# markdownlint

A Node.js style checker and lint tool for Markdown/CommonMark files.

Repository: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/markdownlint
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: markdown, lint, nodejs, commonmark
Last push: 2026-08-26T05:55:39+00:00
Link (homepage): https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=DavidAnson.vscode-markdownlint
Link (site_page): https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/overview
Link (site_page): https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/codebasics
Link (site_page): https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface
Link (site_page): https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/settings

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4189, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6304, forks 945 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:41.569287+00:00)

## What it is
markdownlint is a Node.js static analysis library that checks Markdown/CommonMark files against a configurable library of style rules, supporting GFM syntax like tables, footnotes, and math. It powers a VS Code extension, CLI tools (markdownlint-cli2), and a GitHub Action for linting Markdown in editors and CI pipelines.

## Use cases
- lint markdown files for style consistency
- enforce markdown style rules in a project
- check commonmark files for formatting issues
- lint markdown in vs code
- add markdown linting to ci pipeline
- standardize documentation formatting across a repo

## When to choose
- you need programmatic or editor-integrated Markdown linting in a Node.js ecosystem
- you want CommonMark-compliant checks with GFM extension support
- you need consistent Markdown style enforcement across editors, CLI, and CI

## When to avoid
- you lint Markdown in a Ruby project and prefer the mdl gem
- you need a formatter that rewrites files rather than reporting issues
- your project uses non-CommonMark Markdown dialects unsupported by micromark

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: linter, parser, developer-tools
- domain: documentation, developer-tools, text-editors
- platform: editor-plugin, cross-platform
- tags: markdown, commonmark, static-analysis, style-checking, vscode-extension, linting, nodejs

## Member repositories
- DavidAnson/markdownlint (main) score 77
- DavidAnson/vscode-markdownlint (plugin) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:41.569287+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:46:14.799136+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:41.569287+00:00, sha daff68d3048d)
  - homepage: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=DavidAnson.vscode-markdownlint (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.437192+00:00, sha eef4f5a1a23c)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/overview (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.440255+00:00, sha c3bda57144e4)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/codebasics (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.467894+00:00, sha c367731ae7d3)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/userinterface (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.493095+00:00, sha b6b52406dce8)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/settings (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.496470+00:00, sha f220fd608351)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/Docs/editor/keybindings (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.499004+00:00, sha 083c13520828)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.501338+00:00, sha 9b812762624b)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/customization/userandworkspace (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.504540+00:00, sha f220fd608351)
  - site_page: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/reference/variables-reference (fetched 2026-08-29T08:43:32.506838+00:00, sha 4d2ede9c9880)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.