MarkDang (码刻档) renders Markdown documents in Chrome and Edge with a clean reading view, an outline, and optional file browsing. No accounts, subscriptions, or telemetry.
简体中文 · Settings · Development · Privacy
Install: Chrome Web Store · Microsoft Edge Add-ons
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The screenshots illustrate the initial 1.0.0 design; minor controls may differ in the current source.
- Read
.md,.markdown,.mdx,.mkd, and optionally.txtfrom local file URLs or web URLs served as plain text or Markdown. - Switch between light, dark, and system themes; choose code palettes, fonts, content width, and custom CSS.
- Browse a collapsible outline or supported Markdown files in the current directory. Local folder URLs open a file browser; web folders require an HTML directory index.
- Render math, Mermaid diagrams, tables, alerts, task lists, footnotes, TOC, and other Markdown extensions. The 19 plugin switches include the separately enabled network feature PlantUML.
- Use raw source view, zen mode, print, fullscreen, code copying, image zoom, and auto refresh.
MDX files are treated as Markdown: JSX, imports, and JavaScript are not executed. HTML website pages, download responses, protected browser pages, and extensionless web URLs are not automatically converted. Web URLs must match a supported extension; lowercase and uppercase suffixes are supported, including query strings.
The interface supports English and Simplified Chinese. Auto follows the browser's display language: Chinese uses Simplified Chinese, and all other languages use English. Choose a language in General → Interface language; open settings and reader tabs update immediately. The settings reference documents all supported options and defaults.
Install using the Chrome or Edge store link above.
To read local files or folders, open the extension's details and enable Allow access to file URLs, then reload any open document. This browser permission is off by default for store installations and must be enabled by the user.
On first installation, MarkDang opens a welcome page with a sample document and local-file setup steps. Its Extension details button opens the appropriate Chrome or Edge page. The welcome page and popup show the current file-access status; returning from extension details updates that status. Extension updates do not reopen the welcome page.
Use Node.js 22.12+ (24 LTS recommended) and npm:
git clone https://github.com/emorywang/markdang.git
cd markdang
npm ci
npm run build- Open
chrome://extensionsoredge://extensions. - Enable Developer mode and select Load unpacked.
- Select the generated
extension/directory, which containsmanifest.json. - To read local files or folders, open the extension's details and enable Allow access to file URLs, then reload any open document. This browser permission is off by default for store installations and must be enabled by the user.
Keep the selected directory in place. After rebuilding, reload the extension and its document tabs.
Download markdang-v<version>.zip from Releases and extract it into a permanent directory. Load that extraction directory using the same steps. manifest.json is at the ZIP's root; there is no extra extension/ directory inside it.
Open a supported document URL, such as file:///D:/docs/README.md or a web-hosted raw Markdown file. Use the sidebar's outline and folder tabs to navigate. The action buttons toggle the sidebar, source view, and theme; print; enter fullscreen; and return to the top. Zen mode retains an exit button and supports Esc.
Rendered documents and directory views use MarkDang's bundled tab icon. If another Markdown reader is installed, disable it while using MarkDang so both extensions do not rewrite the same page.
Shortcuts are editable at chrome://extensions/shortcuts (or the equivalent Edge page):
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Alt+Shift+B |
Toggle sidebar |
Alt+Shift+C |
Toggle centered layout |
Alt+Shift+R |
Toggle auto refresh |
Alt+Shift+T |
Cycle light, dark, and Auto themes |
Esc |
Exit zen mode, close menus or image zoom |
Auto refresh polls the source at 0.5–600-second intervals. Local-file polling briefly opens an inactive tab; use a longer interval when frequent tabs or requests are undesirable. Task-list clicks change only the displayed page and are lost on refresh.
Parsing, math, highlighting, Mermaid, and fonts run locally from the extension package. Preferences stay in the browser profile. Document HTML and generated SVG are sanitized; Mermaid uses strict, noninteractive rendering.
Remote images and web documents still generate requests to their hosts. PlantUML is off by default; enabling it sends diagram source to www.plantuml.com. Custom CSS can also load external resources. See PRIVACY.md.
The manifest requests storage. Its content-script match patterns also grant access to supported document pages and local file URLs; the absence of a separate host_permissions key does not mean the extension has no page access.
npm run check # TypeScript, unit tests, clean build
npx playwright-core install chromium # Browser setup; Linux may need --with-deps
npm run test:e2e # Feature, interaction, option, regression tests
npm run dev # Rebuild when source changes
npm run zip # Rebuild and package a release ZIPTests use repository fixtures and a fresh browser profile. Development, architecture, and publishing explain the workflow. CI runs the same checks and browser suites.
The implementation uses TypeScript, Preact, Vite 7, markdown-it, DOMPurify, KaTeX, highlight.js, Mermaid, and pako. Five build passes generate extension pages and the classic worker/content bundles. Executable dependencies ship in the ZIP; Mermaid loads from that package only when needed.
MarkDang's code is source-available for noncommercial use under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. Commercial use requires separate permission. The license restricts commercial use itself, not only selling derivative software. It is not an OSI-approved open-source license.
Names, logos, icons, and visual identity are reserved brand assets. Distributed forks and derivative products must use a distinct identity and preserve attribution; see TRADEMARKS.md and NOTICE. Third-party software and fonts retain their own licenses. Release packages include their license texts.