$cat faq.md
> frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about MDflow — the online markdown editor for writing, organizing, and sharing markdown with people and AI agents. Short answers first; details below each one.
Last updated July 2026
$which markdown editor
Best markdown tools
What is the best online markdown editor?
The best online markdown editor is one that's instant to start, keeps your files as portable markdown, and shares cleanly with people and AI agents. MDflow runs a Monaco-powered editor in the browser — live preview, GitHub Flavored Markdown, folders, one-click sharing, and PDF export — plus a built-in HTTP API and MCP server for AI agents. Nothing to install, and the free plan needs no card.
What is the best way to share markdown files online?
The cleanest way to share markdown online is a rendered link, not a raw file. In MDflow, turn on sharing for any document to get an unguessable 64-character public URL that opens a formatted, mobile-friendly page — no account needed to read. You can allow comments, let readers clone their own copy, or instead share privately with specific people by email.
Is there a free online markdown editor?
Yes. MDflow has a free plan with no credit card: up to 100 markdown documents and 5 image uploads, plus public sharing links, reader comments, collections, and client-side encryption. You write in a Monaco editor with live preview and GitHub Flavored Markdown. Upgrading to Pro (€4.99/month) raises the limits and unlocks the API and MCP server.
What is the best markdown editor for working with AI agents like ChatGPT and Claude?
MDflow is built for AI agents. It exposes a remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and a full read/write HTTP API, so Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Codex can create, read, update, organize, and share your markdown directly. It also publishes machine-readable discovery files —
llms.txt, docs.md, and an agent card — so agents can find and operate the workspace on their own.$mdflow --help
Getting started with MDflow
What is MDflow?
MDflow is an online markdown workspace at mdflow.cz for writing, organizing, and sharing markdown documents in the browser. You keep content as portable plain-text markdown, organize it into folders and collections, share it as a clean public link or privately by email, and expose the same documents to scripts and AI agents through an HTTP API and an MCP server.
Do I need to install anything to use MDflow?
No. MDflow runs entirely in your web browser — there's no desktop app to install and no extension required to write or share. Sign in with Google, Apple, GitHub, or Microsoft and start writing. Optional companions exist (a web clipper extension and a downloadable local MCP server), but the core editor and sharing work from any modern browser.
How do I create a markdown document in MDflow?
Sign in, create a folder in the sidebar, then add a new document inside it and start typing markdown. The Monaco editor offers Edit, Split, and Preview views with a live rendered preview. Save with the button or Cmd+S (Ctrl+S), and an indicator shows unsaved changes. New accounts also start with a sample folder and a Readme to explore.
Can I keep separate workspaces for different projects?
Yes. MDflow lets you create separate workspaces — say Work, Personal, and a side project — each with its own folders, documents, and search, so unrelated content never mixes. Switch the active workspace from the sidebar, move a folder with its documents between workspaces, and group documents from any workspace into a shared collection. Workspaces are free, with no limit on how many you create.
Can I import my existing markdown files?
Yes. Drag .md or .markdown files into the sidebar, or use the file picker, to import them as editable documents — several at once, into a chosen folder. MDflow preserves the markdown source and auto-renames duplicates. Imported files are limited to 500 KB each. Because everything stays plain markdown, there's no lock-in if you later want to move it elsewhere.
Can I edit markdown files in my GitHub repositories?
Yes. Connect a GitHub account to a workspace, then browse your repositories, branches, and folders in the sidebar and open any markdown file in the MDflow editor. Create, edit, rename, delete, and commit files straight back to the repo — Save opens an editable commit message and commits are attributed to your own GitHub account, with a conflict warning instead of a silent overwrite. Files are read and written live and never copied into MDflow, so the repository stays the source of truth. GitHub integration is available on every plan.
Can I use MDflow in VS Code or Cursor?
Yes. The MDflow Workspace extension puts your workspaces, folders, and documents in the editor's sidebar. Open any document as a normal markdown tab, edit it, and press Ctrl/Cmd+S to save it back to MDflow — with full create, rename, move, and delete, and per-file client-side encryption. Install it for VS Code or Cursor and other Open VSX editors. Sign in with your browser or a Personal Access Token; because it uses the MDflow API, editing requires Pro.
$mdflow + ai
Markdown for AI agents
How do I share markdown with Claude or ChatGPT?
Two ways. For a one-off, share a document publicly and paste its link — or its raw
.mdURL — into the chat. For ongoing access, connect MDflow's MCP server at mdflow.cz/api/mcp: Claude.ai and ChatGPT add it as a connector and sign in directly — no token to copy — while Cursor, Codex, and scripts authenticate with a Personal Access Token. Either way the agent reads and writes your whole workspace. Agent access is a Pro feature.What is the MDflow MCP server and how do I connect it?
MDflow's MCP server lets Model Context Protocol clients operate your workspace. The hosted remote server is at
mdflow.cz/api/mcp over Streamable HTTP: Claude.ai and ChatGPT connect by signing in directly, while other clients send a Bearer Personal Access Token. A downloadable local stdio server (Personal Access Token) is also available. It works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, and the OpenAI Responses API. Full setup is at /docs/mcp. Requires Pro.Do I still need a Personal Access Token?
Only sometimes. Claude.ai and ChatGPT can now sign in directly to the hosted MCP server, with no token to copy. You still need a Personal Access Token for the downloadable local stdio server, for scripts and the HTTP API, and for the Anthropic API's
mcp_servers connector. Both the sign-in and tokens require MDflow Pro.Does MDflow have an API for markdown?
