Ghostwriter — Distraction-Free Markdown Editor for Linux

Introduction

Ghostwriter is a distraction-free Markdown editor built with C++ and Qt, now part of the KDE project. It provides a clean, minimal writing environment with live HTML preview, focus mode that highlights only the current sentence or paragraph, and a built-in Hemingway mode that disables backspace and delete to encourage forward writing momentum. Ghostwriter supports multiple Markdown processors for preview rendering.

What Ghostwriter Does

• Provides a clean, distraction-free writing environment for Markdown documents
• Renders live HTML preview using configurable Markdown processors like cmark and Pandoc
• Offers focus mode that dims all text except the current sentence, paragraph, or typewriter line
• Includes a Hemingway mode that disables the backspace and delete keys during drafting
• Displays a live word count, reading time, and document statistics sidebar

Architecture Overview

Ghostwriter is a C++/Qt desktop application structured around a central editor widget with an integrated Markdown preview pane. The editor uses Qt's text rendering with custom syntax highlighting for Markdown elements. Preview rendering is delegated to external Markdown processors (cmark-gfm, Pandoc, MultiMarkdown, or others), allowing users to switch rendering engines. The application follows KDE design patterns and integrates with KDE's theming and configuration frameworks.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• No server or hosting required; Ghostwriter is a standalone desktop application
• Themes can be customized or created from scratch using the built-in theme editor
• The default Markdown processor for preview can be changed in the settings dialog
• Editor preferences including font, tab width, and focus mode behavior are configurable
• Custom CSS stylesheets can be applied to the HTML preview pane for tailored rendering

Key Features

• Focus mode with sentence, paragraph, and typewriter centering options to minimize distraction
• Hemingway mode that disables deletion keys to promote continuous writing flow
• Support for multiple Markdown processors allowing preview with different rendering engines
• Built-in theme editor with light and dark themes and full color customization
• Live document statistics including word count, sentence count, paragraph count, and reading time

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Typora: WYSIWYG Markdown editor (proprietary); Ghostwriter is open source with explicit markup visibility
• Mark Text: Open-source WYSIWYG Markdown editor; Ghostwriter offers focus and Hemingway modes for writing discipline
• Apostrophe: GNOME Markdown editor; Ghostwriter is a KDE/Qt application with more processor options
• ReText: Simple Qt Markdown editor; Ghostwriter adds focus mode, Hemingway mode, and richer theming

FAQ

Q: Does Ghostwriter support exporting to PDF or other formats? A: Yes, Ghostwriter can export to HTML directly and supports PDF and other formats when Pandoc is installed.

Q: Can I use Ghostwriter on macOS? A: Ghostwriter primarily targets Linux and Windows. macOS support is not officially provided but may work through source compilation.

Q: What Markdown flavor does Ghostwriter use? A: Ghostwriter supports whichever processor you configure. It defaults to cmark-gfm (GitHub Flavored Markdown) and also supports Pandoc, MultiMarkdown, and others.

Q: Is Ghostwriter part of the KDE project? A: Yes, Ghostwriter was adopted into the KDE project and follows KDE's development and release processes.

Sources

• Repository: https://github.com/KDE/ghostwriter
• Documentation: https://ghostwriter.kde.org/