feat(md): launch MarkText detached, with an optional read-only sandbox

`md` forwards every argument to marktext untouched except two flags of its
own: `--read-only`/`-r` and `--foreground`. By default it detaches via
`bkg`, so the shell stays usable and the editor outlives the window that
launched it.

MarkText has no read-only mode, so `-r` sandboxes it with firejail, binding
each named file read-only. The subtlety is that MarkText is single-instance:
a plain launch hands the file to an already-running, unsandboxed, writable
window and exits, silently defeating the sandbox. `-r` therefore also passes
a private `--user-data-dir`, which forces an independent instance the
read-only bind actually covers, plus `--no-sandbox`, since Electron's own
sandbox needs the user namespaces firejail has already taken away.

Flags whose entire purpose is terminal output (`--version`, `-v`/`--verbose`,
`--debug`) imply `--foreground`; backgrounding them would send the output
you asked for to /dev/null.

The function is autoloaded and so never shadows an `md` function or alias
defined elsewhere -- fish only looks in functions/ when nothing named `md`
exists. A real `md` *binary* would be shadowed, so the body hands off to it
verbatim whenever marktext is not installed. No conf.d file and no
opinionated guard: `md` is a novel name rather than a command shadow, the
same as `bkg` and `detach`.
This commit is contained in:
2026-09-16 03:56:47 -04:00
parent f445ec5426
commit 8aa2d15ae8
2 changed files with 195 additions and 0 deletions
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# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
# CATEGORY
# 03-editors-and-viewers
#
# DEPENDENCIES
# marktext, firejail, bkg
#
# SYNOPSIS
# md [-r] [--foreground] [marktext-args...] [FILE...]
#
# DESCRIPTION
# Opens files in MarkText, detached from the terminal so the shell stays
# usable and the editor survives closing the window that launched it.
#
# Every argument is forwarded to marktext untouched except the two flags
# below, which md consumes itself. marktext's own flags (--new-window,
# --safe, --disable-gpu, ...) therefore work exactly as documented in
# marktext --help.
#
# Flags whose entire purpose is terminal output -- --version, -v/--verbose
# and --debug -- imply --foreground, since backgrounding them would send
# the output you asked for to /dev/null.
#
# --read-only sandboxes the editor with firejail so saving fails instead of
# overwriting the file. MarkText has no read-only mode of its own.
#
# ARGUMENTS
# FILE... Markdown files to open
# -r, --read-only Open sandboxed, with every named file bound read-only
# --foreground Run in the foreground; do not detach
# -h, --help Show this help message
#
# EXIT STATUS
# 0 MarkText launched (or, with --foreground, exited successfully)
# 1 --read-only was requested without firejail or without an existing file
#
# EXAMPLE
# md README.md
# md --read-only NOTES.md
# md --foreground --debug draft.md
# md --new-window one.md two.md
#
# NOTES
# This file is autoloaded, so it never shadows an md function or alias
# defined elsewhere -- fish only looks here when nothing named md exists.
# A real md *binary* would be shadowed, so md hands off to it verbatim
# whenever marktext is not installed.
function md --wraps marktext --description 'Launch MarkText detached from the terminal'
# Without marktext this wrapper has nothing to offer, so give the name
# back to whatever md the system does provide.
if not type -q marktext
command md $argv
return $status
end
__fish_help_header (status current-function) $argv; and return 0
# Split our own two flags out of the argument list. Everything else is
# marktext's business and is forwarded verbatim.
set -l read_only 0
set -l foreground 0
set -l args
for arg in $argv
switch $arg
case -r --read-only
set read_only 1
case --foreground
set foreground 1
case '*'
set -a args $arg
end
end
# Backgrounding a flag that exists to print something defeats it.
for flag in --version -v --verbose --debug
if contains -- $flag $args
set foreground 1
