Gloss

Read your markdown like it was meant to be read.

Active Developer Tools VS Code (all platforms)

Features

  • ✓ Custom read-only markdown viewer
  • ✓ Syntax highlighting for code blocks
  • ✓ Light/dark theme support
  • ✓ Merrily sidebar for operational docs
  • ✓ One-click switch to edit mode
  • ✓ Copy code buttons

Tech Stack

VS Code ExtensionTypeScriptWebView API

Privacy Principles

  • ◆ Zero telemetry — no analytics, no tracking, no usage data
  • ◆ No network requests except to your own Merrily instance (optional)
  • ◆ All rendering happens locally in VS Code
  • ◆ Open source — inspect exactly what runs

Get Gloss

Install directly from the VS Code Marketplace, or search “Gloss” in VS Code’s Extensions panel.

The Problem

You open a markdown file to read it. You accidentally double-click. Now you’re editing. You hit a key. Now you’ve changed the file. Undo. Save. Wait, did you save the wrong thing?

Documentation should be readable without being editable by default.

Gloss Through Your Markdown

Gloss intercepts markdown file opens and displays them in a custom read-only viewer. No editor buffer, no accidental keystrokes, no double-click-to-edit. Just the content, beautifully rendered.

When you actually want to edit, click the Edit button or press Cmd+Shift+E. Intentional editing, not accidental.

Merrily Integration

The sidebar shows your operational documents — pitches, strategies, retrospectives, all browsable in one place. Click any file to open it in Gloss’s reading mode.

If you run Merrily, connect to your instance to browse live pitches and cycles directly in VS Code.

Why Not Just Use Preview?

VS Code’s built-in markdown preview has double-click-to-edit hardcoded. There’s no setting to disable it. Gloss replaces the preview with a true reader experience — HTML rendering with zero edit capability.

Plus: syntax highlighting, code copy buttons, live file watching, and a clean teal-accented design.