Vault Reader

Vault Reader is a small, local-first Markdown note reader and editor for Windows. It borrows the practical parts of an Obsidian-style workspace without trying to be a full Obsidian replacement.

Features

• Open a folder as a Markdown vault.
• Open individual .md, .markdown, and .mdown files.
• Edit notes directly in Live mode, or use Source and Split mode when you want raw Markdown.
• Keep multiple notes open in tabs.
• Restore the last reading position for notes you have opened before.
• Use line numbers in Live, Source, and Split mode while editing Markdown.
• Save with the toolbar button or Ctrl+S.
• Create notes with the toolbar button or Ctrl+N.
• Preview Markdown with outline, word count, reading time, links, and linked mentions.
• Navigate wiki links such as [[Research Log]].
• Use quick switcher with Ctrl+P.
• Toggle light/dark theme.
• Open .md files from Windows "Open with" by selecting the executable.
• Double-clicking an associated Markdown file loads the containing folder as a vault and selects that file.
• Hover note items to see path, created time, and last modified time.
• Drag the file pane wider or narrower, and sort notes by name, modified date, created date, or size.
• Drag the right details pane wider or narrower.
• Hide and restore the left table of contents from the rail.
• Switch between recent vault folders from the table of contents.
• Browse folders from the vault navigator with back, forward, up, root, and open-current-folder controls.

Downloads

The recommended Windows build is the lightweight executable:

• Vault-Reader-light-0.1.0.exe

It uses Windows WebView2, so it stays small. A larger Electron portable build is also available:

• Vault-Reader-0.1.0-portable.exe

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the Electron development shell:

npm run start

Build the lightweight Windows executable:

npm run build:light

Build the bundled Electron portable executable:

$env:CSC_IDENTITY_AUTO_DISCOVERY='false'
npm run build:portable

Project Layout

• index.html, styles.css, app.js: shared app UI.
• main.js, preload.js: Electron shell.
• src-tauri/: lightweight Tauri shell.
• scripts/: build helpers.

Notes

Vault Reader keeps notes as normal Markdown files on disk. There is no private database. The portable builds do not register Windows file associations automatically; use Windows "Open with" for .md files, or add an optional installer/registration script later.