A native macOS text editor for developers. Built in SwiftUI and AppKit, not Electron. Keeps editing local, recovers unsaved drafts, and runs code with the toolchains already installed on your Mac.
Download · Nightly · Architecture · Release runbook · Security · Roadmap
Tip
Built for the exact moment when you open VS Code to fix one typo and watch 2 GB of RAM disappear, an extension host crash a CPU core, and a folder index spin for thirty seconds. BriskEdit opens before your finger leaves the trackpad.
- Opens files instantly. TextKit 2 NSTextView, no background indexing on launch. Large-file mode disables expensive live features; files above 128 MiB are rejected.
- Workspace, not document soup. Open a folder, tabs persist, sidebar shows the file tree, split panes when you want them.
- Run code from a button.
Rundiscovers the right toolchain for the file (clang/gcc for C, swiftc for Swift, python3 for Python, node/deno for JS/TS, cargo for Rust, go for Go) and runs it in the integrated terminal. No tasks.json, no launch.json, no extension to install. - Integrated terminal that actually feels like Terminal.app. SwiftTerm-backed, real zsh, multiple tabs, cwd follows the workspace root, kills cleanly.
- Markdown preview as a split. Live render, scroll sync, GFM, sanitized.
- Find / replace that doesn't blink. In-file regex, in-folder with
.gitignorerespected, Command Palette and a fuzzy Go-to-File palette (⌘P) for everything else. - Code intelligence from the tools you already have. Completion and live diagnostics via the language servers on your box (clangd, sourcekit-lsp, gopls, pyright, rust-analyzer, typescript-language-server) — no marketplace, no install step. A zero-config
Check File(⌘B) syntax-checks C/C++/Swift even without a server; errors and warnings surface in the status bar. - Stays out of your way. Format-on-save with your installed formatter, session restore, and live reload when a file changes on disk.
- Lives in macOS. Native menus, Settings, Quick Look, and Sparkle updates. Liquid Glass on macOS 26 adapts to native materials on macOS 15.
The point is the absence of bloat. No telemetry, no account, no LSP extension marketplace, no electron, no second runtime. Just the editor and the tools you already have on the box.
BriskEdit-Promo-v2.mp4
| Editor workspace |
|---|
 |
- Download the latest
BriskEdit-<version>.dmgfrom GitHub Releases. - Open the DMG and drag
BriskEdit.appinto Applications. - Launch from Applications or
open -a BriskEdit. - Published releases are Developer ID signed and notarized. Local ad-hoc previews have a different trust identity.
BriskEdit requires macOS 15 or newer; Liquid Glass surfaces need macOS 26. No account, no cloud sync, no analytics, no backend.
| Channel | For | Get it | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stable | Everyday work | BriskEdit-<version>.dmg |
New stable releases |
| Beta | Trying the next release early | Settings → Updates → Beta, or a vX.Y.Z-beta.N prerelease |
Betas and newer stable releases |
| Nightly | The newest changes from dev |
BriskEdit-Nightly.dmg |
A new build about ten minutes after every merge into dev |
Stable and Beta are the same app; switching the channel in Settings never downgrades. BriskEdit Nightly is a separate app with a violet icon that installs next to BriskEdit. It keeps its own settings, drafts and shell command (briskedit-nightly, brisk-nightly), downloads updates in the background and installs them when you quit. Nightly builds are signed and notarized like releases, but they are not release-tested and can break, so keep a stable BriskEdit around for important work.
The Run button reads the active document's language and walks a static toolchain table:
| Language | Detection | Toolchain |
|---|---|---|
| C / C++ | .c .h .cpp .hpp .cc .mm |
xcrun --find clang → fallback gcc, build to a temp binary, exec it |
| Swift | .swift |
xcrun --find swift, prefer swift script.swift; for SwiftPM projects, swift run from the package root |
| Python | .py |
python3 (or python) from PATH |
| JavaScript / TypeScript | .js .mjs .cjs .ts .tsx |
node or deno if installed |
| Rust | .rs |
cargo run if Cargo.toml is reachable, else rustc + exec |
| Go | .go |
go run against the file or the enclosing package |
| Shell | .sh .zsh .bash |
the matching interpreter from PATH |
No tasks.json, no per-project config required for the trivial cases. When something does need configuration (build flags, run args, env), it lives in a single briskedit.run.json at the workspace root — opt-in, not the default.
