diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f83486a..730494b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Key capabilities:
 - `marknest` provides a `validate` CLI for `.md`, `.zip`, and folder inputs.
 - `marknest` provides a conversion CLI with config file, debug artifact, and print template support.
 - `marknest` now also exposes a reusable HTML-to-PDF helper for local fallback services.
-- `marknest-wasm` exposes browser bindings for ZIP analysis, output-aware HTML preview rendering, batch preview rendering, ZIP packaging of generated PDFs, and browser-side debug bundle generation.
+- `marknest-wasm` exposes browser bindings for ZIP analysis, output-aware HTML preview rendering, direct single-markdown rendering (bypassing ZIP), batch preview rendering, ZIP packaging of generated PDFs, and browser-side debug bundle generation.
 - `marknest-server` provides a local Axum fallback service that accepts multipart ZIP uploads plus shared output options, returns single PDF or batch ZIP downloads through a Playwright-driven Chromium/Chrome path, and emits structured request logs.
 - `index.html` plus `web/app.js`, `web/app.css`, `web/output_options.mjs`, and `web/runtime_sync.mjs` provide a web app for ZIP upload, entry selection, warnings, rendered HTML preview, runtime-aware browser export, debug bundle download, and optional local server fallback.
 - Validation supports `--entry`, `--all`, `--strict`, and `--report`.
diff --git a/crates/marknest-core/src/lib.rs b/crates/marknest-core/src/lib.rs
index daf5b16..59ff3a5 100644
--- a/crates/marknest-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/marknest-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ pub const MATHJAX_SCRIPT_URL: &str = "./runtime-assets/mathjax/es5/tex-svg.js";
 pub enum ProjectSourceKind {
     Workspace,
     Zip,
+    SingleMarkdown,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize)]
@@ -238,6 +239,23 @@ pub fn render_zip_entry_with_options(
     render_entry_with_options(&zip_file_system, entry_path, options)
 }
 
+pub fn render_markdown_entry(
+    bytes: &[u8],
+    filename: &str,
+) -> Result<RenderedHtmlDocument, RenderHtmlError> {
+    render_markdown_entry_with_options(bytes, filename, &RenderOptions::default())
+}
+
+pub fn render_markdown_entry_with_options(
+    bytes: &[u8],
+    filename: &str,
+    options: &RenderOptions,
+) -> Result<RenderedHtmlDocument, RenderHtmlError> {
+    let file_system = SingleMarkdownFileSystem::new(bytes, filename)?;
+    let entry_path: &str = &file_system.files[0].normalized_path;
+    render_entry_with_options(&file_system, entry_path, options)
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 struct RenderedHeading {
     level: HeadingLevel,
@@ -486,6 +504,36 @@ impl IndexedFileSystem for ZipMemoryFileSystem {
     }
 }
 
