Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/dev2forge/bridgex/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Bridgex is an open-source desktop application that converts common document and data formats into clean Markdown text. Built entirely in Rust using the Freya UI framework and the Markitdown-rs library, it provides a lightweight graphical interface where you can open a file, review the converted Markdown in a live preview pane, make edits in the code editor, and save the result — all without leaving the application. Version 0.2.1 is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

​
Key Features

  • Native Rust desktop app — Built with the Freya UI framework; no Electron or web runtime required. The application window title reads Bridgex - Rust + Freya and enforces a minimum size of 900×700 px for comfortable editing.
  • Side-by-side editor and live preview — The left pane is a syntax-highlighted Markdown code editor (powered by Freya’s CodeEditor with LanguageId::Markdown). The right pane renders the same Markdown in real time using Freya’s MarkdownViewer, so you see formatted output as you type.
  • Automatic file-to-Markdown conversion — Open a supported file and Bridgex converts it immediately via Markitdown-rs, populating the editor with the result.
  • LLM image description — JPEG image files can be converted with AI-generated descriptions by configuring an LLM API key through Help → LLM API Key (Ctrl+K). The API key, client, and model settings are persisted locally.
  • Cross-platform — Distributed as a Cargo crate (crates.io), a Python wheel (PyPI, Windows and macOS only), and a prebuilt binary (SourceForge, Linux).
  • Keyboard-first workflow — Core actions are accessible via Ctrl+O (open), Ctrl+S (save), and Ctrl+Q (exit), alongside a File and Help menu bar.

​
Supported File Formats

Bridgex currently supports opening and converting the following formats:
CategoryExtensions
Microsoft Excel.xlsx, .xls
Microsoft Word.docx
Microsoft PowerPoint.pptx
PDF.pdf
HTML.html, .htm
Images.jpg, .jpeg
CSV.csv
RSS / XML.xml, .rss, .atom
ZIP archives.zip

​
How Bridgex Is Distributed

Bridgex 0.2.1 is published across three channels depending on your platform and preferred toolchain:
  • crates.io — The primary distribution. Install with cargo install bridgex on any supported platform.
  • PyPI — A Python wheel that bundles the compiled Rust binary. Supported on Windows and macOS only via pip install bridgex.
  • SourceForge — A prebuilt binary for Linux users at sourceforge.net/projects/bridgex.
The pip install bridgex command is not supported on Linux. Linux users must either install via Cargo or download the prebuilt binary from SourceForge.

​
What Bridgex Is Not

Bridgex is purpose-built for file conversion and lightweight Markdown review. Per the project’s own limitations statement:
Bridgex is not an IDE, text editor, Markdown editor, or full document viewer.
It is designed to bridge users to Markdown conversion with a simple, minimal interface. It does not offer rich document editing, version history, plugin systems, or full document rendering fidelity for complex layouts. For those needs, a dedicated Markdown editor or document viewer would be more appropriate.

​
Get Started

Installation

Install Bridgex via Cargo, pip, or the SourceForge binary for your platform.

Quickstart

Open your first file and export Markdown in under two minutes.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us