Clearly is a free, open-source native Mac markdown editor that doubles as a knowledge base. Built by Josh Pigford (Shpigford). Requires macOS Sequoia or later. Current version: v2.9.0.
Writing
Syntax highlighting as you type. Format shortcuts (Cmd+B, Cmd+I, Cmd+K). Extended markdown with highlights, superscript, subscript, emoji shortcodes, and table of contents. Menubar scratchpad with a global hotkey.
Knowledge features
Wiki-links with [[autocomplete]]. Backlinks showing linked and unlinked mentions with one-click linking. Tags with #tag syntax and sidebar browsing. Full-text global search ranked by relevance. Document outline for heading navigation. File explorer with folders and bookmarks.
Preview
GFM rendering (tables, task lists, footnotes, strikethrough). KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, 27+ language code blocks with line numbers and diff highlighting. Foldable callouts (NOTE, TIP, WARNING, 15+ types). Interactive checkboxes, image zoom, hover footnotes.
AI integration
Ships with a built-in MCP server that exposes your vault to AI agents for search and retrieval. This is a big differentiator over other editors.
Other
QuickLook support for .md files in Finder. PDF export. Copy as Markdown, HTML, or rich text.
