Vesper
A beautiful, distraction-free markdown reader for Windows. Vesper renders your markdown files with elegant typography and a refined dark aesthetic inspired by iA Writer, giving you the ultimate reading experience.
Features
File Management
- Open Files - Use the File menu or drag-and-drop markdown files directly onto the window
- Tabbed Interface - Open multiple files in tabs and switch between them seamlessly
- Recent Files - Files open in new tabs automatically
- Supported Formats -
.md,.markdown, and.txtfiles
Reading Experience
- Premium Typography - Carefully tuned typography with Inter font family for optimal readability
- Syntax Highlighting - Code blocks are beautifully highlighted using highlight.js with a matching dark theme
- Markdown Extensions - Full support for:
- Task lists (checkboxes)
- Superscript and subscript
- Strikethrough and highlighting
- Tables with elegant styling
- Blockquotes with visual depth
Navigation
- Table of Contents Sidebar - Automatically generated from markdown headings (H1-H6)
- Click-to-Navigate - Click any heading in the sidebar to jump to that section
- Resizable Sidebar - Drag the sidebar edge to resize it to your preference
Search
- In-Document Search - Press
Ctrl+Fto search within the current document - Match Navigation - Navigate between matches with previous/next buttons
- Match Counter - See how many matches were found
Window Controls
- Custom Frameless Window - Sleek title bar with custom controls
- Window Controls - Minimize, maximize/restore, and close buttons
- Draggable Title Area - Drag the window by clicking the title bar
- Focus Mode - Press
F11to hide all UI chrome and focus purely on content
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+O |
Open file |
Ctrl+W |
Close current tab |
Ctrl+Q |
Exit application |
Ctrl+F |
Toggle search |
Ctrl+Shift+S |
Toggle sidebar |
F11 |
Toggle focus mode |
Escape |
Close search or sidebar |
Context Menu
Right-click anywhere in the content area for quick access to:
- Open File
- Find (search)
- Toggle Sidebar
- Focus Mode
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- About
Installation
Prerequisites
- Windows 10 or later
- WebView2 Runtime (usually pre-installed on Windows 10/11)
Download
Download the latest release from the Releases page.
Build from Source
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/vesper.git
cd vesper
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode
npm run tauri dev
# Build for production
npm run tauri build
Technology Stack
- Framework: Tauri 2.0 - Lightweight, secure desktop framework
- Frontend: React 19 + TypeScript + Vite
- Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 + daisyUI v5
- Markdown: markdown-it with plugins
- Syntax Highlighting: highlight.js
- Animations: Framer Motion
- Icons: Lucide React
Design Philosophy
Vesper was designed with these principles in mind:
- Content First - The reader is the primary focus. All UI elements can be hidden.
- Typography Matters - Reading should be comfortable. We use Inter with carefully tuned line heights (1.7), optimal line width (~65 characters), and generous whitespace.
- Dark by Default - The deep onyx base color (#282C33) reduces eye strain and looks professional.
- Keyboard Driven - Power users can do everything with keyboard shortcuts.
- Minimalist Chrome - The interface gets out of your way.
Color Palette
| Color | Hex | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Base | #282C33 |
Main window background |
| Surface | #2D323B |
Elevated elements, cards |
| Overlay | #333942 |
Dropdowns, modals |
| Text Primary | #E4E6EB |
Main content |
| Text Secondary | #ABB0B8 |
UI labels |
| Accent | #6B8AFF |
Links, highlights |
Project Structure
vesper/
├── src/
│ ├── App.tsx # Main application component
│ ├── main.tsx # Entry point
│ └── styles.css # All styling
├── src-tauri/
│ ├── src/
│ │ └── main.rs # Rust backend
│ ├── Cargo.toml
│ └── tauri.conf.json # Tauri configuration
├── index.html
├── package.json
└── README.md
Keyboard Accessibility
Vesper is fully keyboard accessible. Every feature can be accessed without a mouse:
- Menu Navigation - Use the menu bar with keyboard
- Tab Switching - Close tabs with
Ctrl+W - Search - Find text with
Ctrl+F - Focus Mode - Immerse yourself with
F11
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
License
This project is dedicated to the public domain under the CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication - see the LICENSE file for details.
Acknowledgments
- iA Writer for design inspiration
- Tauri for the excellent desktop framework
- markdown-it for robust markdown parsing
- highlight.js for beautiful code syntax