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Settings

VMark's settings panel lets you customize every aspect of the editor. Open it with Mod + , or via VMark > Settings in the menu bar.

The settings window has a sidebar with sections listed alphabetically. Changes take effect immediately — there is no save button.

Appearance

Controls the visual theme and window behavior.

Theme

Choose one of five color themes. The active theme is indicated by a ring around its swatch.

ThemeBackgroundStyle
White#FFFFFFClean, high contrast
Paper#EEEDEDWarm neutral (default)
Mint#CCE6D0Soft green, easy on the eyes
Sepia#F9F0DBWarm yellowish, book-like
Night#23262BDark mode

Language

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
LanguageChanges the UI language for menus, labels, and messages. Takes effect immediatelyEnglishEnglish, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Português (Brasil)

Window

SettingDescriptionDefault
Show filename in titlebarDisplay the current file name in the macOS window title barOff
Auto-hide status barAutomatically hide the status bar when you are not interacting with itOff

Editor

Typography, display, editing behavior, and whitespace settings.

Typography

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Latin FontFont family for Latin (English) textSystem DefaultSystem Default, Athelas, Palatino, Georgia, Charter, Literata
CJK FontFont family for Chinese, Japanese, Korean textSystem DefaultSystem Default, PingFang SC, Songti SC, Kaiti SC, Noto Serif CJK, Source Han Sans
Mono FontFont family for code and monospace textSystem DefaultSystem Default, SF Mono, Monaco, Menlo, Consolas, JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, SauceCodePro NFM, IBM Plex Mono, Hack, Inconsolata
Font SizeBase font size for editor content18px14px, 16px, 18px, 20px, 22px
Line HeightVertical spacing between lines1.8 (Relaxed)1.4 (Compact), 1.6 (Normal), 1.8 (Relaxed), 2.0 (Spacious), 2.2 (Extra)
Block SpacingVisual gap between block elements (headings, paragraphs, lists) measured in multiples of line height1x (Normal)0.5x (Tight), 1x (Normal), 1.5x (Relaxed), 2x (Spacious)
CJK Letter SpacingExtra spacing between CJK characters, in em unitsOffOff, 0.02em (Subtle), 0.03em (Light), 0.05em (Normal), 0.08em (Wide), 0.10em (Wider), 0.12em (Extra)

Display

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Editor WidthMaximum content width. Wider values suit large monitors; narrower values improve readability50em (Medium)36em (Compact), 42em (Narrow), 50em (Medium), 60em (Wide), 80em (Extra Wide), Unlimited

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50em at 18px font size is roughly 900px — a comfortable reading width for most displays.

Behavior

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Tab sizeNumber of spaces inserted when pressing Tab2 spaces2 spaces, 4 spaces
Enable auto-pairingAutomatically insert matching closing brackets and quotes when you type an opening oneOnOn / Off
CJK bracketsAuto-pair CJK-specific brackets like 「」 【】 《》. Only available when auto-pairing is enabledAutoOff, Auto
Include curly quotesAuto-pair "" and '' characters. May conflict with some IME smart quote features. Appears when CJK brackets is set to AutoOnOn / Off
Also pair "Typing the right double quote " also inserts a "" pair. Useful when your IME alternates between open and close quotes. Appears when curly quotes are enabledOffOn / Off
Copy formatWhat format to use for the plain text clipboard slot when copying from WYSIWYG modePlain textPlain text, Markdown
Copy on selectAutomatically copy text to the clipboard whenever you select itOffOn / Off

Whitespace

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Line endings on saveControl how line endings are handled when saving filesPreserve existingPreserve existing, LF (\n), CRLF (\r\n)
Preserve consecutive line breaksKeep multiple blank lines as-is instead of collapsing themOffOn / Off
Hard break style on saveHow hard line breaks are represented in the saved Markdown filePreserve existingTwo spaces (Recommended), Preserve existing, Backslash (\)
Show <br> tagsDisplay HTML line break tags visibly in the editorOffOn / Off

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Two spaces is the most compatible hard break style — it works on GitHub, GitLab, and all major Markdown renderers. The backslash style may fail on Reddit, Jekyll, and some older parsers.

Markdown

Paste behavior, layout, and HTML rendering settings.

