Lectern, markdown reading app
AIs often create markdown files. For programmers reading this in code editors or similar might be easy, but for others it can feel overwhelming. Lectern is a Windows app that allows you to read markdown files cleanly.
When making stuff with Claude, it often gives its output as a markdown (md) file. There are different ways to read a md file (e.g. code editors, obsidion). But I wanted a clean way to read it. So I decided to make a md reader, which is this project.
What it is
This software allows you to choose a folder with all your md files and read them cleanly.
What is next
Now is to use it and see if there are improvements I want to make.
Build log
Missed my own performance target: 1.05s to first paint against a spec that said 500ms. But ~750ms of that is WebView2 starting before any of my code runs. Wrote the real number into the spec instead of a flattering one.
Shipped, and both pieces of first feedback were discoverability, not missing features: "how do I change the folder?" (buried in the command palette) and "where do I read the shortcuts?" (nowhere). Added a button and an F1 overlay.
Spent ages hunting a bug where the app kept losing my saved theme. The code was fine — a dev build from an earlier session was still running and overwriting the file with stale state.
Saw the library on my real files for the first time and it was useless: one flat list by date, ignoring the folder structure I had already built on purpose. Now it groups by folder in natural order.
Started Lectern: a small Windows app that reads markdown and does nothing else. No editing, no sync, no plugins. Wrote the spec first, including a list of things it will never do, because that is the only way a side project stays small.