Markdown for Humans

Seamless WYSIWYG markdown editing for VS Code — Write markdown the way humans think.

Why We Built This

📌 Note: 100% free. No trials. No limits. No paywalls, ever.

Writer-First, Human-First

Markdown for Humans is built on a simple belief: writing should feel natural, not technical. You shouldn't need to memorize syntax, dig through command palettes, or fight with your tools. You should just write.

We bring true WYSIWYG editing directly into VS Code with a human-first design philosophy:

• Persistent formatting bar — See your options, click what you need. No hunting through menus.
• Floating shortcuts — Actions appear where you need them, when you need them, i.e. on Tables (right click), Images (More icon)
• No command palette overload — We keep actions visible and accessible, not buried in /commands or keyboard shortcuts you'll forget.
• No context switching — Everything you need is right there. Focus on your content, not syntax.

The Problem We Solved

Existing markdown editors force writers to choose between:

• Split-pane previews that waste screen space and break your flow
• Plain text editing that requires memorizing syntax and breaks your concentration
• Standalone apps that don't integrate with your workflow
• Command-heavy interfaces that bury actions in overloaded palettes, requiring too much typing and mental overhead
• Images: Handling resolution, in-place resizing, size optimisation for large images, workspace directory storage and much more.

Vibe Coded its way

This extension was built through AI / vibe coding, with minimal human effort focused on fixes and stability. The basic functional model came together in minutes, but what took days and hours was testing each feature to ensure everything works smoothly in real-world use.

It's the classic 80:20 rule in action: that final 20% of polish, edge cases, and real-world testing takes 80% of the time, and that's where the real value lives.

We're open-sourcing this because in AI era, code has limited value, the real work was in the creativity in planning, design, and relentless testing.

Countless hours went into vibe-coded wireframes, user experience design, and polish to create something that feels natural and intuitive.

Quick Start

1. Install from VS Code Marketplace
2. Open any .md file → Right-click → "Open with Markdown for Humans"
3. Start writing!

Toggle between WYSIWYG and source: Click the </> Source button in the toolbar

Key Features

True WYSIWYG Editing

See rendered output as you type, no preview pane needed. Focus on your content, not syntax.

Advanced Table Editing

Drag column borders to resize, use the toolbar dropdown to add/remove rows and columns, right-click for quick actions.

Mermaid Diagrams

Create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, and more with 15 built-in templates.

Drag & Drop Images

It asks a local folder in workspace to save the same, to keep your MD assets organised.

Just drag images into your document. Resize with handles, view metadata overlay.

What's Included

Markdown for Humans includes everything you need for a modern writing experience:

• True WYSIWYG editing powered by TipTap—see your formatted output as you type
• Advanced table editing with drag-to-resize columns, context menus, and toolbar controls
• Mermaid diagrams with 15 built-in templates and double-click editing
• Code blocks with syntax highlighting for 11+ languages
• Math support with beautiful LaTeX rendering via KaTeX
• PDF and DOCX export for sharing your documents
• Document outline with sidebar navigation for quick heading access
• Theme support for Light, Dark, and System themes (inherits your VS Code theme)
• Word count and reading time to track your writing progress

Full feature list → Wiki

Documentation

For Users

• User Guide
• Known Issues - Known issues and workarounds
• Report Issues

For Developers

• Contributing - Developer setup and guidelines
• Architecture - Technical deep dive
• Development Guide - Philosophy and roadmap
• Build Guide - Build and packaging
• Troubleshooting - Technical troubleshooting

For Maintainers

• Release Checklist - Release process
• QA Manual - Testing procedures

Contributing

⚡ Built on open source, for the community.

Markdown for Humans exists because open source software empowers everyone. We believe that the best tools should be built, improved, and maintained by the whole community—not limited by a few. By embracing collaboration and transparency, we keep innovation moving forward for everyone.

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Ways to contribute:

• Report bugs
• Suggest features
• Improve documentation
• Submit pull requests
• Star the repo

License

MIT © Concret.io

Credits

Built with:

• TipTap - Headless editor framework
• KaTeX - Fast math rendering
• Mermaid - Diagram generation
• VS Code Extension API

Made with ❤️ for Markdown lovers, by Team Concret.io