What it does
Glow is a terminal-based Markdown reader. It renders a specified file and can discover Markdown files in subdirectories or a local Git repository, making it useful for reading project documentation without switching to a browser or graphical editor. The Charmbracelet project is MIT-licensed.
Install Glow from a package manager, then point it at a document such as README.md. For larger repositories, run it in the project directory to browse its Markdown files and choose the guide you need. The tool is focused on reading and presentation; edit the source document in a text editor and use Glow to check how it looks in a terminal.
The official README lists packages for several platforms and describes a local file browser. Glow does not host or synchronize the documentation, so a repository’s files and access are still managed through the normal local or Git workflow. Its MIT license applies to the software project, not automatically to every Markdown document it displays.
Strengths
- Renders Markdown in the terminal and can browse local Markdown files.
- Packages are documented for several operating systems.
- The official repository includes an MIT license.
Watch out for
- It reads and renders documents but does not edit or host them.
- The Markdown content retains its own license independent of Glow’s software license.
Best for
- Reading project documentation or README files from a terminal
- Browsing local Markdown files in a repository without opening a separate editor
Sources
- README.md | charmbracelet/glow (Oct 25, 2026)
- LICENSE | charmbracelet/glow (Oct 25, 2026)
- Latest release | charmbracelet/glow GitHub API (Oct 25, 2026)