Rules Reference

mdbook-lint provides comprehensive markdown linting with two rule categories.

Standard Markdown Rules

59 rules (MD001-MD059) based on the widely-used markdownlint specification. These rules ensure consistent markdown formatting and style.

Categories

• Heading Rules - Heading hierarchy and formatting
• List Rules - List formatting and consistency
• Whitespace Rules - Trailing spaces, blank lines
• Link Rules - URL formatting and link text
• Code Rules - Code block formatting and fencing
• Style Rules - Emphasis and formatting consistency

mdBook-Specific Rules

Rules specifically designed for mdBook projects, validating mdBook-specific syntax and conventions.

Rules

• MDBOOK001 - Code blocks should have language tags
• MDBOOK002 - SUMMARY.md structure validation
• MDBOOK003 - Internal link validation
• MDBOOK004 - Part title formatting
• MDBOOK005 - Chapter path validation
• MDBOOK006 - Draft chapter validation
• MDBOOK007 - Separator syntax validation

Quick Reference

Rules with Automatic Fix Support

The following rules can automatically fix violations:

• MD009 - Remove trailing spaces
• MD010 - Replace hard tabs with spaces
• MD012 - Remove multiple consecutive blank lines
• MD018 - Add space after hash in ATX headings
• MD019 - Fix multiple spaces after hash
• MD020 - Remove spaces inside closed ATX headings
• MD021 - Fix multiple spaces inside closed ATX headings
• MD023 - Remove indentation from headings
• MD027 - Fix multiple spaces after blockquote symbol
• MD030 - Fix spaces after list markers
• MD034 - Wrap bare URLs in angle brackets
• MD047 - Ensure files end with single newline

Disabling Rules

Rules can be disabled globally or for specific files:

# Disable globally
[rules]
MD002 = false
MD041 = false

# Disable for specific files
[ignore]
MD013 = ["CHANGELOG.md", "docs/api/*.md"]