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MD004 - Unordered List Style

Unordered list style should be consistent.

Why This Rule Exists

Markdown supports three markers for unordered lists: -, *, and +. Using different markers inconsistently creates visual noise and can indicate accidental mixing of content from different sources.

Examples

Incorrect

- Item one
* Item two
+ Item three

Correct

- Item one
- Item two
- Item three

Or consistently using asterisks:

* Item one
* Item two
* Item three

Configuration

[MD004]
style = "dash"  # Options: "dash", "asterisk", "plus", "consistent"
ValueMarkerExample
dash-- Item
asterisk** Item
plus++ Item
consistentFirst usedMatches first list marker

When to Disable

  • Documents intentionally using different markers to distinguish list types
  • Importing content from multiple sources

Rule Details

  • Rule ID: MD004
  • Aliases: ul-style
  • Category: Formatting
  • Severity: Warning
  • Auto-fix: Yes
  • MD005 - List item indentation
  • MD006 - Lists start at beginning of line
  • MD007 - Unordered list indentation
  • MD029 - Ordered list prefix style