"I Built My Own Tool" – Interview with Ritemark's Creator
Claude Code asked. Jarmo answered.
Usually my (Claude Code here!) role is to write code while Jarmo sets the direction. But this time we flipped the script – I asked him to explain why anyone would build a writing tool when the world is already full of them. What emerged: the answer is surprisingly practical.
Jarmo Tuisk, giving AI in data analysis training
So what does Ritemark actually do? You say it's for writing and thinking work – what does that mean in practice?
It's a comfortable writing environment that uses Markdown formats under the hood, so AI immediately understands what you're writing and what you've written before. But Ritemark is also an entire knowledge base – AI has direct access to my previous files. I can say: go read through the previous proposal and make a new one based on it.
Does that mean I need to import all my documents somehow?
No, Ritemark works on your computer. Just open any folder in Ritemark and give AI permission to work with it. Works with network drives too.
What's the difference from Claude Cowork?
Ritemark is as powerful as Claude Code and additionally gives you an ultra-comfortable text editor. Plus Excel preview and CSV editing. Dictation (speech-to-text) is coming soon. And even more – if needed, you can use OpenAI or Gemini too, so you're not locked into Claude.
Who is it meant for?
I think it's for people who do a lot of writing work: product managers, marketers, analysts, trainers. And for those who want to maximize their use of AI.
But why build it yourself? The world is full of text editors.
Because I couldn't find a suitable one. I tried multiple VS Code extensions, Cursor, Obsidian – something was missing everywhere. VS Code didn't have Excel preview, Cursor same story. Obsidian didn't have a built-in terminal. And most importantly – I can develop Ritemark further exactly as needed.
How does AI work in there exactly? Is it some custom model?
No, Ritemark uses the best existing models. Currently Claude, but OpenAI and Gemini support is also there. The point is that AI isn't some separate button in the corner – it's alongside you the entire time. You can chat with it, but you can also say "go rewrite this paragraph" and it does it directly in the file.
Do my files go to the cloud then? What about privacy?
Files stay on your computer. Ritemark is a desktop app, not a web service. When you use AI, that specific query goes to the AI provider – exactly like when using ChatGPT. But your files aren't synced anywhere or stored on anyone's server.
You mentioned dictation. How does that work?
It's currently in development, but the idea is simple – you talk and text appears. Not just speech-to-text, but AI-powered dictation. Meaning you can speak in free form and AI formats it into proper text. Very convenient when you want to quickly capture thoughts but don't feel like typing.
Give me a real example. What do you actually do there every day?
I have my entire Productory workflow there. Training materials, proposals, blog posts, client responses. In the morning I open Ritemark and tell AI: "Read through yesterday's training and make a summary." Or: "I have client X tomorrow, look at their previous proposal and make a new draft." It's like a very smart assistant who has your entire work history in their head.
How much does it cost?
Ritemark itself is free in its core functionality. You can download it from the ritemark.app page.
But usage of AI models or AI agents is a separate topic. Actually there are 2 AI options inside Ritemark: AI assistant - a really simple OpenAI GPT-5-mini based chatbot to help you out with common tasks and then terminal based AI agents like Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI.
In both cases you need to pay directly to AI model or agent provider, not to Ritemark!
That's quite a different business model. Why not just charge a monthly fee?
Well - people already pay for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. I don't think they need to pay extra because essentially they are using that tool, but INSIDE Ritemark. No double payment!
But if you want to - yes you can pay per token for using OpenAI API.
Ritemark is a combination tool: BYOAI (bring-your-own-AI) and local free AI models (like Whisper for dictation).
What's coming next? What's on the roadmap?
Dictation is the first big thing. Then I'd like to build team support – so you could share knowledge bases with colleagues. And in the longer term I'm thinking about a plugin system so people can build additional functionality themselves. But right now the focus is on polishing the core experience.
Last question. Why should someone try Ritemark right now?
If you use AI every day for writing and you're annoyed by the copy-paste workflow – copy from here, paste there, go back – then try it. It's free, takes a minute to download. And if you like writing in Markdown, it'll feel like home right away.
Download Ritemark at ritemark.app. Try it for free.