What is WordCraft?
WordCraft is an open-source word processor built in Rust by the ArtCraft team. Its ribbon interface brings together styles, tables, page layout, images, references and review tools. It reads and writes DOCX, imports legacy DOC files and exchanges documents in formats including ODT, RTF, HTML, Markdown and LaTeX. PDF export preserves selectable text, links and bookmarks.
The application runs natively on macOS, Windows, Linux and BSD, and in the browser through WebAssembly. Editing, spelling and grammar work offline. A shared command system connects the interface, keyboard shortcuts, command-line tool, JSON control channel and MCP server, allowing document operations to run headlessly or against the desktop application.
WordCraft remains in alpha. Its roadmap identifies further work on real-world DOCX compatibility, chart and SmartArt preservation, pagination fidelity, stability and native printing. Additional interface translations and language data require an optional build input; builds without it have more limited language support.
WordCraft screenshots
Explore the interface. Open a screenshot to view it at full size.
Source: official WordCraft project page.
Key capabilities
- Writing and layout Edits styled text, multilevel lists, tables, sections, headers, footers and positioned images with text wrapping.
- Document review Provides tracked changes, comments, document comparison, spelling and grammar suggestions, and accept or reject controls.
- References Creates tables of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bibliographies, captions, cross-references and indexes.
- File exchange Reads and writes DOCX, imports legacy DOC files, exchanges other text document formats and exports PDF.
- Mail merge Uses CSV data with merge fields, address blocks, greeting lines, rules and previews to produce documents, envelopes and labels.
- Automation Exposes document commands through a CLI, JSON control channel and MCP server, with inspection, rendering, saving and macro playback.
Where WordCraft fits
WordCraft fits local writing, document formatting and review workflows involving reports, manuals, referenced documents or CSV-based mailings. Before deployment, representative files should be tested for round-trip preservation, page layout, font handling and PDF output. Workflows that depend on native printing or preservation of charts and SmartArt need particular scrutiny because these remain roadmap items.
For developers, its CLI and MCP server provide a route to scripted conversion, document inspection and command-driven editing. The MCP server can operate on headless documents or connect to the running application. Automation deployments should verify read and write folder restrictions and inspect generated documents before distributing them.
Install
git clone https://github.com/storytold/wordcraftReviews of WordCraft
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