break
end
end
set -l cmd marktext $args
if test $read_only -eq 1
if not type -q firejail
echo "md: --read-only requires firejail" >&2
return 1
end
# firejail rejects relative --read-only targets.
set -l ro_flags
for arg in $args
if test -e $arg
set -a ro_flags --read-only=(path resolve $arg)
end
end
if test (count $ro_flags) -eq 0
echo "md: --read-only needs an existing file to protect" >&2
return 1
end
# MarkText is single-instance: a plain launch hands the file to an
# already-running -- unsandboxed, writable -- window and exits,
# silently defeating the sandbox. A private user-data directory
# forces an independent instance that the read-only bind covers.
set -l cache (set --query XDG_CACHE_HOME; and echo $XDG_CACHE_HOME; or echo "$HOME/.cache")
set -l ro_data "$cache/marktext-readonly"
mkdir -p $ro_data
or return 1
# --no-sandbox: Electron's own sandbox needs user namespaces that
# firejail has already taken away.
set cmd firejail $ro_flags marktext --no-sandbox --user-data-dir=$ro_data $args
end
if test $foreground -eq 1
$cmd
return $status
end
bkg $cmd
end
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#!/usr/bin/env fish
# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
#
# Coverage for md: which flags it consumes, which it forwards verbatim,
# when it detaches, and the shape of the firejail read-only invocation.
#
# Runs isolated (no `# MODE:` marker). marktext, firejail and bkg are
# stubbed as functions that print their arguments, so the suite asserts on
# the assembled command line without launching an editor -- and passes on
# a machine that has none of the three installed.
source (realpath (dirname (status filename)))/lib.fish
set -p fish_function_path $repo_root/functions
# Stubs. `type -q` is satisfied by a function, so md takes the same
# branches it would with the real binaries present.
function marktext
echo "FG: $argv"
end
function firejail
echo "FJ: $argv"
end
function bkg
echo "BKG: $argv"
end
set -l sandbox (path resolve (mktemp -d))
set -l doc $sandbox/note.md
echo '# note' >$doc
# Keep the read-only user-data directory out of the real ~/.cache.
set -gx XDG_CACHE_HOME $sandbox/cache
section "md: forwarding and detaching"
check "plain file detaches via bkg" "BKG: marktext $doc" (md $doc)
check "--foreground runs in place" "FG: $doc" (md --foreground $doc)
check "--foreground is never forwarded" "FG: $doc" (md --foreground $doc)
check "marktext flags pass through" "BKG: marktext --new-window $doc" (md --new-window $doc)
section "md: output flags imply --foreground"
check "version flag" "FG: --version" (md --version)
check "verbose flag" "FG: --verbose $doc" (md --verbose $doc)
check "--debug after our own flag" "FG: --debug $doc" (md --foreground --debug $doc)
section "md: --read-only"
set -l ro (md -r $doc)
check "-r sandboxes with firejail" true (string match -q 'BKG: firejail *' -- $ro; and echo true; or echo false)
check "-r binds the file read-only" true (string match -q "*--read-only=$doc*" -- $ro; and echo true; or echo false)
check "-r is not forwarded to marktext" false (string match -q '* -r *' -- $ro; and echo true; or echo false)
check "-r forces a private instance" true (string match -q "*--user-data-dir=$XDG_CACHE_HOME/marktext-readonly*" -- $ro; and echo true; or echo false)
check "-r still passes the file" true (string match -q "*marktext *$doc" -- $ro; and echo true; or echo false)
check "--read-only is the same flag" true (string match -q 'BKG: firejail *' -- (md --read-only $doc); and echo true; or echo false)
# Relative paths must reach firejail absolute.
set -l start $PWD
cd $sandbox
check "-r resolves a relative path" true (string match -q "*--read-only=$doc*" -- (md -r note.md); and echo true; or echo false)
cd $start
check "-r without an existing file fails" 1 (md -r $sandbox/absent.md 2>/dev/null; echo $status)
check "-r can be combined with --foreground" true (string match -q 'FJ: *' -- (md -r --foreground $doc); and echo true; or echo false)
functions -e marktext firejail bkg
set -e XDG_CACHE_HOME
rm -rf $sandbox
report