https://coffeetext.app/blog Practical guides to writing Markdown on the Mac, from the person who builds Coffee. en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://coffeetext.app/blog/review-claude-cursor-markdown-changes https://coffeetext.app/blog/review-claude-cursor-markdown-changes Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Compare against a snapshot: commit first and run git diff --word-diff, or use Claude Code's rewind and Cursor's diff view. What each misses, and Coffee's way. https://coffeetext.app/blog/calculator-in-notes-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/calculator-in-notes-mac Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Three ways to do sums in your notes on a Mac: Math Notes in Apple Notes, a notepad calculator like Soulver, or a Markdown editor that answers beside each line. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-editors-mac-subscription-vs-one-time https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-editors-mac-subscription-vs-one-time Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT How Mac Markdown editors charge, with prices from their official pages: free, one-time and subscription, the cost over time, and when each makes sense. https://coffeetext.app/blog/paste-excel-numbers-table-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/paste-excel-numbers-table-markdown Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Spreadsheets copy as tab-separated text, and Markdown wants pipes. A one-line Terminal command to convert them, the limits of tables, and Coffee's paste. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-pdf-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-pdf-mac Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Print to PDF for a quick copy. For a good-looking one, use Pandoc or an editor with templates. What Obsidian, Typora, iA Writer and Coffee each offer. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-editor-mac-plain-local-files https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-editor-mac-plain-local-files Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Obsidian, Typora, iA Writer and Coffee all work on real files in your folders. A five-minute test for any app, and what Coffee keeps outside your files. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-obsidian https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-obsidian Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Obsidian is free, runs on every platform and has thousands of plugins. Coffee is a paid Mac-only editor with AI edit review, sums and PDF templates built in. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-typora https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-typora Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Typora costs $14.99 once, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and has themes and Pandoc export. Coffee is Mac only, with AI edit review and sums in notes. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-ia-writer https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-ia-writer Pedro Thomaz Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT iA Writer is a one-time purchase with Style Check, Authorship and apps for iPhone, iPad and Windows. Coffee is Mac only, with AI edit review and sums in notes. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-bear https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-bear Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Bear has iPhone and iPad apps, iCloud sync and a free tier. Coffee is Mac only and keeps every note as a plain file, with AI edit review and sums built in. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-ulysses https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-ulysses Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Ulysses is built for long writing projects, with goals, publishing, ebooks and iPhone and iPad apps. Coffee is a Mac-only Markdown editor with AI edit review. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-apple-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-apple-notes Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Apple Notes comes with your Mac, iPhone and iPad, and now exports Markdown. When that's enough, and when Coffee's plain files and edit review are worth paying. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-zettlr https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-zettlr Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Zettlr is free and open source, on Windows, macOS and Linux, and built for citations and Pandoc. Coffee is a paid Mac editor with AI edit review and sums. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-macdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-macdown Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT MacDown's last stable release was January 2020 and its last commit April 2021. What that means, the free MacDown 3000 continuation, and how Coffee compares. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-vs-code https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-vs-code Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT VS Code is free, with Markdown preview, Git and extensions built in. Coffee is a paid Mac app for writers, with a formatted page, edit review and sums. https://coffeetext.app/blog/best-markdown-editors-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/best-markdown-editors-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Obsidian, Typora, iA Writer, Bear, Ulysses, Zettlr, VS Code and Coffee, sorted by who each suits. I make Coffee, so I say where the others are better. https://coffeetext.app/blog/free-markdown-editors-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/free-markdown-editors-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Obsidian, Zettlr, VS Code, MarkText, MarkEdit, MacDown 3000, Joplin and Bear's free version: what each does, which parts are paid, and which macOS each needs. https://coffeetext.app/blog/keep-ai-from-wrecking-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/keep-ai-from-wrecking-notes Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Commit first, let the tool work on a branch or a copy, narrow what it may touch, and read the changes before you keep them. Where each safeguard stops. https://coffeetext.app/blog/why-ai-tools-work-with-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/why-ai-tools-work-with-markdown Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Markdown is plain text with visible structure, so a tool