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AI coding tool integration

MacMD Viewer can auto-open Markdown files the moment your AI assistant creates or edits them — so you read the rendered result instead of raw text. This is completely optional. The app works fully without it; this page explains exactly what the setup command does before you run it.

The setup command

In the app's welcome screen (and here) you'll see this one line:

curl -fsSL https://macmdviewer.com/setup | bash

It downloads a Bash script from macmdviewer.com/setup and runs it. Piping a script to bash is a fair thing to be cautious about, so everything it does is documented below, and you can read the exact script before running anything.

What it actually does

The script looks for the AI coding tools you use (by checking for their config) and, for the ones it can set up automatically — Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf— adds a small hook. The hook does one thing: when your assistant writes or edits a .md file, it runs open -a 'MacMD Viewer'on that file. Nothing else — it never changes your Markdown content, because MacMD is a read-only viewer. For VS Code and JetBrainsit doesn't edit anything automatically; it prints the manual steps for you instead (see below).

Exactly which files it changes

  • Claude Code — adds a PostToolUse hook to ~/.claude/settings.json, and installs a /macmd skill at ~/.claude/skills/macmd/ (see below)
  • Cursor — adds an afterFileEdit hook to ~/.cursor/hooks.json
  • Windsurf — adds a post_cascade_response hook to ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/hooks.json
  • VS Code / GitHub Copilot and JetBrains— the script does not edit anything automatically; it prints the manual steps for you to copy (Run on Save extension / File Watchers plugin)

It never uses sudo and never touches system files. Everything it changes lives in your home folder: your tool config files, plus a timestamped backup of each one it saves before editing (filename.bak.YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS). It skips any tool that's already set up, so re-running is safe.

Claude Code: the /macmd command

On Claude Code the script also drops a small skill so you can drive the viewer by hand:

  • /macmd — open the file your assistant just wrote
  • /macmd path/to/file.md — open a specific file
  • /macmd off and /macmd on — pause or resume auto-open
  • /macmd status — check whether auto-open is on

Auto-open is on by default after setup; the toggle just creates or removes a marker file at ~/.claude/.macmd-autoopen. The other tools get the auto-open hook but not the /macmd command, which is Claude Code specific.

Preview it first (no changes)

Run it in dry-run mode to see what it would do without modifying anything:

curl -fsSL https://macmdviewer.com/setup | bash -s -- --dry-run

One thing to know: piped straight to bashit's non-interactive, so it configures every tool it can set up automatically without pausing to ask. Use --dry-run first if you want to see the list before committing.

Remove it anytime

The same script cleanly removes everything it added — the hooks, the /macmd skill, and the auto-open marker:

curl -fsSL https://macmdviewer.com/setup | bash -s -- --uninstall

Prefer not to run a script?

You don't need any of this to use MacMD Viewer. Just double-click a .mdfile, or set MacMD as your default Markdown viewer (Finder → right-click a .md → Get Info → Open With → Change All). The AI auto-open is purely a convenience for people whose assistant generates a lot of Markdown.

Still have questions?

Email support@macmdviewer.com and I'll help.

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