# Waraq

> Waraq (ورق) is a free, open-source, offline-first Markdown reader and editor PWA. It can be installed as the default app for opening .md/.markdown/.mdx/.txt/.json/.yaml/.log files on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. On Android it installs and accepts files shared to it, but is not yet a file-manager default (Chrome doesn't implement that part of the standard there). It renders Mermaid diagrams, KaTeX math, GitHub-flavored tables and task lists, and gives every paragraph, heading, list item and table cell automatic Arabic/English (RTL/LTR) direction via the browser's native Unicode bidi algorithm. Files are read and saved locally; nothing is uploaded. An Arabic (RTL) landing page is available at /ar/.

- [Open the app](https://alidaram99.github.io/waraqmd/app/): installable PWA, works offline after first visit.
- [Arabic landing page](https://alidaram99.github.io/waraqmd/ar/): نسخة عربية (RTL) من هذه الصفحة.
- [Project and source](https://github.com/alidaram99/waraqmd): MIT license, GitHub release v0.1.2.
- [Research](https://github.com/alidaram99/waraqmd/blob/main/RESEARCH.md): competitor comparison (Typora, Obsidian, MarkText, Zettlr, iA Writer, StackEdit, Dillinger, HackMD, VS Code, GitHub mobile, Markor) and why each falls short for agent output, Arabic/RTL text, phones, or being an OS default.
- [Set as default guide](https://alidaram99.github.io/waraqmd/#default): step-by-step for Windows, Android, ChromeOS; honest limitation notice for Safari/iOS and Firefox (no File Handling API support in those engines).
- [Capability matrix](https://alidaram99.github.io/waraqmd/#compat): sourced platform x browser table for install, file-association, share-to-Waraq and offline support.
- [Drop-in Labs](https://alidaram99.github.io/): the hub listing this and the other three products — [DoneLatch](https://alidaram99.github.io/donelatch/), [ExactGround](https://alidaram99.github.io/exactground/), [CanaryIndex](https://alidaram99.github.io/canaryindex/).

To read a repository's `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md` or `README.md` on a phone: open [the Waraq app](https://alidaram99.github.io/waraqmd/app/), then open or share that file to it. Rendering is the same as any other Markdown file — front matter, tables, task lists, and automatic Arabic/English direction all apply.

Known limits, stated plainly: the File Handling API (real OS "Open with" / default-app registration) only works in Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge) on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS — not Android, not Safari/iOS, not Firefox (checked against MDN browser-compat-data and Chrome/Edge's own developer docs, 3 October 2026). Android instead gets the separate Web Share Target API ("Share to Waraq", supported since Chrome 76), which is a share-sheet entry, not a file association. Mermaid diagram labels in Arabic script may not shape correctly (a Mermaid limitation). Version 0.1.2 is free with no paid tier yet; see RESEARCH.md for what a later paid tier might look like (publish/share links, sync, themes, bring-your-own-key AI summarize).