markdown-line-length-120

name	markdown-line-length-120
description	Apply Markdown drafting rules an autofixer cannot fix — wrap body lines at 120 chars (MD013), one H1 per document (MD025), named links instead of bare URLs (MD034), language tag on every fenced code block (MD040). Use when editing `*.md` in a repository that pins markdownlint `MD013.line_length` to 120.

Markdown drafting rules an autofixer cannot fix

Build every .md file with these four rules in mind from the first draft. They are not autofixable, so pasting in a long paragraph and rewrapping it afterwards is wasted work. Run markdownlint-cli2 --fix before commit for the rest (MD022, MD032, MD060, MD029, MD026, MD047, ...).

Wrap body lines at 120 characters (MD013)

Plan the sentence around the wrap, not the other way round. Break at word boundaries; never split `inline code` or a [link](url) span across lines. List-item continuations indent by two spaces to line up with the bullet content. Exempt from the limit: YAML frontmatter, fenced code blocks, and pipe tables — do not reformat them to fit 120.

One H1 per document (MD025)

The first heading is the title (#). All later sections are ## or deeper. A section break never gets promoted back to #, even when the document is long.

Named links, not bare URLs (MD034)

Write [the SDK reference](https://example.com/sdk), not https://example.com/sdk on its own. When the URL really is the link text (citations, release notes), wrap it in angle brackets: <https://example.com/sdk>.

Language tag on every fenced code block (MD040)

```yaml, ```bash, ```text, ```diff — always pick one. Use text for plain output, directory listings, ASCII diagrams, or fixtures with no syntax to highlight.