can read it, edit it and show a diff with no converter. Why it works, and where it gets in the way. https://coffeetext.app/blog/editing-claude-md-agents-md https://coffeetext.app/blog/editing-claude-md-agents-md Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Keep the file in Git, commit instruction changes on their own, and check what the tool wrote. Which file loads when, and where Claude's own notes go. https://coffeetext.app/blog/undo-one-ai-edit https://coffeetext.app/blog/undo-one-ai-edit Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Use git restore -p to discard one block, reject that change in the tool's diff view, or undo a single card in Coffee. When a rewind takes too much with it. https://coffeetext.app/blog/apple-intelligence-ask-your-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/apple-intelligence-ask-your-notes Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Coffee's Ask uses Apple's on-device model to answer from one note, a selection or a few matching notes. What it needs, what it reads, and its limits. https://coffeetext.app/blog/connect-notes-to-ai-mcp https://coffeetext.app/blog/connect-notes-to-ai-mcp Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Add an MCP server to Claude Desktop, Cursor or Claude Code so an AI app can read your notes. The general steps, the free filesystem route, and Coffee's way. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-cheat-sheet-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-cheat-sheet-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Markdown syntax in two tables, standard CommonMark and extended GitHub Flavored Markdown, with what each is for and the keyboard shortcuts Coffee adds on a Mac. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-tables-guide https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-tables-guide Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT The rules for Markdown tables, why one fails to render, how to align columns and put a pipe in a cell, and what to do when your content doesn't fit a table. https://coffeetext.app/blog/images-in-markdown-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/images-in-markdown-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT The image syntax, how relative paths work, spaces in file names and where to keep pictures, plus what Coffee does when you paste, drag or link an image. https://coffeetext.app/blog/extended-markdown-footnotes-task-lists https://coffeetext.app/blog/extended-markdown-footnotes-task-lists Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Which Markdown extras come from which specification, what the syntax looks like, and which Coffee draws, from footnotes and callouts to maths and diagrams. https://coffeetext.app/blog/what-is-front-matter https://coffeetext.app/blog/what-is-front-matter Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Front matter is a block of data at the top of a Markdown file. What goes in it, which tools read it, the mistakes that break it, and how Coffee handles it. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-html-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-html-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Ways to turn Markdown into HTML on a Mac: pandoc for full control, cmark for speed, GitHub's API, editor exports, and what Coffee's HTML export handles. https://coffeetext.app/blog/word-google-docs-to-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/word-google-docs-to-markdown Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Google Docs downloads Markdown directly. For Word, use pandoc with images extracted, or paste formatted text into an editor. What to check afterwards. https://coffeetext.app/blog/apple-notes-to-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/apple-notes-to-markdown Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Apple Notes exports Markdown on macOS Tahoe and later, a note at a time. For a whole library there's a free importer. What to check before you rely on either. https://coffeetext.app/blog/notion-to-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/notion-to-markdown Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Notion exports pages as Markdown and databases as CSV, in a zip file. How to run the export, the limits in Notion's own help, and what to check first. https://coffeetext.app/blog/sync-markdown-icloud-drive https://coffeetext.app/blog/sync-markdown-icloud-drive Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Keep your Markdown folder in iCloud Drive and it syncs across your Macs. Offloaded files, offline edits and full storage are what go wrong, and what to do. https://coffeetext.app/blog/fix-conflicted-copies-icloud-dropbox https://coffeetext.app/blog/fix-conflicted-copies-icloud-dropbox Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Compare the two versions, copy what you need into one file, then bin the other. What Dropbox and iCloud name these files, and how to do it safely on a Mac. https://coffeetext.app/blog/wiki-links-without-breaking https://coffeetext.app/blog/wiki-links-without-breaking Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT A [[wiki link]] points at a note's name, so renaming the note breaks it unless something rewrites the link. How to rename safely, and what Coffee rewrites. https://coffeetext.app/blog/find-markdown-notes-spotlight-quick-look https://coffeetext.app/blog/find-markdown-notes-spotlight-quick-look Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Press Command-Space to search and the Space bar to preview. What Apple confirms about both, a test for searchable Markdown, and what Coffee adds. https://coffeetext.app/blog/password-protect-notes-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/password-protect-notes-mac Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Apple Notes locked notes, encrypted disk images, FileVault and Coffee's private notes: what each covers, and what happens if you lose the password or key. https://coffeetext.app/blog/monthly-budget-plain-text https://coffeetext.app/blog/monthly-budget-plain-text Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Keep a monthly budget as a text note: list costs as Rent: 400, then write Total or Average below. How it works in Coffee, and when a spreadsheet is better. https://coffeetext.app/blog/currency-time-zones-units-in-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/currency-time-zones-units-in-notes Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Write $30 in EUR, Tokyo time or 5 km in miles in a Coffee note and the