Markdownlint Integration

Master integrating markdownlint into development workflows including CLI usage, programmatic API (sync/async/promise), CI/CD pipelines, pre-commit hooks, and editor integration.

Overview

Markdownlint can be integrated into various parts of your development workflow to ensure consistent markdown quality. This includes command-line tools, programmatic usage in Node.js, continuous integration pipelines, Git hooks, and editor plugins.

Command-Line Interface

markdownlint-cli Installation

npm install -g markdownlint-cli
# or as dev dependency
npm install --save-dev markdownlint-cli

Basic CLI Usage

# Lint all markdown files in current directory
markdownlint '**/*.md'

# Lint specific files
markdownlint README.md CONTRIBUTING.md

# Lint with configuration file
markdownlint -c .markdownlint.json '**/*.md'

# Ignore specific files
markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules

# Fix violations automatically
markdownlint -f '**/*.md'

# Output to file
markdownlint '**/*.md' -o linting-results.txt

Advanced CLI Options

# Use custom config
markdownlint --config config/markdown-lint.json docs/

# Ignore patterns from file
markdownlint --ignore-path .gitignore '**/*.md'

# Use multiple ignore patterns
markdownlint --ignore node_modules --ignore dist '**/*.md'

# Enable specific rules only
markdownlint --rules MD001,MD003,MD013 '**/*.md'

# Disable specific rules
markdownlint --disable MD013 '**/*.md'

# Show output in JSON format
markdownlint --json '**/*.md'

# Quiet mode (exit code only)
markdownlint -q '**/*.md'

# Verbose output
markdownlint --verbose '**/*.md'

CLI Configuration File

.markdownlint-cli.json

:

{
  "config": {
    "default": true,
    "MD013": {
      "line_length": 100
    }
  },
  "files": ["**/*.md"],
  "ignores": [
    "node_modules/**",
    "dist/**",
    "build/**"
  ]
}

Use with:

markdownlint --config .markdownlint-cli.json

Programmatic API

Callback-Based API

const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');

const options = {
  files: ['good.md', 'bad.md'],
  config: {
    default: true,
    'line-length': {
      line_length: 100
    }
  }
};

markdownlint(options, (err, result) => {
  if (!err) {
    console.log(result.toString());
  } else {
    console.error(err);
  }
});

Promise-Based API

import { lint as lintPromise } from 'markdownlint/promise';

const options = {
  files: ['README.md', 'docs/**/*.md'],
  config: {
    default: true,
    'no-inline-html': {
      allowed_elements: ['br', 'img']
    }
  }
};

try {
  const results = await lintPromise(options);
  console.dir(results, { colors: true, depth: null });
} catch (err) {
  console.error(err);
}

Synchronous API

import { lint as lintSync } from 'markdownlint/sync';

const options = {
  files: ['README.md'],
  strings: {
    'inline-content': '# Test\n\nContent here.'
  },
  config: {
    default: true
  }
};

const results = lintSync(options);
console.log(results.toString());

Linting Strings

const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');

const options = {
  strings: {
    'content-1': '# Heading\n\nParagraph text.',
    'content-2': '## Another heading\n\nMore content.'
  },
  config: {
    default: true,
    'first-line-heading': {
      level: 1
    }
  }
};

markdownlint(options, (err, result) => {
  if (!err) {
    const resultString = result.toString();
    console.log(resultString);
  }
});

Working with Results

import { lint } from 'markdownlint/promise';

const results = await lint({
  files: ['docs/**/*.md'],
  config: { default: true }
});

// Results is an object keyed by filename
Object.keys(results).forEach(file => {
  const fileResults = results[file];

  fileResults.forEach(result => {
    console.log(`${file}:${result.lineNumber} ${result.ruleNames.join('/')} ${result.ruleDescription}`);

    if (result.errorDetail) {
      console.log(`  Detail: ${result.errorDetail}`);
    }

    if (result.errorContext) {
      console.log(`  Context: ${result.errorContext}`);
    }
  });
});

Reading Configuration

const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');
const { readConfigSync } = require('markdownlint/sync');

// Read configuration from file
const config = readConfigSync('.markdownlint.json');

const options = {
  files: ['**/*.md'],
  config: config
};

const results = markdownlint.sync(options);
console.log(results.toString());

Using Custom Rules

const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');
const customRule = require('./custom-rules/heading-capitalization');

const options = {
  files: ['README.md'],
  config: {
    default: true,
    'heading-capitalization': true
  },
  customRules: [customRule]
};

markdownlint(options, (err, result) => {
  if (!err) {
    console.log(result.toString());
  }
});

Applying Fixes Programmatically

applyFix Function

const { applyFix } = require('markdownlint');

const line = '  Text with extra spaces  ';
const fixInfo = {
  editColumn: 1,
  deleteCount: 2,
  insertText: ''
};

const fixed = applyFix(line, fixInfo);
console.log(fixed); // 'Text with extra spaces  '

applyFixes Function

const { applyFixes } = require('markdownlint');

const input = '# Heading\n\n\nParagraph';
const errors = [
  {
    lineNumber: 3,
    ruleNames: ['MD012'],
    ruleDescription: 'Multiple blank lines',
    fixInfo: {
      lineNumber: 3,
      deleteCount: -1
    }
  }
];

const fixed = applyFixes(input, errors);
console.log(fixed); // '# Heading\n\nParagraph'

