# CLAUDE.md — MarkdownConverter (master) > General code-quality, JavaScript, git, security, and testing standards are in the **global CLAUDE.md**. This file holds project- and branch-specific notes. ## Project Overview Electron desktop app for Markdown editing and universal file conversion powered by Pandoc. Cross-platform (Win/macOS/Linux). Features: multi-tab editor with live preview, 25+ themes, PDF viewer/editor (merge/split/compress/rotate/watermark/password), export to 20+ formats (PDF/DOCX/ODT/EPUB/HTML/LaTeX/RTF/PPTX), batch conversion, syntax highlighting, diagram support (Mermaid), Git integration, and a plugin system. - **Version:** 4.4.5 - **License:** MIT - **App ID:** `com.concreteinfo.markdownconverter` ## Branch Specifics This is the **primary/release branch** — a vanilla JavaScript Electron app with no bundler or framework in the renderer. The renderer is a single large `renderer.js` (5,300+ lines) loaded directly via `src/index.html`. All UI is hand-rolled DOM manipulation. ## Architecture ### Main Process (`src/main.js` — 4,260 lines) Monolithic main process file. Contains all IPC handlers, Pandoc invocation, file operations, menu definitions (600+ lines), and window lifecycle. Key modules extracted: - `src/main/PDFOperations.js` — PDF manipulation via `pdf-lib` (merge, split, compress, rotate, delete, reorder, watermark, encrypt, decrypt, permissions) - `src/main/GitOperations.js` — Git status/stage/commit/log via `simple-git` ### Renderer (`src/renderer.js` — 5,361 lines) Vanilla JS, no framework. Directly manipulates DOM. Loads CodeMirror 6 via `src/editor/codemirror-setup.js`. Uses `marked` + `highlight.js` + `DOMPurify` + `mermaid` for rendering. Lazy-loads sidebar panels, REPL, command palette, zen mode. ### Preload (`src/preload.js` — 448 lines) Exists as IPC bridge, but **`contextIsolation: false` and `nodeIntegration: true`** — the renderer has full Node access. Preload is effectively a thin passthrough. ### Security Model - `contextIsolation: false` + `nodeIntegration: true` (legacy; the react-electron branch fixes this) - Pandoc invoked via `execFile` (not `exec`) to prevent shell injection - Path traversal protection: `validatePath()`, `resolveWritablePath()`, blocks sensitive system dirs - Permission handler only allows `clipboard-read`/`clipboard-write` - Rate limiter on conversions (2-second minimum interval) - File size limit: 50MB - Error message sanitization strips absolute paths ### Plugin System (`src/plugins/`) Manifest-based discovery (`manifest.json`). Built-in `writing-studio` plugin with sprint/goal/snapshot management. Plugin API exposed via `src/plugins/plugin-api.js`. ### Settings Custom JSON file store at `/settings.json` (NOT `electron-store` despite the dependency). Recent files at `/recent-files.json`. ## System Dependencies | Dependency | Required | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Node.js** | >= 20 | Electron 41 bundles Node 20.x | | **Pandoc** | Yes (for exports) | Downloaded to `bin//pandoc` via `scripts/download-tools.js` (v3.9.0.2). Falls back to system PATH. Must be present for DOCX/ODT/EPUB/LaTeX/PPTX export. | | **FFmpeg** | Bundled | `ffmpeg-static` npm package; `asarUnpacked` for packaged builds | | **MiKTeX / TeX Live** | Optional | For LaTeX PDF export; MiKTeX PATH injected on Windows automatically | | **ImageMagick** | Optional | Linux image conversion; listed as deb dependency | | **LibreOffice** | Optional | Enhanced document conversion; listed as deb dependency | ## Development Commands ```bash npm start # Launch Electron app (dev mode) npm test # Jest test suite npm test:watch # Jest in watch mode npm test:coverage # Jest with coverage report npm run lint # ESLint check (src + tests) npm run lint:fix # ESLint auto-fix npm run format # Prettier write npm run format:check # Prettier check only npm run download-tools # Download Pandoc binaries to bin/ npm run generate-icons # Generate app icons via sharp ``` ## Build & Package **Tool:** `electron-builder` (v26.0.12), config inline in `package.json` (no separate config file). | Target | Platforms | |---|---| | `npm run build` | electron-builder (default platform) | | `npm run build:win` | Windows: NSIS installer + portable + zip (x64) | | `npm run build:mac` | macOS: default dmg | | `npm run build:linux` | Linux: deb + AppImage + snap | | `npm run dist` | Build without publish | | `npm run dist:all` | Build for all platforms | **Bundled with builds:** Pandoc binary per platform. FFmpeg via `ffmpeg-static` (asarUnpacked). NSIS installer uses custom script at `scripts/nsis-installer.nsh`. **Output:** `dist/` directory. **CI:** GitHub Actions workflows in `.github/workflows/` (ci.yml, release.yml). ## Project Conventions / Gotchas - **No bundler/transpilation.** The app uses vanilla CommonJS JavaScript. `src/main.js` is loaded directly by Electron. No webpack, no Vite, no TypeScript, no Babel. - **Monolithic files.** `main.js` (4,260 lines) and `renderer.js` (5,361 lines) contain most logic. Not ideal but is the current state of this branch. - **CodeMirror 6** for the editor, configured in `src/editor/codemirror-setup.js`. - **PDF rendering** uses `pdfjs-dist`; **PDF manipulation** uses `pdf-lib` in the main process. - **Renderer security is weak** — full Node access in renderer. Do NOT introduce new privileged renderer code without understanding this. - **Pandoc is external.** Must be installed separately or downloaded via `npm run download-tools`. HTML and built-in PDF export work without Pandoc; other formats require it. - **PDF export fallback chain:** xelatex -> pdflatex -> lualatex -> Electron built-in `printToPDF()`. - **ESLint flat config** (`eslint.config.js`) with ECMAScript 2022. Prettier with 2-space indent, single quotes, semicolons, 100-char width. - **Tests:** Jest with jsdom environment, 15% coverage threshold. 24 test files in `tests/`. - **File associations:** `.md`, `.markdown`, `.pdf` registered at install. - **Single instance lock** enforced via `app.requestSingleInstanceLock()`. - **Adapters layer** (`src/adapters/`) abstracts file system operations for potential future non-Electron targets.