new-markdown

One-click New Markdown File button for the macOS Finder toolbar.

한국어

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Why this exists

In the AI-native era, the fastest way to hand context to a model — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, an Obsidian vault, or an internal AI Transformation team — is a plain Markdown file. Paste your snippet, save it, drop it in. Done.

But macOS Finder has no built-in shortcut for creating a new file. You have to open an editor, save, navigate to the folder, and so on — a small papercut that adds up across the day.

new-markdown is a single Finder toolbar button that creates a blank .md file in the current folder and immediately enters rename mode, so you can name it and start pasting in seconds.

Built specifically for the workflow of feeding knowledge to LLMs, but useful anywhere you take quick notes.

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Quick Start

Five steps. The two drag-and-drops in bold are the ones people miss the first time.

1. Get the app — Download New-Markdown-vX.Y.Z.zip from the latest Release and unzip it. (Or build from source — see Install below.)

2. 🖱️ Drag New Markdown.app into ~/Applications/ (or any folder you keep apps in).

3. Open any Finder window.

4. 🖱️ Hold ⌘ (Command) and drag New Markdown.app from ~/Applications/ onto the Finder toolbar. Release. The icon is now permanent across all Finder windows.

5. Click the toolbar icon → a new new-markdown-file.md is created in the current folder, instantly in rename mode.

To remove later: hold ⌘ and drag the icon off the toolbar.

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What it does

• Click the toolbar icon → a blank new-markdown-file.md is created in the front Finder window's folder (falls back to Desktop if no window is open).
• Finder immediately selects the file in rename mode, so you can type the name you want.
• If new-markdown-file.md already exists, the file is auto-incremented: new-markdown-file 2.md, new-markdown-file 3.md, ... (matches Finder's native naming convention).
• No dock icon, no menu bar item, no background process — the app launches, creates the file, and exits.

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Install

Option A — Download a pre-built release (recommended)

Grab the latest .app from the Releases page. Unzip and follow steps 2–5 in Quick Start.

Option B — Build from source

git clone https://github.com/Squarelight-ai/new-markdown.git
cd new-markdown
./scripts/build.sh

This produces dist/New Markdown.app. Continue with steps 2–5 in Quick Start.

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First-run permissions

On the first click, macOS will prompt for two permissions:

Prompt	Purpose	Required?
Automation → Finder	Read the front window's folder path	Yes
Accessibility → System Events	Press Return to enter rename mode	Optional — without it, the file is still created and selected; you just won't auto-enter rename mode

Both can be revoked or re-granted at: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation / Accessibility.

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How it works

• src/new-markdown.applescript — the entire behavior in ~30 lines of AppleScript.
• scripts/make_icon.swift — generates the multi-resolution icon set procedurally with Cocoa drawing primitives (no external assets).
• scripts/build.sh — compiles the script to a .app bundle, applies the icon, signs ad-hoc, and registers with Launch Services.

The compiled .app is a standard AppleScript bundle. You can inspect everything: right-click → Show Package Contents.

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Configuration

To change the default filename, edit src/new-markdown.applescript:

set baseName to "new-markdown-file"  -- change this
set ext to "md"                       -- and/or this

Then rebuild with ./scripts/build.sh.

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Compatibility

• macOS 13 (Ventura) and newer — tested on macOS 26 (Tahoe).
• Apple Silicon and Intel both supported (the .app is architecture-independent — it's an AppleScript bundle).

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FAQ

How is this different from Automator or Shortcuts?

Automator/Shortcuts solutions exist for "create new file here," but they typically appear as right-click Service menu items or keyboard shortcuts — not as a dedicated Finder toolbar button. new-markdown is a native-feeling toolbar button you click with a mouse, matching the same affordance as Finder's built-in "New Folder" toolbar icon. It also enters rename mode automatically, which most Service-menu workflows skip.

Why not just use the New Folder button (⌘⇧N) and rename it?

⌘⇧N only creates folders, not files. macOS has no native shortcut or toolbar button for creating an empty file — that's exactly the gap new-markdown fills.

Can I create file types other than .md?

Yes. Edit src/new-markdown.applescript, change set ext to "md" to your preferred extension, and rebuild with ./scripts/build.sh. You can also change the default filename in the same file.

Does this work on macOS Sonoma / Sequoia / Tahoe?

Yes. Tested on macOS 26 (Tahoe). The toolchain (osacompile, swift, iconutil, codesign) is preinstalled on macOS 13+ so no Xcode is required.

Will this run in the background or eat memory?

No. The .app launches when clicked, creates the file (and selects it for rename), then exits. Zero background process, zero menu bar item, zero memory footprint between uses.

Does it work in the Finder sidebar instead of the toolbar?

Not directly — but you can drag the .app into the sidebar's Favorites if you prefer. Clicking it from the sidebar still creates the file in the front Finder window's folder.

Is this code-signed / notarized?

The release is ad-hoc signed (no Apple Developer certificate). The first time you run an unsigned .app, macOS Gatekeeper may ask you to confirm. Right-click → Open → Open to bypass once; it's trusted thereafter.

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License

Apache License 2.0 — see LICENSE.

Copyright © 2026 Squarelight Inc.