README basics

What is README.md?
It's really just a project's "instruction manual"

README.md is a project's documentation file, and the name README literally means "read me first." When you download a project, clone a code repository, or use an AI coding tool to generate a set of files, that README.md in the root directory is usually the entry point — it's written in Markdown and tells you what the project is, how to install it, and how to use it.

It's just an ordinary .md file — except the name is always README and it sits in the project's most visible spot. Open it with any tool that can display Markdown formatting and you can read it normally.

Most people first notice it in one of these moments: seeing that nicely formatted intro on a project's GitHub home page, finding a README.md inside a downloaded archive, or — after asking an AI coding tool like Claude Code / Codex to generate a project — ending up with an extra README.md and not knowing what it's for.

What README.md actually is

  • README = "read me first": it's the first set of instructions the project's author leaves for you.
  • It's plain text plus Markdown syntax, with the .md extension. If you're unclear on the format itself, see what Markdown is.
  • By convention it sits in the project's root directory, and the filename is usually all-caps README.md.
  • When you open a project on platforms like GitHub / Gitee, they automatically render README.md into a web page with headings, lists, and code blocks — so what you see is the formatted version, not the raw symbols.

Where you'll run into README.md

Situation What the README usually looks like
Downloading / unzipping a project There's a README.md in the root directory telling you what this is and how to use it
Cloning a GitHub repository That formatted intro on the repo's home page is rendered from README.md
Generating a project with an AI coding tool Claude Code / Codex often generate a README.md along the way, describing what they built
Open-sourcing a small project of your own The first thing others look at is your README

NoteLoom doesn't integrate with these AI coding tools, and it doesn't connect to GitHub; below we only cover how to read and edit the README.md file on your local machine.

What goes in a README.md, and how to read it

Section Purpose
Project name + one-line intro What this is, what problem it solves
Installation / quick start How to get it running
Usage Common uses, commands, screenshots
Configuration Which options you can change
License Whether you can use it, and how

Not every README has all of these. A small project might just have a one-line intro plus how to use it; only big projects fill in everything. The trick to reading a README is: read the intro first to confirm it's what you want, then jump to "Installation / Usage" and follow along.

How to open README.md and see the formatting

  1. On GitHub / Gitee: the web page renders it automatically, so just read it.
  2. Locally: README.md is just a .md file — open it with an editor that can display Markdown formatting. If you double-click it and it opens in Notepad, you'll see raw symbols like #, -, and ** — that means it's not rendered, not that the file is broken. For details, see how to open an md file.

Opening a local README.md with NoteLoom

NoteLoom is a Markdown editor you use right in the browser. It has no AI features, and it doesn't connect to GitHub; it opens and reads/writes the .md files in your local folder directly, which makes it a good fit for reading a README.

View How it helps with reading a README
reading Renders the README into its formatted look so you can read it quietly
live Edit and preview at once — handy for adding a line of explanation or tweaking a step in the README
source Shows the raw Markdown symbols, for when you want to learn how it's written

Roughly, here's how it goes:

  1. Open app.noteloom.cc in Chrome / Edge / Arc.
  2. Pick the folder the project lives in.
  3. Click README.md in the file tree.
  4. Use the reading view to see the formatting, and the live view to edit it directly.
  5. Your changes are written straight back to the local file, without going through any account or the cloud.

Want to write a simple README yourself

No need to overcomplicate it. A README that's good enough only needs a few paragraphs:

  • Put the project name on the first line with #.
  • Follow it with one sentence on what it is and what it solves.
  • Use ## Installation and ## Usage to split it into two sections, each listing a few steps.

To learn these symbols systematically, see how to write Markdown.

NoteLoom won't auto-generate or summarize a README for you — it has no AI. What to write and how to write it is still up to you; it just lets you see the formatting as you write.

A few common pitfalls

  • Opening it in Notepad shows a pile of symbols: it's just not rendered — switch to a tool that can display the formatting and you're fine (see how to open an md file).
  • A Chinese README shows garbled text: it's usually an encoding issue — save or open it as UTF-8.
  • Images in the README don't show up: images are often relative paths, so they only display if they're in the same project folder as README.md and the paths line up.
  • You renamed or deleted README.md: the project itself still works, but others lose the first set of instructions they'd normally land on.

Related reading

What is Markdown? Why both AI and projects love this format. How do you write Markdown? The basic syntax beginners need, plus the write-and-preview method. How do you open an md file? How to see the formatted version of any .md file. How do you read a Codex plan.md? How to open and understand the plan.md generated by AI coding tools. What are AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md? The "standing rules" files written for AI coding tools — how to read and write them. Which AI rules file does your tool read? AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules and more, mapped by tool.

FAQ

Does the file have to be named README.md?
By convention it's the uppercase README.md, and only then will platforms like GitHub automatically render it as the project description on the home page. With a different name it's still just an ordinary md file — it just won't be treated as the "front door."
Is there a difference between README.md and an ordinary .md file?
There's no fundamental difference — both are Markdown text. The only differences are the filename convention (README) and where it sits (the project's root directory). The content and syntax are exactly the same as any other .md file.
I don't write code — do I need to care about READMEs?
Yes. Tools you download and projects generated by AI both have READMEs, and a README is the manual that tells you "what this is and how to use it." That has nothing to do with whether you can program.
Do I need to be online or install anything to open a README in NoteLoom?
No software to install and no sign-up. Just use a Chromium-based desktop browser (Chrome / Edge / Arc) to open app.noteloom.cc and pick a local folder. Firefox, Safari, and mobile aren't supported yet.
Can NoteLoom auto-generate or summarize a README for me?
No. NoteLoom has no AI features — it won't auto-write or auto-summarize. It gives you the reading / live / source views; how you read and edit a README is up to you.
GitHub already shows the formatted README — why use a local tool?
Reading it on GitHub is fine. But once you download the project locally and want to edit the README or read it offline, an editor that can read and write your local files directly is more convenient.

Open a project's README and take a look

Open NoteLoom, pick a project folder, and read and write the README.md inside it directly — no software to install and no account to sign up for.

Try it in NoteLoom