# swsnr/mdcat

cat for markdown

Repository: https://github.com/swsnr/mdcat
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/mdcat
Homepage: https://crates.io/crates/mdcat
Language: Rust
License: MPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: rust, markdown, iterm2, cat, terminal
Archived: true
Last push: 2026-06-19T10:39:10+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 88, release rhythm 40, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3160, "days_push": 75, "days_rel": 627, "gap_med": 8.5, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2413, forks 104 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:44.501563+00:00)

## What it is
mdcat is a command-line tool that renders Markdown (CommonMark) files directly in the terminal, like cat but with formatting. It supports syntax highlighting, inline links and images, and terminal-specific features like jump marks in iTerm2.

## Use cases
- read markdown files in the terminal
- render markdown with syntax highlighting in cli
- cat for markdown files
- view markdown readme without leaving terminal
- display images inline in terminal from markdown

## When to choose
- you want to preview markdown files quickly in a modern terminal like iTerm2, kitty, or WezTerm
- you prefer reading documentation in the terminal instead of a GUI viewer

## When to avoid
- you need a maintained tool - this repository is no longer maintained; use the BIRSAx2/mdcat fork instead
- you need CommonMark extensions like footnotes or table cell wrapping
- you use an old terminal without inline link or strikethrough support

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: abandoned
- function: markdown, cli, terminal-ui, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, documentation
- platform: cli, windows, rust
- tags: markdown-rendering, terminal, commonmark, syntax-highlighting, unmaintained, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- swsnr/mdcat (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:44.501563+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 2026-08-30T02:33:56.461759+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/swsnr/mdcat (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:44.501563+00:00, sha eddcec840974)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.