Notice what the README points to
A GitHub README often links to docs/, images and examples. A single raw README.md download does not carry those targets. Check the repository’s license and download the repository ZIP or clone it through a tool you already use. Extract the ZIP before testing links; keeping the directory tree is the important part.
If you only need the text, a browser or text editor is enough. If you need the context, open the extracted folder in a compatible reader and start at the README. The Project Reading Kit gives you the same shape without relying on a third-party repository: its README links to a specification, architecture, plan and decisions.
Compare what you received
Follow one README link into docs/ or another Markdown file. Check an image path. Return to the README. If a local link fails, compare its target with the actual files and remember paths resolve from the current file, not always from the repository root. GitHub-specific syntax may not render identically in every desktop app; see GitHub Markdown rendering.
Avoid assuming a repo ZIP is safe to execute. Reading Markdown does not require running its scripts or build steps. For offline use, inspect remote image and badge URLs: they still depend on a connection even when the README itself is local. Aero Markdown’s Mac app is intended for this folder workflow, but download remains unavailable. The free browser reader can preview a single Markdown file now.