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Getting Started

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GitHub Copilot edited this page May 12, 2026 · 2 revisions

Getting Started

mdedit.io needs no installation and no account. This guide gets you writing in under 2 minutes.

Option 1: Use the Live App (Instant)

Open mdedit.io in your browser. That's it — the editor loads immediately and your documents are saved in the session.

Option 2: Run Locally with Docker

git clone https://github.com/MatthiasHertel21/mdedit.git
cd mdedit
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3210 in your browser.

Check that it's running:

curl -fsS http://localhost:3210/health

Your First Document

  1. Type Markdown in the left editor pane
  2. See the live preview update on the right
  3. Navigate long documents via the Outline tab
  4. Export as PDF or DOCX via the Share menu

Minimal document to try:

---
title: "My First Document"
author:
  - Your Name
date: 2026-01-15   # use today's date
preset: scientific
---

# Introduction

This is my first document in mdedit.io.

## Background

Write your content here. Use **bold**, _italic_, and:

- Bullet lists
- For structure

## Conclusion

Export this as a PDF via the Share menu.

Choose a Layout Preset

Paste preset: scientific (or compact or literary) into the YAML front matter and watch the preview update instantly. See Layout Presets for details.

Export as PDF

  1. Open the Share menu (top right)
  2. Click Download PDF

The PDF uses the layout preset from your front matter.

Enable AI Assistance

Add an API key to .env (Groq has a free tier):

GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key_here

Then restart:

docker compose up -d --force-recreate

Open the AI panel with Alt+Space and type your request in plain language.

Next Steps

Clone this wiki locally