v0.3.8 — Many workspaces, no tab sprawl Download · Release notes · Workspaces guide

Built for Mermaid · Local-first · Open source

Finally, a Mermaid viewer
that just works.

Dickory Docs exists because good Mermaid diagram viewers are hard to find. Point it at folders on disk, open any .md file, and every ```mermaid block renders as live SVG — inline in the doc, or full-screen when the diagram deserves the room.

Download for macOS / Windows / Linux Why Mermaid wins here Build from source

Mermaid 11 · ELK + tidy-tree · Tauri · React · Rust

New in v0.3.8

Many workspaces without losing the one you need

Pin lots of doc trees on disk — Dickory Docs shows recent workspace tabs plus a searchable switcher. No more endless horizontal scrolling to find the right folder.

  • MRU tabs — active workspace plus your most recently used roots in the explorer.
  • ··· or ⌘⇧W — open every workspace by name, path, or git branch (Ctrl+Shift+W on Windows/Linux).
  • Remember active — last workspace restored on launch; file access scoped to registered workspace ids.
v0.3.8 release notes Workspaces guide

In v0.3.7

File tree that stays in sync with your repo

Docs change in VS Code, Cursor, or a terminal — Dickory Docs picks them up. The Markdown & .mmd only filter scans the workspace and shows real files only (no empty folders), including standalone .mmd diagrams.

  • Live refresh — filesystem watch on the active workspace; debounced updates without manual reload.
  • Smarter filter — .md, .mdx, .markdown, and .mmd; ancestor folders only when they contain a match.
  • Expanded dirs — nested folders you have open refresh too when files appear elsewhere on disk.
v0.3.7 release notes File explorer guide

v0.3.2+

ELK and tidy-tree layouts — no paste into mermaid.live

Architecture docs increasingly use %%{init: {"flowchart": {"defaultRenderer": "elk"}} }%% or YAML layout: elk. Dickory Docs registers the official Mermaid 11 layout packages so those diagrams render on disk — not as a silent dagre fallback.

  • ELK — layered, stress, force, and other variants via init directive, frontmatter, or flowchart-elk.
  • Tidy-tree — bidirectional mindmap layout with layout: tidy-tree.
  • Dagre default — unchanged when your docs do not opt into ELK.
Layout guide v0.3.2 release notes

The reason this app exists

You shouldn't need a hack to see your diagrams

Most tools either skip Mermaid, render it wrong, or make you paste into a browser tab. Dickory Docs treats diagrams as first-class: open the Markdown file from your repo, and sequence, flow, ER, and architecture charts show up where the author put them — not as raw code fences.

  • Inline SVG — every fenced mermaid block renders in the preview pane.
  • Expand to modal — dense diagrams get a dedicated full-screen view with one click.
  • Retry on failure — syntax errors surface clearly instead of failing silently.
  • Local files — no upload step; your diagrams never leave the machine.
Mermaid deep dive Request diagram features
Mermaid inline SVG + expand ELK + tidy-tree layouts Markdown rendered preview Workspaces folders on disk Search files & in-doc (⌘F) Edit Markdown + preview Open With macOS Finder

What you get

A Mermaid-first viewer wrapped in Markdown preview and local folders — not an IDE, not a paste-into-a-website tool. Everything runs on your machine.

Mermaid diagram viewer

The headline feature: fenced mermaid blocks become SVG in your preview — including ELK and tidy-tree layouts when your docs opt in. Expand busy flowcharts to a modal.

Deep dive →

Markdown preview

Rendered HTML with sanitisation, working TOC anchor links, and Find in document (⌘F / Ctrl+F) — the canvas your diagrams live in, not an afterthought.

Rendering details →

Multi-folder workspaces

Add directories as workspaces; roots and metadata persist under your OS config dir. Git branch and remote show when the folder is a repo.

Deep dive →

File explorer

Resizable sidebar, Markdown & .mmd filter, live refresh when files change on disk, name search, and create/rename/delete via context menu.

Deep dive →

Native desktop shell

Tauri + React with a Slack-inspired dark UI. File reads and workspace state stay in-process — no companion hub or network service.

Path-safe I/O

Rust backend normalises paths, rejects .. escapes, and serves file trees relative to each workspace root.

Markdown editor

Split-pane Monaco editor with live preview, save to disk, and unsaved-change prompts when switching files.

Open With (macOS)

Right-click .md files in Finder and open them in Dickory Docs — fixed in v0.3.1. Adds the parent folder as a workspace when needed.

macOS guide →

Preview deep links

Open a specific file via query params (?preview=true&workspace=&path=) for bookmarks or tooling integration.

See Mermaid in the app

Edit Markdown beside live preview, expand diagrams full-screen, and browse every ```mermaid block in a workspace gallery — all on local files.

Dickory Docs split view: Monaco editor and rendered Markdown preview with a documentation table
Split editor + preview — edit .md on disk with Mermaid rendered beside the source.
Dickory Docs preview-only mode showing a documentation index with a topic and file table
Preview-only mode when you want reading room without the editor pane.
Dickory Docs diagram gallery showing a moderator agent flowchart at full size with zoom controls
Diagram gallery — pan and zoom any Mermaid block from the workspace or current file.
Dickory Docs diagram gallery showing a system architecture diagram with agents, providers, and hub server
Architecture charts, sequence diagrams, and flowcharts render as crisp SVG — not raw fences.

How you view diagrams

From repo to rendered Mermaid — then search and jump through long docs. No export, no online editor.

1. Open your doc folder

  • Add a workspace pointing at the repo or docs tree.
  • Toggle Markdown & .mmd only or search by file name — the tree updates when files change in another app.
  • Pick the file that contains your diagrams — or Open With Dickory Docs from Finder.

2. See Mermaid as graphics

  • Every ```mermaid fence renders as SVG in the preview.
  • Click a diagram to expand it when labels are too small inline.
  • Surrounding Markdown still renders — context stays with the chart.

3. Navigate long docs

  • Click Index / TOC links — headings scroll into view (GitHub-style anchors).
  • Press ⌘F (or Ctrl+F) to search the open file; Enter cycles matches.
  • Open the diagram gallery to browse every Mermaid block in the workspace or file.

Download & install

Latest build: v0.3.8 on GitHub Releases — macOS .dmg, Windows .msi, Linux .AppImage / .deb.

Platform File
macOS · uname -m → arm64 *_aarch64.dmg (Apple Silicon, native)
macOS · uname -m → x86_64 *_x64.dmg (Intel, or Rosetta on Apple Silicon)
Windows .msi or setup .exe
Linux · uname -m → x86_64 *_amd64.AppImage and/or *_amd64.deb
Linux · uname -m → aarch64 *_aarch64.AppImage and/or *_aarch64.deb

macOS builds are unsigned — first launch: right-click → Open. For Finder Open With, see the macOS guide. On Linux ARM (e.g. Raspberry Pi), do not use amd64 installers — use aarch64 artifacts only.

Download v0.3.8 Build from source

Release notes

Installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux are on GitHub Releases. See release notes for what shipped in each version.

Latest

v0.3.8

MRU workspace tabs, searchable switcher (⌘⇧W), remembered active workspace, and workspace-scoped file access.

Release notes (v0.3.8)

Download Dickory Docs

Install v0.3.8 from GitHub Releases or see the install table above. File issues or open a pull request if you improve something.

Get v0.3.8