Aero Markdown reads local Markdown files written by people or coding agents. Open a plan, report, or README on your Mac. The file stays where it is. Aero Markdown has no AI assistant or model calls, and nothing in the document is sent to a service.
Keep reading as the open file changes
Open the Markdown file you want to read. In Settings, Reload documents when they change is enabled by default.
When Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or another tool rewrites that file on disk, the page reloads and stays at the current heading, provided you have no unsaved edits.
If you have also edited the document, Aero Markdown keeps your text and displays: “This file changed on disk. Your edits are still here.” You can choose Reload to read the version on disk. If the file disappears, the app reports it.
Only the open file is watched. Watching a document does not watch the whole folder, and a newly created Markdown file does not automatically become the open page.
Try both reload outcomes
Use the sample Markdown folder if you want to try the reading workflow with files you can change. Open release-notes.md in Aero Markdown and change its final paragraph in another editor. With no unsaved edits in Aero Markdown, the page can reload at its current heading.
The illustration below shows the two cases. It does not connect to an agent or modify a file.
A plan you can read.
The document stays at this heading when the file reloads.
Waiting for a change to the open file.
Interactive illustration. No files or AI tools are connected.
| Situation | What Aero Markdown does |
|---|---|
| The open file changes, with no unsaved edits | Reloads the page at the current heading |
| The open file changes, and you have edits | Keeps your text and reports the disk change |
| The open file disappears | Reports that the file is missing |
| A different Markdown file is created | Does not switch to it automatically |
Let Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf open new files
This is a separate, optional setup. It is not required to read files or reload the open document.
- Open the last welcome screen, or go to Settings below Reload documents when they change.
- Choose Copy Setup Command.
- Review and run the copied command yourself to install the local hooks.
The command is described in the app as: “Copy a command you run yourself so Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf open Markdown here.”
When one of these tools writes a .md, .markdown, or .mdown file, its hook opens that file in the existing Aero Markdown window, in the background. It does not bring the app to the front or modify the file. The hook calls open -g -a "Aero Markdown" with the file path.
The hooks are local. You can disable or uninstall them.
Disable the optional hooks when you do not need them
The installed local hooks can be disabled or uninstalled. Automatic reload is a separate setting: it can still follow the document already open without installing any hook. Leaving the hooks off does not prevent you from opening a Markdown file yourself.
What about Codex?
Codex is not included in the optional hooks. If Codex changes the file you already have open, automatic reload detects the change. If Codex creates a different file, open that file yourself or have a local command open it. Aero Markdown does not switch to it on its own.
Open a document from another local tool
Other tools can pass a local file path with open -g -a "Aero Markdown" or the aeromarkdown://open?path= URL scheme. Use the actual path to the Markdown file. Background opening uses the existing window without moving or rewriting the source file.
Read the document, then follow the next link
Use the file tree to understand the folder, the rendered page to read, and the heading outline to find a section. Relative links open other Markdown files inside that folder. Back and forward remember your place.
See how to open a folder, read a document, or follow a relative link. For requirements and pricing, see the Aero Markdown product facts.