Paste & Input

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Enable regex in searchShow a regex toggle button in the Find & Replace barOnOn / Off
Smart paste MarkdownWhen pasting text that looks like Markdown into the WYSIWYG editor, automatically convert it to rich contentAuto (detect Markdown)Auto (detect Markdown), Off

Layout

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Block element font sizeRelative font size for lists, blockquotes, tables, alerts, and details blocks100%100%, 95%, 90%, 85%
Heading alignmentText alignment for headingsLeftLeft, Center
Image & diagram bordersWhether to show a border around images, Mermaid diagrams, and math blocksNoneNone, Always, On hover
Image & table alignmentHorizontal alignment for block images and tablesCenterCenter, Left

HTML Rendering

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Raw HTML in rich textControl whether raw HTML blocks are rendered in WYSIWYG modeHiddenHidden, Sanitized, Sanitized + styles

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Hidden is the safest option — raw HTML blocks are collapsed and not rendered. Sanitized renders HTML with dangerous tags stripped. Sanitized + styles additionally preserves inline style attributes.

Files & Images

File browser, saving, document history, image handling, and document tools.

File Browser

These settings only apply when a workspace (folder) is open.

SettingDescriptionDefault
Show hidden filesInclude dotfiles and hidden system items in the file explorer sidebarOff
Show all filesShow non-markdown files in the file explorer. Non-markdown files open with your system's default applicationOff

Quit Behavior

SettingDescriptionDefault
Confirm quitRequire pressing Cmd+Q (or Ctrl+Q) twice to quit, preventing accidental exitsOn

Saving

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Enable auto-saveAutomatically save files after editingOnOn / Off
Save intervalTime between automatic saves. Only available when auto-save is enabled30 seconds10s, 30s, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min
Keep document historyTrack document versions for undo and recoveryOnOn / Off
Maximum versionsNumber of history snapshots to keep per document50 versions10, 25, 50, 100
Keep versions forMaximum age of history snapshots before they are pruned7 days1 day, 7 days, 14 days, 30 days
Merge windowConsecutive auto-saves within this window consolidate into a single snapshot, reducing storage noise30 secondsOff, 10s, 30s, 1 min, 2 min
Max file size for historySkip taking history snapshots for files larger than this threshold512 KB256 KB, 512 KB, 1 MB, 5 MB, Unlimited

Images

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Auto-resize on pasteAutomatically resize large images before saving to the assets folder. The value is the maximum dimension in pixelsOffOff, 800px, 1200px, 1920px (Full HD), 2560px (2K)
Copy to assets folderCopy pasted or dropped images into the document's assets folder instead of embedding themOnOn / Off
Clean up unused images on closeAutomatically delete images from the assets folder that are no longer referenced in the document when you close itOffOn / Off

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Enable Auto-resize on paste if you frequently paste screenshots or photos — it keeps your assets folder lightweight without manual resizing.

Document Tools

VMark detects Pandoc to enable exporting to additional formats (DOCX, EPUB, LaTeX, and more). Click Detect to scan for Pandoc on your system. If found, its version and path are displayed.

See Export & Print for details on all export options.

Integrations

MCP server and AI provider configuration.

MCP Server

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) server allows external AI assistants like Claude Code and Cursor to control VMark programmatically.

SettingDescriptionDefault
Enable MCP ServerStart or stop the MCP server. When running, a status badge shows the port and connected clientsOn (toggle)
Start on launchAutomatically start the MCP server when VMark opensOn
Auto-approve editsApply AI-initiated document changes without showing a preview for approval first. Use with cautionOff

When the server is running, the panel also displays:

  • Port — automatically assigned; AI clients discover it through the config file
  • Version — MCP server sidecar version
  • Tools / Resources — number of available MCP tools and resources
  • Connected Clients — number of AI clients currently connected

Below the MCP Server section, you can install VMark's MCP configuration into supported AI clients (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) with a single click.

See MCP Setup and MCP Tools Reference for full details.

AI Providers

Configure which AI provider powers AI Genies. Only one provider can be active at a time.

CLI Providers — Use locally installed AI CLI tools (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Ollama). Click Detect to scan your $PATH for available CLIs. CLI providers use your subscription plan and require no API key.

REST API Providers — Connect directly to cloud APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI, Ollama API). Each requires an endpoint, API key, and model name.

See AI Providers for detailed setup instructions for each provider.

Language

CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) formatting rules. These rules are applied when you run Format > Format CJK Text (Cmd+Shift+F).

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The Language section contains 20+ fine-grained formatting toggles. For a full explanation of each rule with examples, see CJK Formatting.