Auto-Fix Workflow

const fs = require('fs');
const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');
const { applyFixes } = require('markdownlint');

const file = 'README.md';
const content = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');

const options = {
  strings: {
    [file]: content
  },
  config: {
    default: true
  }
};

markdownlint(options, (err, result) => {
  if (!err) {
    const errors = result[file] || [];

    if (errors.length > 0) {
      const fixed = applyFixes(content, errors);
      fs.writeFileSync(file, fixed, 'utf8');
      console.log(`Fixed ${errors.length} issues in ${file}`);
    }
  }
});

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions

.github/workflows/markdownlint.yml

:

name: Markdownlint

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Run markdownlint
        run: npx markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules

      - name: Annotate PR with results
        if: failure()
        run: |
          npx markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules -o markdownlint-results.txt
          cat markdownlint-results.txt

GitHub Actions with markdownlint-cli2

name: Markdownlint

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Run markdownlint-cli2
        uses: DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2-action@v9
        with:
          paths: '**/*.md'

GitLab CI

.gitlab-ci.yml

:

markdownlint:
  image: node:18-alpine
  stage: test
  before_script:
    - npm install -g markdownlint-cli
  script:
    - markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules
  only:
    - merge_requests
    - main
  artifacts:
    when: on_failure
    paths:
      - markdownlint-results.txt

CircleCI

.circleci/config.yml

:

version: 2.1

jobs:
  markdownlint:
    docker:
      - image: cimg/node:18.0
    steps:
      - checkout
      - run:
          name: Install markdownlint
          command: npm install -g markdownlint-cli
      - run:
          name: Run linter
          command: markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules

workflows:
  version: 2
  build_and_test:
    jobs:
      - markdownlint

Jenkins Pipeline

Jenkinsfile

:

pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Lint Markdown') {
            steps {
                sh 'npm install -g markdownlint-cli'
                sh 'markdownlint "**/*.md" --ignore node_modules'
            }
        }
    }

    post {
        always {
            cleanWs()
        }
        failure {
            echo 'Markdownlint found issues!'
        }
    }
}

Azure Pipelines

azure-pipelines.yml

:

trigger:
  - main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

steps:
  - task: NodeTool@0
    inputs:
      versionSpec: '18.x'
    displayName: 'Install Node.js'

  - script: |
      npm install -g markdownlint-cli
    displayName: 'Install markdownlint'

  - script: |
      markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules
    displayName: 'Run markdownlint'

Pre-commit Hooks

Using Husky

Install Husky:

npm install --save-dev husky
npx husky install

Create pre-commit hook:

npx husky add .husky/pre-commit "npm run lint:md"

Add script to

package.json

:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md": "markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules",
    "lint:md:fix": "markdownlint -f '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules"
  }
}

Using lint-staged

Install lint-staged:

npm install --save-dev lint-staged

Configure in

package.json

:

{
  "lint-staged": {
    "*.md": [
      "markdownlint --fix",
      "git add"
    ]
  }
}

Update pre-commit hook:

npx husky add .husky/pre-commit "npx lint-staged"

Using pre-commit Framework

.pre-commit-config.yaml

:

repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/igorshubovych/markdownlint-cli
    rev: v0.37.0
    hooks:
      - id: markdownlint
        args: ['--fix']

  - repo: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint-cli2
    rev: v0.10.0
    hooks:
      - id: markdownlint-cli2
        args: ['--fix']

Install and use:

pip install pre-commit
pre-commit install
pre-commit run --all-files

Editor Integration

Visual Studio Code

Install the markdownlint extension:

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "markdownlint"
4. Install "markdownlint" by David Anson

Configure in

.vscode/settings.json

:

{
  "markdownlint.config": {
    "default": true,
    "MD013": {
      "line_length": 100
    }
  },
  "markdownlint.ignore": [
    "node_modules/**",
    "dist/**"
  ],
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.markdownlint": true
  }
}

Vim/Neovim

Using ALE (Asynchronous Lint Engine):

" In .vimrc or init.vim
let g:ale_linters = {
\   'markdown': ['markdownlint'],
\}

let g:ale_fixers = {
\   'markdown': ['markdownlint'],
\}

let g:ale_markdown_markdownlint_options = '-c .markdownlint.json'

" Enable fixing on save
let g:ale_fix_on_save = 1

Sublime Text

Install via Package Control:

1. Install Package Control
2. Install "SublimeLinter"
3. Install "SublimeLinter-contrib-markdownlint"

Configure in preferences:

{
  "linters": {
    "markdownlint": {
      "args": ["-c", ".markdownlint.json"]
    }
  }
}

