Whitespace Rules

These rules ensure consistent whitespace usage throughout your markdown documents.

Rules in This Category

Auto-fix Available ✓

• MD009 - No trailing spaces
• MD010 - Hard tabs
• MD012 - Multiple consecutive blank lines
• MD027 - Multiple spaces after blockquote symbol
• MD047 - Files should end with a single newline

Why Whitespace Matters

Consistent whitespace usage:

• Improves readability and maintainability
• Prevents version control issues (unnecessary diffs)
• Ensures consistent rendering across different viewers
• Follows standard text file conventions
• Reduces file size

Quick Configuration

# .mdbook-lint.toml

# Configure MD009 - Trailing spaces
[MD009]
br_spaces = 2  # Allow 2 spaces for line breaks

# Configure MD010 - Hard tabs
[MD010]
spaces_per_tab = 4  # Convert tabs to 4 spaces

# Configure MD012 - Multiple blank lines
[MD012]
maximum = 1  # Allow max 1 consecutive blank line

# Configure MD027 - Blockquote spacing
[MD027]
spaces = 1  # Require 1 space after >

Disable All Whitespace Rules

# .mdbook-lint.toml
disabled_rules = ["MD009", "MD010", "MD012", "MD027", "MD047"]

Related Categories

• Heading Rules - Heading formatting and structure
• List Rules - List formatting and indentation