+struct SingleMarkdownFileSystem {
+    files: Vec<IndexedFile>,
+}
+
+impl SingleMarkdownFileSystem {
+    fn new(contents: &[u8], filename: &str) -> Result<Self, RenderHtmlError> {
+        let normalized_path: String =
+            normalize_relative_string(filename).map_err(|_| RenderHtmlError::InvalidEntryPath {
+                entry_path: filename.to_string(),
+            })?;
+
+        Ok(Self {
+            files: vec![IndexedFile {
+                normalized_path,
+                contents: contents.to_vec(),
+            }],
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl IndexedFileSystem for SingleMarkdownFileSystem {
+    fn source_kind(&self) -> ProjectSourceKind {
+        ProjectSourceKind::SingleMarkdown
+    }
+
+    fn files(&self) -> &[IndexedFile] {
+        &self.files
+    }
+}
+
 fn analyze_project(file_system: &dyn IndexedFileSystem) -> Result<ProjectIndex, AnalyzeError> {
     let mut diagnostic: Diagnostic = Diagnostic::default();
     let mut markdown_files: Vec<&IndexedFile> = Vec::new();
diff --git a/crates/marknest-core/tests/render_markdown_html.rs b/crates/marknest-core/tests/render_markdown_html.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b070dc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/marknest-core/tests/render_markdown_html.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+use marknest_core::{
+    PdfMetadata, RenderHtmlError, RenderOptions, ThemePreset, render_markdown_entry,
+    render_markdown_entry_with_options,
+};
+
+#[test]
+fn renders_a_single_markdown_as_self_contained_html() {
+    let markdown_bytes = b"# Hello World\n\nThis is a test paragraph.\n";
+
+    let rendered =
+        render_markdown_entry(markdown_bytes, "README.md").expect("single markdown should render");
+
+    assert_eq!(rendered.title, "README");
+    assert!(
+        rendered
+            .html
+            .contains("<h1 id=\"hello-world\">Hello World</h1>")
+    );
+    assert!(rendered.html.contains("This is a test paragraph."));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn renders_single_markdown_with_custom_options() {
+    let markdown_bytes = b"# Preview\n\nSome content.\n";
+
+    let rendered = render_markdown_entry_with_options(
+        markdown_bytes,
+        "guide.md",
+        &RenderOptions {
+            theme: ThemePreset::Docs,
+            metadata: PdfMetadata {
+                title: Some("Custom Title".to_string()),
+                author: Some("Test Author".to_string()),
+                subject: Some("Testing".to_string()),
+            },
+            ..RenderOptions::default()
+        },
+    )
+    .expect("single markdown should render with options");
+
+    assert_eq!(rendered.title, "Custom Title");
+    assert!(rendered.html.contains("theme-docs"));
+    assert!(
+        rendered
+            .html
+            .contains("meta name=\"author\" content=\"Test Author\"")
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn derives_title_from_filename_when_no_metadata_title() {
+    let markdown_bytes = b"# Content\n";
+
+    let rendered = render_markdown_entry(markdown_bytes, "getting-started.md")
+        .expect("title should derive from filename");
+
+    assert_eq!(rendered.title, "getting-started");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn renders_single_markdown_with_unresolvable_local_images() {
+    let markdown_bytes = b"# Guide\n\n![Diagram](./images/arch.png)\n";
+
+    let rendered = render_markdown_entry(markdown_bytes, "guide.md")
+        .expect("single markdown should render even with unresolvable local images");
+
+    assert!(rendered.html.contains("<h1 id=\"guide\">Guide</h1>"));
+    // Local image reference stays as-is since there are no accompanying files
+    assert!(rendered.html.contains("./images/arch.png"));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn rejects_non_utf8_markdown_bytes() {
+    let invalid_utf8: &[u8] = &[0xFF, 0xFE, 0x00, 0x01];
+
+    let error = render_markdown_entry(invalid_utf8, "broken.md")
+        .expect_err("non-UTF-8 markdown should fail");
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        error,
+        RenderHtmlError::InvalidUtf8 {
+            entry_path: "broken.md".to_string(),
+        }
+    );
+}
diff --git a/crates/marknest-wasm/src/lib.rs b/crates/marknest-wasm/src/lib.rs
index ecce37a..7fcd782 100644
--- a/crates/marknest-wasm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/marknest-wasm/src/lib.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use marknest_core::{
     AssetRef, DEFAULT_MATH_TIMEOUT_MS, DEFAULT_MERMAID_TIMEOUT_MS, MATHJAX_SCRIPT_URL,
     MATHJAX_VERSION, MERMAID_SCRIPT_URL, MERMAID_VERSION, MathMode, MermaidMode, PdfMetadata,
     ProjectIndex, ProjectSourceKind, RUNTIME_ASSET_MODE, RenderOptions, RenderedHtmlDocument,
-    ThemePreset, analyze_zip, render_zip_entry_with_options,
+    ThemePreset, analyze_zip, render_markdown_entry_with_options, render_zip_entry_with_options,
 };
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use wasm_bindgen::prelude::*;
@@ -278,6 +278,20 @@ pub fn build_debug_bundle_binding(
         .map_err(|message| JsValue::from_str(&message))
 }
 
+#[wasm_bindgen(js_name = renderMarkdown)]
+pub fn render_markdown_binding(
+    md_bytes: Vec<u8>,
+    filename: String,
+    options: JsValue,
+) -> Result<JsValue, JsValue> {
+    let parsed_options =
+        parse_browser_output_options(options).map_err(|message| JsValue::from_str(&message))?;
+    let preview = render_markdown_model(&md_bytes, &filename, &parsed_options)
+        .map_err(|message| JsValue::from_str(&message))?;
+    serde_wasm_bindgen::to_value(&preview)
+        .map_err(|error| JsValue::from_str(&format!("Failed to encode rendered HTML: {error}")))
+}
+
 fn analyze_zip_model(zip_bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<ProjectIndex, String> {
     analyze_zip(zip_bytes).map_err(|error| error.to_string())
 }
@@ -307,6 +321,21 @@ fn render_preview_model(
     })
 }
 
+fn render_markdown_model(
+    md_bytes: &[u8],
+    filename: &str,
+    options: &BrowserOutputOptions,
+) -> Result<RenderPreview, String> {
+    let rendered_document: RenderedHtmlDocument =
+        render_markdown_entry_with_options(md_bytes, filename, &options.render_options())
+            .map_err(|error| error.to_string())?;
+
+    Ok(RenderPreview {
+        title: rendered_document.title,
+        html: rendered_document.html,
+    })
+}
+
 fn render_preview_batch_model(
     zip_bytes: &[u8],
     entry_paths: &[String],
@@ -482,7 +511,8 @@ mod tests {
 
