What is RC Slate?
RC Slate is a web browser with a document renderer built in. Tabs, an address bar, bookmarks and history work as you expect; the difference is what happens when you tap a document link. Markdown, JSON, YAML, DOCX (Word), PDF and image files open as clean, readable pages in the tab you are already in — no download, no second app. From there you can convert what you are reading to Markdown for AI, and files on your device open the same way.
.md Markdown
.json JSON
.yaml YAML
.docx DOCX (Word)
Key Features
Open Files from the Web
Files and pages linked on the web open directly in the app, with tabs — so you can view them without leaving RC Slate.
Reader Mode
Turn a busy web page, or a DOCX document, into clean text that fits your screen, with one tap. What you see here is what a Markdown export will contain, so it doubles as the preview.
Markdown View
View Markdown with tables, Syntax Highlighting, Mermaid diagrams and LaTeX math. Long-press a heading to export or copy that section.
JSON & YAML Viewer
Colour-coded tree views. The table of contents lists the keys, so you can jump straight to one.
DOCX (Word) Documents
Word (DOCX) documents open page by page, view-only. The document's own fonts are not included, so substituted fonts can shift line breaks. Equations inside the document are converted to LaTeX and drawn. Reader Mode in the menu gives a text-first view.
Obsidian Vault
Register the vault folder with Add Folder and wikilinks and embedded images read as they do on the desktop. Open a single .md file without registering and you get the text only. Read-only — RC Slate never changes your vault.
Export
Export as PNG, PDF, or HTML. Convert documents to Markdown for AI: DOCX through the app's own parser, web pages by pulling out the article text.
Markdown with Images
Convert documents and web pages to self-contained Markdown with images embedded — ready to send to ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI apps. Choose an image quality preset and see the estimated size before exporting.
File Management
Open local files, manage folders, bookmark favorites. Sync across devices with iCloud.
SelfDrop
Add the open local file to SelfDrop from the menu. It syncs via iCloud to all your devices; 20 MB per file. Deleting removes it everywhere.
File & Capability Matrix
What each format supports across RC Slate.
| Feature | Markdown | Obsidian1 | JSON | YAML | DOCX | Web page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-detect link2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Syntax Highlighting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Math3 | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Outline / TOC4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Export | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| To Markdown5 | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| SelfDrop | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
- Obsidian vaults are read by registering the vault folder via Add Folder. Wikilinks and image embeds resolve against the registered folder (the vault root); opening a single note by itself leaves links unresolved. View-only.
- Auto-detect applies to supported file formats — a link to such a file opens directly in the app.
- Math is written as
$…$inline and$$…$$on its own line. Equations inside DOCX documents are converted to LaTeX and drawn the same way. A widely-used subset of LaTeX is supported, not all of it: document-wide commands such as\usepackageand the\(…\)/\[…\]delimiters are not. - DOCX documents do not offer an outline/TOC and have no Syntax Highlighting. Reader Mode in the menu gives a text-first view with dark mode. The document's own fonts are not included — substituted fonts can shift line breaks and change letter shapes.
- "To Markdown" converts DOCX with a native parser (not lossless — full layout is not preserved) and converts web pages by extracting the article text (Readability + Turndown). Markdown files are already Markdown.
FAQ
Does it work offline?
Yes. Opening, rendering and converting all happen on your device, so local files work with no connection at all. Web pages need one.
Can I edit files?
RC Slate is a viewer, not an editor. It focuses on viewing content clearly and converting it to send to AI.
Can I view DOCX (Word) documents?
Yes. Word (DOCX) documents open page by page, view-only. Use Reader Mode for a clean, text-first view, and convert the document to Markdown or PDF to send to AI apps.
How do I read Obsidian files?
Open a single .md file and you get its text. But wikilinks and images are looked up against the vault folder, so until you register that folder with Add Folder, links go nowhere and images do not appear. Register it and the note reads as it does on the desktop. Read-only — RC Slate never changes your vault.
Does it support Mermaid diagrams?
Yes. Mermaid code blocks in Markdown are drawn as diagrams. A wide diagram scrolls sideways.
How much LaTeX math is supported?
Write $…$ inline and $$…$$ on its own line. A widely-used subset of LaTeX is supported — document-wide commands such as \usepackage are not, and neither are the \(…\) / \[…\] delimiters. Equations inside DOCX documents are converted to LaTeX and drawn the same way.
Contact
For questions, feedback, or bug reports:
contact@driftward.app