The toolchain discovery and exec live in RunService. The Run button only ever shells out on user action and surfaces its stdout/stderr in a dedicated terminal tab.
- Open file tabs use filesystem watchers to detect external edits.
- No telemetry, no analytics, no remote evaluation.
Runnever executes on file save or autocomplete — only on the explicit button or⌘R.- The integrated terminal runs the local shell and its configured environment.
- Workspace state and recent files use local app preferences. Recovery copies live in
~/Library/Application Support/BriskEdit/Drafts(BriskEdit Nightly:BriskEdit Nightly/Drafts).
git clone https://github.com/jx-grxf/BriskEdit.git
cd BriskEdit
brew install xcodegen
./script/prepare_xcode_project.sh
xcodebuild -project BriskEdit.xcodeproj -scheme BriskEdit -configuration Debug \
-onlyUsePackageVersionsFromResolvedFile -skipPackageUpdates build
open ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/BriskEdit-*/Build/Products/Debug/BriskEdit.appThe project.yml is the source of truth — the .xcodeproj is generated and .gitignored. Regenerate after editing project.yml.
Run convenience:
./script/build_and_run.sh # build + launch a debug bundle
./script/build_and_run.sh build-onlyTo package a local DMG:
BRISKEDIT_VERSION=0.6.1 ./script/package_dmg.sh
# The side-by-side nightly app (dist/BriskEdit Nightly.app, dist/BriskEdit-Nightly.dmg)
BRISKEDIT_UPDATE_CHANNEL=nightly BRISKEDIT_BUILD=1 BRISKEDIT_VERSION=0.6.1-nightly.1 ./script/package_dmg.shWork lands on dev through pull requests, so open pull requests against dev. Every pull request merged into dev runs CI and publishes a new nightly prerelease about ten minutes later. Releases merge dev into main, and a signed tag on main publishes a stable or beta release.
GitHub Actions builds nightlies and tagged releases the same way: app bundle, DMG, Sparkle ZIP and appcast, Developer ID signing, notarization, stapler validation and signature verification. Full runbook in docs/release.md. Public release notes live in RELEASE_NOTES.md.
Distribution roadmap:
- Developer ID signing and notarization shipped with 0.5.2.
- Homebrew Cask submission after the first notarized release.
- A redesigned Liquid Glass app icon that follows the Dark, Tinted, and Clear icon styles (0.6.1).
- Recover unsaved drafts, including untitled files, as safe copies after unexpected exits.
- Compare editor content with disk; review staged and unstaged Git diffs.
- Find References through installed language servers.
- Navigate tabs with ⇧⌘[ and ⇧⌘]; reopen closed tabs with ⇧⌘T.
- Use macOS 15+, with availability-guarded Liquid Glass on macOS 26.
Recovery is local and optional (Settings → General). Limits: 2 MiB per draft, 20 drafts / 20 MiB total, retained up to 14 days. It is a recovery aid, not a replacement for saving or backups. Oversized buffers are not snapshotted. The release workflow publishes only after the signed tag, tests, signing, notarization and feed checks pass.
Next candidates are richer Git hunk review, safe LSP rename/code actions with edit preview, and additional language grammars. There is no extension marketplace, required account, cloud sync, or built-in AI-completion engine.
SwiftUI · AppKit (NSTextView with TextKit 2, a separate sibling gutter) · macOS 15+ · @Observable · Swift 6 strict concurrency · Swift Package Manager (consumed via Xcode) · xcodegen for project generation · GitHub Actions on macOS · Sparkle for updates · SwiftTerm for the integrated terminal · WKWebView Markdown preview · Neon/SwiftTreeSitter for Swift and JSON syntax.
Issues and focused pull requests welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md, keep changes scoped, run the build before opening a PR. Security reports go through SECURITY.md.
MIT. See LICENSE. Johannes Grof - 2026