File Watching

Peekdown monitors open files for changes made by other applications. This is useful when you're editing a markdown file in a separate editor and want to see the preview update automatically.

External Change Handling

Configure how Peekdown responds to external changes in Settings > Behavior > External change handling:

• Disabled — Ignore external changes entirely. The preview stays as-is until you manually reload with ⌘R.
• Auto-reload — Silently reload the file whenever it changes on disk. Best for a live preview workflow where you edit in another app.
• Always ask — Show a dialog each time the file changes, letting you choose:
  • Save — Overwrite the file with your unsaved changes
  • Reload — Discard your changes and load the new version
  • Cancel — Do nothing

Reload Indicator

When a file is reloaded — either automatically or after you confirm in a dialog — a spinning green arrow icon briefly appears in the toolbar. This confirms that the file was successfully updated from disk. The icon disappears after about two seconds.

Conflict Resolution

If a file changes on disk while you have unsaved edits in Peekdown, you'll see a conflict dialog regardless of your external change handling setting. This prevents accidentally losing your work.

File Deletion

If a file you have open is deleted, Peekdown prompts you to:

• Save As… — Save your content to a new location
• Close — Close the window
• Keep Editing — Continue working (you can save later)