If you keep notes as .md files on disk — in another editor, in a git repo, synced by some other tool — Vist Desktop can open one directly and keep it in sync, instead of asking you to copy the content in.
Desktop only. This feature is not available in the web app, since it depends on filesystem access. It requires Vist Desktop v0.2.0 or later — the app does not auto-update yet, so grab the latest release if you don't see the option described below.
Opening a file
There are four ways to open a local .md file:
- File menu — "Open Local File..."
- Command palette —
Cmd+K, then "Open Local File..." - Drag-and-drop — drop the file onto the Vist Desktop window
- "Open With" / double-click — from Finder, Explorer, or your file manager, if Vist Desktop is registered as a handler for
.mdfiles
Preview, then live sync
The file opens as a read-only preview first — nothing is written anywhere yet. Make your first edit inside Vist and the file becomes a real note, live-linked to the file on disk:
- Edits you make in Vist write back to the file (debounced, so rapid typing doesn't thrash the disk).
- Edits made to the file in another editor flow back into the note automatically.
Managing the link
From the note itself you can:
- Reveal in Finder — jump straight to the file on disk.
- Break Link — stop syncing and keep the note as a normal, standalone Vist note. The file on disk is left untouched.
Device scoping
Only the desktop installation that opened the file actively watches and writes it. If you open the same note on another device or in the web app, you'll see an inert indicator instead of a live sync status — that device isn't the one touching the file, so it won't fight over writes with your other desktop.
Available on all plans.