Help

Trust, Privacy, and Policy

Understand Telescopo privacy, local-first document handling, App Sandbox permissions, purchases, refunds, legacy workflows, and support.

Is Telescopo local-first?

Yes. Telescopo is designed as a local-first macOS app.

Documents are opened from your Mac, rendered on your Mac, and edited locally. Telescopo does not require a Telescopo account to read or edit Markdown files.

Some workflows can involve Apple services or external resources:

  • Mac App Store purchase and restore use Apple's StoreKit system.
  • iCloud file availability is handled by Apple iCloud.
  • AI Assistant uses Apple Intelligence where available on supported Macs.
  • Remote images or remote links inside documents may require network access.
  • Support links open Telescopo's support website.

Telescopo itself is not built around uploading your documents to a Telescopo server.

Does Telescopo upload my documents?

Telescopo does not upload your Markdown documents to a Telescopo server for rendering.

Markdown rendering, Mermaid rendering, LaTeX math rendering, syntax highlighting, editing, navigation, and PDF export are designed to happen locally on your Mac.

If your document references remote images or links, opening those external resources can involve network requests to the referenced service. That is different from Telescopo uploading the document.

How does the AI Assistant handle document privacy?

AI Assistant is a Markdown Studio feature for supported Macs.

It is designed for fully local, on-device document Q&A and summarization using Apple Intelligence where available. The goal is to let you ask questions about the current document without sending document contents to a Telescopo server.

Requirements depend on Apple's platform support. If Apple Intelligence is not available on your Mac or macOS version, the AI Assistant may not be available.

Do not send sensitive documents to support. If you need help with AI Assistant, describe the issue and include your Mac model, macOS version, Telescopo version, and whether Apple Intelligence is enabled.

Does Telescopo track analytics?

Telescopo 7 does not use third-party product analytics telemetry.

The app does not use autocapture, session replay, screen recording, or event telemetry. Support diagnostics should be provided manually by the user when needed.

If you contact support, include only the information needed to diagnose the issue. Do not include private document contents unless you intentionally choose to share a minimal, non-sensitive reproduction file.

Why does Telescopo ask for file access?

Telescopo is a sandboxed Mac App Store app. macOS requires sandboxed apps to ask for access to user files.

Telescopo needs file access so you can:

  • Open Markdown files.
  • Edit and save Markdown files in Studio.
  • Open recent files.
  • Open linked local Markdown files.
  • Display local images referenced by Markdown.
  • Export PDF files.
  • Monitor local Markdown files for changes in Studio.

Telescopo uses macOS security-scoped access and bookmarks where appropriate so recently opened files can reopen later.

What is App Sandbox and why does it matter?

App Sandbox is Apple's macOS security model for Mac App Store apps.

It limits what an app can access unless the user grants permission. This protects local files and prevents apps from freely reading arbitrary folders.

For Telescopo, App Sandbox means:

  • You choose which documents to open.
  • Some linked files may require explicit permission.
  • Recent files may need refreshed access if moved or renamed.
  • Telescopo cannot silently scan unrelated folders.

If macOS blocks a linked file, open that file manually once so Telescopo can receive permission.

What network access does Telescopo use?

Telescopo is local-first, but some features can use network access:

  • Opening remote images referenced by Markdown.
  • Opening support, privacy, purchase, or App Store links.
  • StoreKit purchase and restore flows through Apple.
  • iCloud file and settings behavior through Apple.

Rendering local Markdown files does not require uploading the document to a Telescopo server.

Does Telescopo require an account?

No. Telescopo does not require a Telescopo account.

Markdown Viewer can be used without creating an account. Markdown Studio is unlocked through Apple's in-app purchase system using your Apple ID.

Is Telescopo a subscription?

No. Telescopo Markdown Studio is a one-time in-app purchase, not a subscription.

Pricing and availability are shown in the Mac App Store purchase sheet.

What happens if I refund the Studio purchase?

Refunds and purchase revocation are handled by Apple.