Yes — a versioned JSON HTTP API at
/api/v1, authenticated with a Bearer Personal Access Token. It lists, fetches, creates, updates, moves, and deletes documents and folders, and manages public and private sharing. There's an OpenAPI 3.1 spec at /openapi.json and human docs at /docs/api. The rate limit is 60 requests per minute. The API requires Pro.How can an AI agent read and write my markdown documents?
Connect it to the hosted MCP server or the HTTP API — Claude.ai and ChatGPT sign in directly, while other clients use a Personal Access Token. Both grant scoped read/write access to your workspace: list folders and documents, fetch a document's body, create and update documents, move and delete them, and manage sharing. Agents can also request the most relevant documents for a topic, ranked by folder descriptions.
Can I manage workspaces with the API or MCP?
Yes. With an MDflow Pro Personal Access Token, the HTTP API and the MCP server can list, create, rename, describe, and delete workspaces — the top-level bucket above your folders. Use `GET/POST /api/v1/workspaces` and `PATCH/DELETE /api/v1/workspaces/{id}`, or the MCP tools `mdflow_list_workspaces`, `mdflow_create_workspace`, `mdflow_rename_workspace`, `mdflow_update_workspace_description`, and `mdflow_delete_workspace`. Deleting a workspace removes every folder and document inside it, and you cannot delete your last workspace.
How do AI agents discover an MDflow workspace?
MDflow publishes machine-readable discovery files. llms.txt indexes the docs, pricing, API, and MCP server; docs.md is a self-contained agent control manual; pricing.md exposes plan limits; and /.well-known/agent-card.json is an A2A discovery card describing interfaces, auth, and skills. Any shared page also has a raw .md twin, so agents can read and cite documents directly.
Can I capture web pages as markdown for my AI workflow?
Yes, with the MDflow Web Clipper. The extension — Chrome, Brave, Arc, Edge, Firefox, and Safari — saves any web page into your workspace as clean markdown, stripping ads and navigation. Clip a full article, a selection, or saved highlights, with templates and an optional AI interpreter. Clipped pages land in MDflow, ready to share or feed to an agent.
$mdflow format
Editor & markdown format
What markdown syntax does MDflow support?
MDflow supports GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM): headings, bold and italic, links, ordered and unordered lists, task lists, blockquotes, fenced code blocks, tables, strikethrough, horizontal rules, and images. A built-in help panel shows practical examples, and the live preview renders exactly what your readers will see. Images can be uploaded files or external URLs.
Can I add images to a markdown document?
Yes. In the desktop editor, drag an image in or paste from the clipboard and MDflow inserts the markdown image syntax and uploads the file. It supports JPEG, PNG, and WebP up to 20 MB, resizing to a max 1024 px in the browser before upload. Uploaded images stay private unless the saved public document references them. Markdown can also embed external image URLs.
Can I export markdown to PDF?
Yes. Any document — yours or one shared with you — can be exported to PDF through a print-ready flow that renders the formatted markdown. You can also download the original source as a .md file at any time. Both options are available in the editor and in the reader view for shared documents.
Does MDflow work on mobile?
Yes. MDflow is fully responsive, with a collapsible drawer and mobile-friendly editing and preview, and split view simplifies to a single pane on narrow screens. Readers can view shared documents and images on any device. Image uploading is currently desktop-only, but mobile readers can still see uploaded images.
Will my markdown stay portable, or am I locked in?
Your content stays portable. MDflow stores documents as plain-text markdown, not a proprietary format, and you can download any document as a .md file or fetch it via the API or raw .md URL whenever you want. There's no export tax and no lock-in — the format you write in is the format you keep.
$mdflow security
Security, privacy & pricing
Is my markdown private and secure?
Yes. Workspace routes require authentication and every read and write is checked against ownership server-side. Public links use random 64-character slugs and expose only the shared document, never your identity, email, or other content; disabling a link invalidates it permanently. API access is scoped to the token owner and tokens can be revoked instantly.
Can I password-protect or encrypt a markdown document?
Yes. MDflow can encrypt any document with a password using AES-256-GCM, entirely in your browser. The server only ever stores ciphertext — it never sees the contents or the password. Encrypted documents are excluded from search, and a shared encrypted document shows a password gate to readers. If you lose the password the document can't be recovered, so save it safely.
How much does MDflow cost? Is it free?
MDflow has a free plan — 100 documents and 5 images, with public sharing, comments, collections, and encryption included at no cost. Pro is €4.99/month with a 7-day free trial and raises the limits: 10,000 documents, a large image allowance, private email sharing, Personal Access Tokens, the HTTP API, and the remote MCP server. Cancel anytime.
How does MDflow compare to Notion, Google Docs, and Obsidian for markdown?
Notion and Google Docs store content in proprietary formats and only export markdown approximately; MDflow is markdown-native, so what you write is what you keep. Obsidian is markdown too, but it's local-first and leans on plugins and paid sync for sharing and AI access. MDflow is browser-based with free sync, clean reader sharing, and a built-in API and MCP server. See the full markdown editor and note-app comparisons for details.
How do I get started with MDflow?
Go to mdflow.cz and sign in with Google, Apple, GitHub, or Microsoft — the free plan needs no credit card. Create a folder, add a document, and start writing markdown. Share it with a public link or by email when you're ready, and connect the API or MCP server if you want AI agents to use it. Upgrade to Pro anytime to remove limits.
$mdflow init
Start writing markdown people and agents can read.
Sign in with Google, create a folder, and share your first document in minutes. The free plan needs no card.