     use super::{
         BrowserOutputOptions, PdfArchiveFile, analyze_zip_model, build_debug_bundle_model,
-        build_pdf_archive_model, render_preview_batch_model, render_preview_model,
+        build_pdf_archive_model, render_markdown_model, render_preview_batch_model,
+        render_preview_model,
     };
     use marknest_core::{MathMode, MermaidMode, ThemePreset};
     use zip::write::SimpleFileOptions;
@@ -760,4 +790,46 @@ mod tests {
                 .is_ok()
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn renders_single_markdown_preview_without_zip() {
+        let md_bytes = b"# Direct Render\n\nNo ZIP wrapping needed.\n";
+
+        let preview =
+            render_markdown_model(md_bytes, "README.md", &BrowserOutputOptions::default())
+                .expect("single markdown should render");
+
+        assert_eq!(preview.title, "README");
+        assert!(preview.html.contains("theme-github"));
+        assert!(
+            preview
+                .html
+                .contains("<h1 id=\"direct-render\">Direct Render</h1>")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn renders_single_markdown_preview_with_custom_options() {
+        let md_bytes = b"# Styled\n\nContent here.\n";
+
+        let preview = render_markdown_model(
+            md_bytes,
+            "guide.md",
+            &BrowserOutputOptions {
+                theme: ThemePreset::Docs,
+                title: Some("Custom Guide".to_string()),
+                author: Some("Team".to_string()),
+                ..BrowserOutputOptions::default()
+            },
+        )
+        .expect("single markdown should render with options");
+
+        assert_eq!(preview.title, "Custom Guide");
+        assert!(preview.html.contains("theme-docs"));
+        assert!(
+            preview
+                .html
+                .contains("meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team\"")
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/web/app.js b/web/app.js
index 1dbbfe7..6b7029c 100644
--- a/web/app.js
+++ b/web/app.js
@@ -23,12 +23,15 @@ import {
 import {
   buildZipFromFiles,
   detectInputKind,
+  hasLocalImageReferences,
   readDirectoryEntries,
 } from "./zip_from_files.mjs";
 
 const state = {
   wasm: null,
   zipBytes: null,
+  markdownBytes: null,
+  markdownFileName: null,
   projectIndex: null,
   selectedEntry: null,
   renderedPreview: null,
@@ -475,6 +478,8 @@ async function processInput(files) {
   }
 
   elements.localImageWarning.hidden = true;
+  state.markdownBytes = null;
+  state.markdownFileName = null;
 
   if (inputKind === "zip") {
     await analyzeZip(files[0]);
@@ -486,6 +491,35 @@ async function processInput(files) {
     return;
   }
 
+  if (inputKind === "markdown") {
+    try {
+      const file = files[0];
+      const text = await file.text();
+
+      if (hasLocalImageReferences(text)) {
+        elements.localImageWarning.hidden = false;
+        elements.localImageWarning.textContent =
+          "This Markdown file references local images that cannot be resolved in the browser. " +
+          "Only external (HTTP) images will be displayed. To include local images, upload the parent folder instead.";
+      }
+
+      const mdBytes = new Uint8Array(await file.arrayBuffer());
+      state.markdownBytes = mdBytes;
+      state.markdownFileName = file.name;
+
+      // Still build ZIP for operations that need it (debug bundle, server fallback)
+      const archiveEntries = [{ path: file.name, bytes: mdBytes }];
+      const zipBytes = state.wasm.buildPdfArchive(archiveEntries);
+      const syntheticFile = new File([zipBytes], file.name.replace(/\.(md|markdown)$/i, ".zip"), {
+        type: "application/zip",
+      });
+      await analyzeZip(syntheticFile);
+    } catch (error) {
+      setStatus("error", "Failed", `Input processing failed: ${String(error)}`);
+    }
+    return;
+  }
+
   try {
     setStatus("ready", "Converting", "Building an in-memory archive from the selected input.");
     const result = await buildZipFromFiles(state.wasm, files);
@@ -547,6 +581,8 @@ async function analyzeZip(file) {
   } catch (error) {
     state.previewRenderVersion += 1;
     state.zipBytes = null;
+    state.markdownBytes = null;
+    state.markdownFileName = null;
     state.projectIndex = null;
     state.selectedEntry = null;
     state.renderedPreview = null;
@@ -635,7 +671,9 @@ async function renderPreview(entryPath, outputOptions = currentOutputOptions())
   const optionsKey = currentOutputOptionsKey(outputOptions);
 
   try {
-    const preview = state.wasm.renderHtml(state.zipBytes, entryPath, outputOptions);
+    const preview = state.markdownBytes
+      ? state.wasm.renderMarkdown(state.markdownBytes, state.markdownFileName, outputOptions)
+      : state.wasm.renderHtml(state.zipBytes, entryPath, outputOptions);
     const materializedPreview = await materializePreview(preview, outputOptions);
     if (previewRenderVersion !== state.previewRenderVersion) {
       return;