Atom

Install packages:

apm install linter-markdownlint

Configure in Atom settings or

.atom/config.cson

:

"linter-markdownlint":
  configPath: ".markdownlint.json"

npm Scripts Integration

package.json Scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "npm run lint:md",
    "lint:md": "markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules",
    "lint:md:fix": "markdownlint -f '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules",
    "lint:md:ci": "markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules -o markdownlint-report.txt",
    "test": "npm run lint && npm run test:unit",
    "precommit": "lint-staged"
  }
}

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Using cross-env for environment variables:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md": "cross-env NODE_ENV=development markdownlint '**/*.md'"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "cross-env": "^7.0.3"
  }
}

Docker Integration

Dockerfile

FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

# Install markdownlint globally
RUN npm install -g markdownlint-cli

# Copy markdown files
COPY . .

# Run linter
CMD ["markdownlint", "**/*.md", "--ignore", "node_modules"]

docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'

services:
  markdownlint:
    image: node:18-alpine
    working_dir: /app
    volumes:
      - .:/app
    command: >
      sh -c "npm install -g markdownlint-cli &&
             markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules"

Run with:

docker-compose run markdownlint

Monorepo Integration

Workspace Configuration

Root

.markdownlint.json

:

{
  "default": true,
  "line-length": {
    "line_length": 100
  }
}

Root

package.json

:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md": "markdownlint '**/*.md' --ignore node_modules",
    "lint:md:packages": "lerna run lint:md",
    "lint:md:all": "npm run lint:md && npm run lint:md:packages"
  }
}

Package-level

packages/api/package.json

:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md": "markdownlint '**/*.md'"
  }
}

Using Lerna

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md": "lerna run lint:md --stream"
  }
}

Using Turborepo

turbo.json

:

{
  "pipeline": {
    "lint:md": {
      "outputs": []
    }
  }
}

Reporting and Metrics

Generate HTML Report

Using a custom script:

const fs = require('fs');
const markdownlint = require('markdownlint');

const options = {
  files: ['**/*.md'],
  config: { default: true }
};

markdownlint(options, (err, results) => {
  if (!err) {
    const html = generateHtmlReport(results);
    fs.writeFileSync('markdownlint-report.html', html);
  }
});

function generateHtmlReport(results) {
  let html = '<html><head><title>Markdownlint Report</title></head><body>';
  html += '<h1>Markdownlint Results</h1>';

  Object.keys(results).forEach(file => {
    html += `<h2>${file}</h2>`;
    html += '<ul>';

    results[file].forEach(result => {
      html += `<li>Line ${result.lineNumber}: ${result.ruleDescription}</li>`;
    });

    html += '</ul>';
  });

  html += '</body></html>';
  return html;
}

JSON Output for Tooling

markdownlint '**/*.md' --json > results.json

Process with jq:

markdownlint '**/*.md' --json | jq '.[] | select(length > 0)'

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up markdownlint in new projects
• Integrating linting into CI/CD pipelines
• Configuring pre-commit hooks
• Automating documentation quality checks
• Setting up editor integration
• Building custom linting workflows
• Creating automated fix scripts
• Implementing documentation standards

Best Practices

1. CI/CD Integration - Always run linting in continuous integration
2. Pre-commit Hooks - Catch issues before they reach version control
3. Editor Integration - Get real-time feedback while writing
4. Consistent Configuration - Use same config across all environments
5. Auto-fix When Possible - Use -f flag to automatically fix violations
6. Fail Fast - Configure CI to fail on linting errors
7. Ignore Generated Files - Exclude build artifacts and dependencies
8. Version Lock - Pin markdownlint version in package.json
9. Document Standards - Keep documentation on linting rules
10. Progressive Enhancement - Start with relaxed rules, tighten over time
11. Team Communication - Discuss rule changes before applying
12. Regular Updates - Keep markdownlint updated for bug fixes
13. Performance Optimization - Use appropriate glob patterns
14. Error Reporting - Configure meaningful error output
15. Backup Before Auto-fix - Always commit before running fixes

Common Pitfalls

1. Missing Ignore Patterns - Linting node_modules or build directories
2. Wrong Glob Patterns - Incorrect file matching in CLI
3. Config Not Found - Configuration file in wrong location
4. Async/Sync Mismatch - Using sync API with async rules
5. CI Timeout - Linting too many files without optimization
6. No Exit Code Check - Not failing CI on linting errors
7. Overwriting Files - Using auto-fix without version control
8. Missing Dependencies - Not installing markdownlint in CI
9. Platform Differences - Path separators differ between OS
10. Large Binary Files - Accidentally linting non-markdown files
11. Outdated Cache - Cached node_modules with old markdownlint
12. Silent Failures - Not capturing error output in CI
13. Config Conflicts - Multiple config files conflicting
14. Missing Editor Config - Local linting differs from CI
15. No Pre-commit Hook - Issues not caught before commit

Resources

• markdownlint GitHub Repository
• markdownlint-cli
• markdownlint-cli2
• markdownlint VS Code Extension
• GitHub Actions Integration
• API Documentation