Fullwidth Normalization

SettingDescriptionDefault
Convert fullwidth letters/numbersConvert fullwidth alphanumeric characters to halfwidth (e.g., ABC to ABC)On
Normalize punctuation widthConvert fullwidth commas and periods to halfwidth when between CJK charactersOn
Convert parenthesesConvert fullwidth parentheses to halfwidth when content is CJKOn
Convert bracketsConvert halfwidth brackets to fullwidth 【】 when content is CJKOff

Spacing

SettingDescriptionDefault
Add CJK-English spacingInsert a space between CJK and Latin charactersOn
Add CJK-parenthesis spacingInsert a space between CJK characters and parenthesesOn
Remove currency spacingRemove extra space after currency symbols (e.g., $ 100 becomes $100)On
Remove slash spacingRemove spaces around slashes (e.g., A / B becomes A/B), preserving URLsOn
Collapse multiple spacesReduce multiple consecutive spaces to a single spaceOn

Dash & Quotes

SettingDescriptionDefault
Convert dashesConvert double hyphens (--) to em-dashes (——) between CJK charactersOn
Fix em-dash spacingEnsure proper spacing around em-dashesOn
Convert straight quotesConvert straight " and ' to smart (curly) quotesOn
Quote styleTarget style for smart quote conversionCurly "" ''
Fix double quote spacingNormalize spacing around double quotesOn
Fix single quote spacingNormalize spacing around single quotesOn
CJK corner quotesConvert curly quotes to corner brackets 「」 for Traditional Chinese and Japanese text. Only available when quote style is CurlyOff
Nested corner quotesConvert nested single quotes to 『』 inside 「」Off

Cleanup

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
Limit consecutive punctuationLimit repeated punctuation marks like !!!OffOff, Single (!! to !), Double (!!! to !!)
Remove trailing spacesRemove spaces at the end of linesOnOn / Off
Normalize ellipsisConvert spaced dots (. . .) to proper ellipsis (...)OnOn / Off
Collapse newlinesReduce three or more consecutive newlines to twoOnOn / Off

Shortcuts

View and customize all keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are grouped by category (File, Edit, View, Format, etc.).

  • Search — Filter shortcuts by name, category, or key combination
  • Click a shortcut to change its key binding. Press the new combination, then confirm
  • Reset — Restore an individual shortcut to its default, or reset all at once
  • Export / Import — Save your custom bindings as a JSON file and import them on another machine

See Keyboard Shortcuts for the full default shortcut reference.

Terminal

Configure the integrated terminal panel. Open the terminal with Ctrl + `.

SettingDescriptionDefaultOptions
ShellWhich shell to use. Requires a terminal restart to take effectSystem DefaultAuto-detected shells on your system (e.g., zsh, bash, fish)
Panel PositionWhere to place the terminal panelAutoAuto (based on window aspect ratio), Bottom, Right
Panel SizeProportion of available space the terminal occupies. Drag-resizing the panel also updates this value40%10% to 80%
Font SizeText size in the terminal13px10px to 24px
Line HeightVertical spacing between terminal lines1.2 (Compact)1.0 (Tight) to 2.0 (Extra)
Cursor StyleShape of the terminal cursorBarBar, Block, Underline
Cursor BlinkWhether the terminal cursor blinksOnOn / Off
Copy on SelectAutomatically copy selected terminal text to the clipboardOffOn / Off
WebGL RendererUse GPU-accelerated rendering for the terminal. Disable if you experience IME input issues. Requires a terminal restartOnOn / Off

See Integrated Terminal for more about sessions, keyboard shortcuts, and shell environment.

About

Displays app version, links to the website and GitHub repository, and update management.

Updates

SettingDescriptionDefault
Automatic updatesCheck for updates automatically on startupOn
Check NowManually trigger an update check

When an update is available, a card appears showing the new version number, release date, and release notes. You can Download the update, Skip this version, or — once downloaded — Restart to Update.

Advanced

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The Advanced section is hidden by default. Press Ctrl + Option + Cmd + D in the Settings window to reveal it.

Developer and system-level configuration.

SettingDescriptionDefault
Custom link protocolsAdditional URL protocols VMark should recognize when inserting links. Enter each protocol as a tagobsidian, vscode, dict, x-dictionary

This lets you create links like obsidian://open?vault=... or vscode://file/... that VMark will treat as valid URLs.

Performance

SettingDescriptionDefault
Keep both editors aliveMount both the WYSIWYG and Source mode editors simultaneously for faster mode switching. Increases memory usageOff

Developer Tools

When Developer tools is toggled on, a Hot Exit Dev Tools panel appears with buttons to test session capture, inspection, restoration, clearing, and restart — useful for debugging hot exit behavior during development.

See Also