markdownlint

name	markdownlint
description	This skill should be used when users need to format, clean, lint, or validate Markdown files using the markdownlint-cli2 command-line tool. Use this skill for tasks involving Markdown file quality checks, automatic formatting fixes, enforcing Markdown style rules, or identifying Markdown syntax issues.

Markdownlint Skill

This skill provides expertise in using markdownlint-cli2, a fast and flexible linting tool for Markdown files that helps maintain consistent formatting and catches common issues.

About Markdownlint

Markdownlint is a Node.js-based tool that checks Markdown files against a set of configurable rules to enforce consistent style and catch syntax errors. The CLI tool (markdownlint-cli2) is built on top of the markdownlint library and provides enhanced performance and configuration options.

Key Capabilities

• Linting: Check Markdown files against style rules
• Auto-fixing: Automatically fix many common Markdown issues
• Configuration: Customizable rules via multiple configuration formats
• Glob Support: Process multiple files using glob patterns
• Cross-platform: Works consistently across UNIX and Windows
• Fast: Efficient processing of multiple Markdown files

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users:

• Need to format or clean Markdown files
• Want to enforce Markdown style consistency across a project
• Need to validate Markdown syntax
• Want to identify and fix Markdown issues automatically
• Need to lint Markdown files as part of CI/CD pipelines
• Ask about Markdown best practices or style rules
• Want to configure custom Markdown linting rules

Project-Specific Configuration

IMPORTANT: This project uses .markdownlint.yaml for configuration. Always follow these project rules:

Key Project Rules

• MD040 (fenced-code-language): ALWAYS specify a language for code fences. Never use plain ``` without a language identifier.
  • ✅ Good: ```bash, ```python, ```json
  • ❌ Bad: ``` (no language specified)
• MD007 (unordered-list-indent): Use 2-space indentation for lists
• MD033 (no-inline-html): Disabled - inline HTML is allowed
• MD041 (first-line-h1): Disabled - files don't need to start with H1
• MD013 (line-length): Disabled - no line length restrictions
• MD024 (no-duplicate-heading): Siblings only - duplicate headings allowed under different parents
• MD038 (no-space-in-code): Disabled
• MD036 (no-emphasis-as-heading): Disabled

When fixing or creating markdown files in this project, always ensure compliance with these rules.

How to Use This Skill

Basic Markdownlint Workflow

The basic command pattern is:

markdownlint-cli2 [glob patterns] [options]

Common Operations

Linting Files

Check a single Markdown file:

markdownlint-cli2 README.md

Check multiple files with glob patterns:

markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md"
markdownlint-cli2 "docs/**/*.md"
markdownlint-cli2 "*.md" "docs/**/*.md"

Check all Markdown files in the current directory (dot-only glob):

markdownlint-cli2 .
# This is automatically mapped to: markdownlint-cli2 "*.{md,markdown}"

Check all Markdown files recursively:

markdownlint-cli2 "**"

Auto-fixing Issues

Fix issues automatically where possible:

markdownlint-cli2 --fix "**/*.md"
markdownlint-cli2 --fix README.md

The --fix option will modify files in place to resolve fixable issues.

Excluding Files/Directories

Exclude directories using negated patterns (use # for cross-platform compatibility):

markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" "#node_modules" "#vendor"
markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" "#**/node_modules"

Note: On UNIX shells, use # instead of ! for better compatibility with double-quoted arguments.

Using Configuration Files

Markdownlint will automatically detect configuration files in the following order:

• .markdownlint-cli2.jsonc
• .markdownlint-cli2.yaml
• .markdownlint-cli2.cjs or .markdownlint-cli2.mjs
• .markdownlint.jsonc or .markdownlint.json
• .markdownlint.yaml or .markdownlint.yml
• .markdownlint.cjs or .markdownlint.mjs
• package.json (under markdownlint-cli2 key)

Specify a custom configuration file:

markdownlint-cli2 --config .markdownlint-custom.json "**/*.md"

Working with stdin

Process input from standard input:

cat README.md | markdownlint-cli2 -
echo "# Hello World" | markdownlint-cli2 -

Literal File Paths

Use : prefix to specify literal file paths (bypassing glob expansion):

markdownlint-cli2 ":path/to/file.md"

Configuration

Basic Configuration File

Create a .markdownlint.json file:

{
  "default": true,
  "MD013": false,
  "MD033": false
}

Or a .markdownlint-cli2.jsonc file with comments:

{
  // Use default rules
  "config": {
    "default": true,
    // Disable line length rule
    "MD013": false,
    // Allow inline HTML
    "MD033": false,
    // Customize list indentation
    "MD007": {
      "indent": 2
    }
  },
  // Files to ignore
  "globs": ["**/*.md"],
  "ignores": ["node_modules", "CHANGELOG.md"]
}

Common Rules

Common markdownlint rules (prefix with MD):

• MD001: Heading levels should increment by one
• MD003: Heading style (consistent, atx, setext)
• MD004: Unordered list style
• MD007: Unordered list indentation
• MD009: Trailing spaces
• MD010: Hard tabs
• MD012: Multiple consecutive blank lines
• MD013: Line length (often disabled for flexibility)
• MD022: Headings should be surrounded by blank lines
• MD024: Multiple headings with the same content
• MD025: Multiple top-level headings
• MD031: Fenced code blocks should be surrounded by blank lines
• MD032: Lists should be surrounded by blank lines
• MD033: Inline HTML (often disabled when HTML is needed)
• MD034: Bare URLs
• MD040: Fenced code blocks should have a language ⚠️ CRITICAL: Always specify language in this project
• MD041: First line should be a top-level heading

Disable Rules Inline

Disable rules for specific sections using HTML comments:

<!-- markdownlint-disable MD013 -->
This is a very long line that would normally trigger MD013 but won't because the rule is disabled.
<!-- markdownlint-enable MD013 -->

<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD033 -->
<div>This HTML is allowed</div>

<!-- markdownlint-disable-file MD013 -->
Disable a rule for the entire file

Cross-Platform Best Practices

For maximum compatibility across platforms:

1. Quote glob patterns: Always use double quotes around patterns

   markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" "#node_modules"
   

2. Use # for negation: Instead of ! which can cause shell issues

   markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" "#vendor"
   

3. Use forward slashes: Always use / for path separators (works on all platforms)

   markdownlint-cli2 "docs/**/*.md"
   

4. Stop processing options: Use -- to treat remaining arguments as literals

   markdownlint-cli2 -- "file-with-special-chars.md"
   

Common Workflows

Format All Markdown in a Project

markdownlint-cli2 --fix "**/*.md" "#node_modules" "#vendor"

Check Only Docs Directory

markdownlint-cli2 "docs/**/*.md"

CI/CD Integration

Add to your CI pipeline to enforce Markdown standards:

# Fail build if any issues found
markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" "#node_modules"

Pre-commit Hook

Lint staged Markdown files before commit:

#!/bin/sh
markdownlint-cli2 $(git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACM | grep '\.md$')

Fix and Review

Fix issues but review changes before committing:

# Create a backup first
git add .
git commit -m "Backup before markdownlint fix"

# Apply fixes
markdownlint-cli2 --fix "**/*.md"

# Review changes
git diff

# Commit if satisfied or reset if not
git add .
git commit -m "Apply markdownlint fixes"

Troubleshooting

No Files Matched

If markdownlint reports no files matched:

• Check that glob patterns are properly quoted
• Verify file extensions (.md vs .markdown)
• Ensure negated patterns aren't excluding everything

Too Many Issues

If you're overwhelmed by issues on an existing project:

1. Start by fixing auto-fixable issues: markdownlint-cli2 --fix "**/*.md"
2. Review the most common violations
3. Disable problematic rules initially and gradually enable them
4. Focus on high-priority rules first (headings, lists, code blocks)

Configuration Not Loading

If your configuration isn't being applied:

• Check file name matches expected patterns
• Validate JSON/YAML syntax
• Use --config to explicitly specify the file
• Check for syntax errors in configuration

Best Practices

1. Start with defaults: Begin with all default rules enabled and disable only what's necessary
2. Use auto-fix liberally: Many issues are mechanical and safe to auto-fix
3. Configure line length carefully: MD013 (line length) is often disabled or set to a high value
4. Allow necessary HTML: Disable MD033 if your Markdown intentionally includes HTML
5. Document exceptions: Use inline comments to explain why rules are disabled
6. Commit configuration: Keep .markdownlint.json in version control for consistency
7. Run early and often: Integrate linting into your development workflow
8. Review auto-fixes: Always review changes from --fix before committing

Installation

Markdownlint-cli2 can be installed via:

• npm: npm install -g markdownlint-cli2
• yarn: yarn global add markdownlint-cli2
• pnpm: pnpm add -g markdownlint-cli2
• Homebrew: brew install markdownlint-cli2

Verify installation:

markdownlint-cli2 --help

Resources

• Official repository: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2
• Markdownlint rules: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint/blob/main/doc/Rules.md
• Configuration schema: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2#configuration