, markdown-serve binds to 0.0.0.0, which makes it reachable from other devices on the same LAN.

When the server starts, it prints a local URL for the current machine and one or more Network: URLs for your active LAN interfaces. Open one of those Network: URLs from another device on the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

Example:

Serving /Users/you/docs
Local:   http://127.0.0.1:6450
Network: http://192.168.1.42:6450

If another device cannot connect, check the computer's firewall and make sure the chosen port is allowed for incoming connections.

Port configuration

The port number is configurable in three ways.

Precedence order:

1. --port
2. MARKDOWN_SERVE_PORT
3. PORT
4. default 6450

Examples:

markdown-serve ./docs --port 7000

PORT=7000 markdown-serve ./docs

MARKDOWN_SERVE_PORT=7100 markdown-serve ./docs

Shutdown

Press Ctrl+C or send SIGTERM (kill <pid>) to stop the server. It exits within ~1 second even when a browser tab is open with an active live-reload connection. If the process ever appears stuck, pressing Ctrl+C a second time forces an immediate exit.

Programmatic usage

markdown-serve also exposes a small Node API.

import { startMarkdownServeServer } from '@michaelolof/markdown-serve';

const { url, server } = await startMarkdownServeServer({
	rootDir: '/absolute/path/to/docs',
	port: 7000,
	host: '0.0.0.0',
	title: 'Project Docs',
});

console.log(url);

process.on('SIGINT', () => {
	server.close(() => process.exit(0));
});

You can also use the lower-level exports for route generation and document indexing:

• createMarkdownServeServer
• buildDocsIndex
• routePathFromFilePath
• createRouteIndex

Routing behavior

Document routes are mapped by encoded pathname, not by query string.

Examples:

• FAQ.md -> /FAQ
• guides/Getting Started.md -> /guides/Getting%20Started
• weird/naïve #topic%.md -> /weird/na%C3%AFve%20%23topic%25

This preserves the real filename and avoids collisions caused by lossy slug generation.

Live refresh behavior

markdown-serve automatically watches the markdown file that is currently open in the browser.

When that file changes on disk, the viewer fetches the latest content and rerenders the open document without a full page reload.

Current scope:

• The open document refreshes automatically when it changes.
• Files that are not currently open are not watched.
• The sidebar tree does not live-refresh for newly added, renamed, or deleted files until the page reloads.

Notes

• The server recursively scans for .md files.
• .git, .github, and node_modules are skipped during scanning.
• The browser-facing document routes are clean paths; raw markdown is served from internal endpoints used by the viewer.