# Loupe

> Loupe is a free, open-source Quick Look extension for macOS 14+. Press Space on a file in Finder and it shows JSON as a collapsible tree with exact error positions, renders Markdown, turns log files into a colour-coded table (newest lines first in view), lays out TSV as a table and highlights source code in 20+ languages, PowerShell, Batch and XML dialects included. It runs sandboxed, read-only and offline, and its previews contain no JavaScript. A companion app switches previews on or off per category and sets appearance, text size and language (English or German).

Everything below is also available without JavaScript: the page's HTML carries the current version and checksums, and `/` returns Markdown for `Accept: text/markdown`.

## Get the app

- [Newest release](https://loupe.celox.io/download): the file for your platform — 302 to the current GitHub release asset
- [macOS](https://loupe.celox.io/download/macos): macOS 14+ · Apple silicon
- [Newest release as JSON](https://loupe.celox.io/latest.json): `version`, `published`, `notes`, and `assets[]` with `target`, `name`, `url`, `size` (bytes), `sha256`; refreshed every 15 minutes
- [All releases and notes](https://github.com/pepperonas/loupe/releases)

## Docs

- [Product page as Markdown](https://loupe.celox.io/index.md): features, install steps, verification, FAQ, with the current version and checksums filled in
- [Agent skill: get Loupe](https://loupe.celox.io/skills/get-loupe/SKILL.md): download, verify and install, step by step
- [Changelog](https://loupe.celox.io/changelog.md): Markdown, mirrored from GitHub every 15 minutes
- [README](https://github.com/pepperonas/loupe#readme)

## Install

1. Get the ZIP above and unpack it.
2. Drag **Loupe.app** to Applications. The app is not notarized: open it once with right-click → *Open*.
3. System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Quick Look → enable **Loupe**. Then press Space on a file.

## Verify

- SHA-256 of every file: `assets[].sha256` in [latest.json](https://loupe.celox.io/latest.json)


## Features

- JSON you can read: A collapsible tree with counts and a peek at each object. A broken file shows the exact line and column, with the offending spot marked.
- Markdown, rendered: Headings, tables, task lists and highlighted code blocks. Remote images stay blocked, so a preview never phones home.
- Logs at a glance: Time, level, source and message in columns; seven formats, from nginx to JSON Lines. Big logs are read from the end, where the news is.
- Code in 20+ languages: Swift, Python, Go, Rust, SQL, YAML and more, plus PowerShell, Batch and 13 XML dialects that macOS would otherwise never show.
- You decide: Switch Loupe off globally or per category — Markdown, JSON, tables, logs, code. Off means plain text, exactly as without Loupe.
- Private and fast: Sandboxed, read-only, offline, and not a single byte of JavaScript in a preview. Light and dark mode, English and German.

## Scope and limits

- macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon only
- CSV (.csv) cannot be previewed: macOS reserves that type for its own generator — use .tsv
- Some file types (.ts, .tsx, .jsx, .scss …) never reach Quick Look extensions because macOS types them differently
- Not notarized: ad-hoc signed, so the first launch needs right-click → Open
- Read-only: Loupe shows files, it does not edit them

## Optional

- [Source code](https://github.com/pepperonas/loupe)
- [Licence (MIT)](https://github.com/pepperonas/loupe/blob/main/LICENSE)
- [Agent resource catalog](https://loupe.celox.io/.well-known/ai-catalog.json)
- [Author: Martin Pfeffer, celox.io](https://celox.io)