answer appears beside it. What needs a connection, and how your region changes 1,234. https://coffeetext.app/blog/propose-change-git-without-learning-git https://coffeetext.app/blog/propose-change-git-without-learning-git Pedro Thomaz Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT The easiest way is GitHub's web editor: click the pencil, edit, and choose Propose changes. What branches mean, and what Coffee's Propose change does. https://coffeetext.app/blog/open-md-files-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/open-md-files-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT An .md file is plain text written in Markdown. How to open one on a Mac with Quick Look, TextEdit or an editor, and how to change the default app. https://coffeetext.app/blog/math-equations-in-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/math-equations-in-markdown Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT How to write equations in Markdown with $ and $$, the everyday TeX for fractions, roots, sums and matrices, where it renders, and the dollar-sign trap. https://coffeetext.app/blog/mermaid-diagrams-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/mermaid-diagrams-markdown Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT How to draw flowcharts, pie charts and sequence diagrams in Markdown with Mermaid, where they render, how to export them, and what Coffee draws. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-epub-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-to-epub-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT How to make an EPUB e-book from Markdown files on a Mac with pandoc, with a title, author and cover, how to check it in Apple Books, and Coffee's EPUB export. https://coffeetext.app/blog/textedit-alternatives-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/textedit-alternatives-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Where TextEdit helps and where it gets in the way, and what to try instead: BBEdit, CotEditor or VS Code for text, iA Writer, Typora or Coffee for Markdown. https://coffeetext.app/blog/timesheet-hours-plain-text https://coffeetext.app/blog/timesheet-hours-plain-text Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Keep a timesheet as a text file: a sample week, totalling hours and minutes by hand or in a spreadsheet, and Coffee's hours and rates beside each line. https://coffeetext.app/blog/find-replace-markdown-files-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/find-replace-markdown-files-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Change a word in every note at once: sed or perl in Terminal, VS Code's search across a folder, BBEdit, or Coffee's Replace in All Notes. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-version-history-without-git https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-version-history-without-git Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Get an earlier version of a note back with Time Machine, Browse All Versions, Obsidian's File recovery or Coffee. What each keeps. https://coffeetext.app/blog/folders-or-tags-markdown-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/folders-or-tags-markdown-notes Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT A few shallow folders for where a note lives, tags in front matter for what it's about. Practical rules, and how Coffee shows both. https://coffeetext.app/blog/obsidian-alternatives-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/obsidian-alternatives-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Why people leave Obsidian and what to try on a Mac: Coffee, iA Writer, Typora, Bear, Logseq, Zettlr and more, and how each stores notes. https://coffeetext.app/blog/typora-alternatives-mac https://coffeetext.app/blog/typora-alternatives-mac Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT MarkText, iA Writer, Obsidian, Zettlr, MacDown 3000, VS Code and Coffee as Typora alternatives on a Mac, with prices and file handling. https://coffeetext.app/blog/soulver-alternatives-calculator-notes https://coffeetext.app/blog/soulver-alternatives-calculator-notes Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Soulver, Numi, Calca, Math Notes and Coffee: what each does with sums in plain text, what it costs, and where your sheets are kept. https://coffeetext.app/blog/bear-to-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/bear-to-markdown Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Bear exports Markdown from File > Export notes, even in the free version. How to keep your tags, and which Bear syntax other editors read differently. https://coffeetext.app/blog/evernote-to-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/evernote-to-markdown Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Evernote exports ENEX, not Markdown. How to export each notebook, two free converters that make Markdown, and what happens to tags. https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-meeting-notes-template https://coffeetext.app/blog/markdown-meeting-notes-template Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT A plain Markdown template for meeting notes, with front matter, attendees, decisions and actions as tasks. Copy it, and see Coffee's templates. https://coffeetext.app/blog/daily-note-template-markdown https://coffeetext.app/blog/daily-note-template-markdown Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT A Markdown template for a daily note, with front matter, tasks and room for notes. How to name the files by date, and how Coffee makes today's note. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-craft https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-craft Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Craft runs on every device, keeps documents in its cloud and lets people edit together. Coffee is a Mac-only Markdown editor of plain files. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-drafts https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-drafts Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Drafts catches text the moment you have it, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, and sends it on with actions. Coffee is a Mac-only editor for Markdown files. https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-logseq https://coffeetext.app/blog/coffee-vs-logseq Pedro Thomaz Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT Logseq is a free, open-source outliner with journals and block references, now in a file and a database version. Coffee is a Mac Markdown editor.