KiteFor AI developers
Your AI tools write Markdown all day. Mac can't read it.
Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot — every major AI coding tool generates planning docs, spec files, and changelogs as .md files. macOS still shows them as raw text.
The Markdown file problem has always existed for developers, but AI coding tools made it unavoidable. You can't opt out of reading CLAUDE.md when Claude Code is using it as context for every task. You can't ignore .cursorrules when Cursor reads it on every session. The files are part of your workflow whether you have a good Markdown reader or not.
What each tool generates, and why it's a problem
Claude Code
Files: CLAUDE.md, implementation plans, spec files
CLAUDE.md opens in TextEdit as a wall of raw Markdown. You scroll past syntax characters trying to find the actual plan.
Cursor
Files: .cursorrules, architecture docs, changelogs
Cursor generates Markdown context files that you're expected to read and edit outside the editor. No formatting in Finder.
GitHub Copilot
Files: README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, generated docs
Copilot writes docs and README updates as .md files. Reviewing them in Quick Look shows raw syntax instead of the rendered result.
Aider
Files: Conversation logs, task specs, scratchpads
Aider creates and edits .md files as part of its workflow. Reading them outside the terminal requires an app that understands Markdown.
The pattern is the same across all of them: the AI tool writes a Markdown file as part of its workflow, you need to read it, and macOS gives you raw syntax instead of formatted content. The more AI tooling you use, the more acute this gets.
Why the usual answers don't work for AI workflows
You're already in VS Code writing the prompt. Switching apps to read the output file breaks the flow. And ⌘⇧V to toggle the preview pane every time gets old fast.
Obsidian requires a vault. Claude Code writes CLAUDE.md wherever the project is. You can't point Obsidian at a single file in an arbitrary directory without friction.
Works for quick checks. Doesn't work when the file is 200 lines with nested structure, tables, and code blocks — which is exactly what AI-generated specs look like.
Shows raw syntax. The problem we're trying to solve.
What actually works: a Quick Look extension
Kite installs a Quick Look extension on macOS. After that, you never change your Finder workflow — you still select the file and press spacebar. The difference is what you see: a formatted document instead of raw syntax.
It also ships a WYSIWYG editor if you need to edit the file — useful for updating CLAUDE.md context files or annotating AI-generated specs before feeding them back into the next prompt.
It's native macOS, 18 MB, launches in under a second. $14.99 once.
Built for this exact workflow
Kite was built because AI tools made the Markdown-on-Mac problem unavoidable. If you use Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot daily, the Quick Look extension alone is worth the price.
Download Kite — $14.99 one-time