When Apple reports that a Studio purchase has been revoked or is no longer active, Telescopo may return to the free Markdown Viewer experience.

If you believe Studio was removed incorrectly, check your Apple purchase history and contact Apple or Telescopo support with the relevant purchase status.

What file formats does Telescopo support?

Telescopo is now focused primarily on Markdown.

Markdown Viewer focuses on Markdown reading.

Markdown Studio adds a broader technical workspace with support for Markdown editing, Mermaid diagrams, LaTeX math inside Markdown, code preview, syntax highlighting, PDF export, templates, Live Monitoring, and Telescopo Navigator.

Continued technical preview support includes:

  • Code files.
  • SVG.
  • CSV.
  • JSON.
  • XML.
  • YAML.

Native PDF preview, native EPUB preview, and standalone LaTeX or MathJax-style .tex preview are deprecated as of Telescopo 7.0.0.

Why are PDF, EPUB, and standalone LaTeX deprecated?

Telescopo has supported many preview formats over time, but Telescopo 7 focuses the product around Markdown.

Markdown is where the main Viewer and Studio experience is strongest:

  • Markdown reading.
  • Markdown editing.
  • Live preview.
  • Mermaid diagrams.
  • LaTeX math inside Markdown.
  • Templates.
  • Local links.
  • Navigator.
  • Live Monitoring.
  • PDF export from rendered Markdown.

As of v7.0.0:

  • Standalone LaTeX and MathJax-style .tex file preview support is deprecated in favor of KaTeX-style TeX syntax inside Markdown.
  • Native EPUB preview support is deprecated.
  • Native PDF preview support is deprecated.

These legacy preview paths will likely be removed in a future version to reduce code complexity and keep Telescopo focused on Markdown.

Markdown-to-PDF export is not deprecated. Exporting rendered Markdown to PDF remains a core Markdown Studio feature.

Are standalone SVG and code viewing still supported?

Yes. Standalone SVG viewing and code viewing remain supported.

However, Markdown is the primary future path for Telescopo. The main supported workflow is rich Markdown that can include embedded images and SVG diagrams, Mermaid diagrams, LaTeX math, and fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting.

Standalone SVG and code viewing are useful technical preview workflows, but Markdown authoring, reading, navigation, monitoring, and export are the center of Telescopo's future development.

Does Telescopo support accessibility features?

Telescopo includes several readability-focused features:

  • Light and dark themes.
  • Contrast Light and Contrast Dark themes.
  • Font controls.
  • Zoom controls.
  • Reading width controls.
  • Native macOS interface elements where practical.

Telescopo does not currently claim a full accessibility audit across every feature. Accessibility improvements are expected to continue over time.

Does Telescopo support Dark Mode?

Yes. Telescopo supports dark themes and dark interface presentation.

You can use dark reading themes, Contrast Dark, and other darker Studio themes. Settings, onboarding, about, upgrade, toolbar, and popover surfaces are designed to follow the selected theme bucket where practical.

Where can I get support?

Use the Telescopo support page:

https://www.telescopo.app/support

In the app, support is available from:

  • Telescopo > Telescopo Support
  • Help > Telescopo Support
  • Settings > Telescopo > Contact Support

When contacting support, include:

  • Telescopo version.
  • macOS version.
  • Mac model if relevant.
  • Whether you are using Markdown Viewer or Markdown Studio.
  • A short description of what happened.
  • Steps to reproduce the issue.

Avoid sending private document contents. If a document-specific bug is involved, create a small non-sensitive sample that reproduces the problem.

What should I include in a support ticket?

Good support tickets include:

  • What you expected to happen.
  • What actually happened.
  • The exact file type involved, such as .md, .pdf, .svg, or .json.
  • Whether the file is local, iCloud-based, external-drive-based, or remote.
  • Whether the issue happens with one file or all files.
  • Screenshots if the issue is visual.
  • The Telescopo version and macOS version.

For purchase issues, include whether the purchase appears in Apple purchase history. Do not send payment card information.

For document rendering issues, send a minimal reproduction if possible. Remove private content first.