# xEdit
**A free, open-source Markdown editor and lightweight alternative to Notion and Obsidian for writing and personal notes — local files, a comfortable editor, and AI access over MCP.**
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[Try it online](https://xedit.me) · [中文介绍](https://xedit.me) · [Deployment guide](./docs/deployment.md) · [MCP setup](./docs/mcp.md) · [Feishu import](./docs/feishu-import.md)
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xEdit is a live-preview Markdown editor that runs in the browser (plus a Mac app). Notes are plain Markdown, linked with `[[wiki links]]`, organized with slash commands and drag-and-drop folders, and to-dos written anywhere roll up into a Today view. Keep notes in the browser, in a local folder of `.md` files, or sign in for cloud sync — and let AI clients like Claude read and write your notes through the built-in MCP server.
**No account required**: open [xedit.me](https://xedit.me) and start writing.
## Who it's for
- People who write articles, reports and reading notes in Markdown and want live preview without building a whole note system
- Anyone who wants free cloud sync and an instant web app — or no account at all, with files in their own folder
- People who want Claude and other MCP clients to search, organize and edit their notes
- Writers who publish to WeChat Official Accounts or Zhihu and want formatting that survives the paste
If you need databases, board views or real-time team editing, Notion is the better tool. If you rely on a backlinks panel, graph view or community plugins, stick with Obsidian. See the [comparison](#xedit-vs-obsidian-and-notion) below.
## Where your notes live
| Mode | When | Where the data is | Synced to the cloud? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Browser storage** | Default when not signed in | This browser on this device; clearing site data deletes it | Uploaded to your account automatically once you sign in |
| **Local Markdown folder** | Not signed in, Chrome / Edge (File System Access API) | A folder on your disk, one `.md` file per note | **No** — never uploaded, even after you sign in; back it up your own way |
| **Cloud sync** | Signed in | The server is the source of truth; each device keeps an offline mirror | Yes — the same notes on the web, the Mac app and every device |
Version history, image uploads, share links and MCP access work on cloud notes only.
## What's free
xedit.me has no paid plan today, and you can self-host the whole thing under the MIT license.
- **Without an account**: every editing feature, browser or local-folder storage, export to Markdown / HTML / PDF / PNG / Word, and copy to WeChat / Zhihu
- **With a free account**: cloud sync of notes, folders, version history and images; share links with reader comments; MCP access. No device limit
- **Limits**: images up to 10 MB and videos up to 100 MB each; a per-account media storage quota (uploads stop when it's full, existing files stay); the latest 100 versions are kept per note
- **MCP**: connecting is free. Your AI client's own subscription or API usage is between you and that provider
- **AI review (beta)**: enabled per account with a daily cap. The model runs on the site's keys, so users don't bring their own; self-hosters configure providers in `/admin`
## Features
**Writing**
- **Two editing modes**: Obsidian-style Live Preview (headings, bold, code and images render in place; the line under the cursor shows its source) or a side-by-side split view — switch any time
- **Slash commands** for headings, callouts, tables, to-dos, code blocks, images and video; search in Chinese, pinyin or English
- **Obsidian-style callouts** (`> [!tip]`), YAML frontmatter, footnotes, heading folding, `$inline$` / `$$block$$` math (MathJax) and syntax-highlighted code
**Organizing**
- **`[[Wiki links]]`**: autocomplete by title, `[[title|alias]]`, and renaming a note updates every link to it (there's no backlinks panel or graph view yet)
- **To-dos and Today**: `- [ ]` with `@tomorrow`, `@10/20`, a date range or `@daily` rolls up into a Today view; checking an item there edits the source line
- **Nested folders** with drag-and-drop, global search (⌘O), context menus and a recoverable trash
- **Feishu Wiki import**: import a whole wiki as documents, with its tree mapped to folders and images re-hosted → [Guide](./docs/feishu-import.md)
**Sync and sharing**
- **Cloud sync and offline**: keep writing offline — changes land in a local mirror and sync once you're back online
- **Version history**: automatic snapshots plus manual saves, line-by-line diffs and one-click rollback (the current draft is backed up first)
- **Share links**: readers need no account and can comment on selected text, images or video; you reply on the shared page
- **Export**: Markdown / standalone HTML / print-ready PDF / full-length PNG / Word (keeps headings, lists, tables and images; imports into Feishu)
- **Image hosting**: paste or drop images and video to upload them to Alibaba Cloud OSS, managed in a media library
- **Mac app**: same account and data, persistent login, native menus and shortcuts, offline shell (macOS 12+, Apple Silicon; the installer isn't code-signed yet)
**AI**
- **MCP server**: built-in, with self-hosted OAuth 2.1 (dynamic client registration + PKCE), so Claude Desktop, Cursor and other clients can list, search, create and edit your documents and images once authorized; revoke access any time in Settings → [Setup guide](./docs/mcp.md)
- **AI review (beta)**: reads the whole piece and flags awkward sentences, wordiness, word choice, logic gaps and WeChat Official Account compliance risks, with each suggestion pinned to its sentence; accept or ignore in one click
**Use case: WeChat Official Accounts and Zhihu**
The WeChat editor strips `