Markdown

GitHub Flavored Markdown Generation

Version: 1.2.1

Generate GFM that passes markdownlint validation with zero violations.

Core Principles

1. Blank Lines Are Mandatory

• Before/after ALL lists (MD032)
• Before/after ALL headings except document start (MD022)
• Before/after ALL code blocks (MD031)
• Between ALL block-level elements

2. Consistency Required

• Use - for lists
• Use # for headings (ATX)
• Regular spaces only—never tabs/nbsp

3. Structure Matters

• Heading hierarchy: 1→2→3 (not 1→3)
• ONE H1 per document
• Files end with one newline
• Lines under 80 chars

4. Invisible Characters Matter

• Use ONLY regular spaces (U+0020)
• Never non-breaking spaces (U+00A0,  )
• Never tabs
• UTF-8 encoding

Pre-Generation Checklist

• Where will lists/headings/code appear?
• Heading levels verified (1→2→3)?
• Using - for all lists?
• Code languages specified?
• Lines under 80 chars?
• Line breaks needed? (two trailing spaces)
• Using regular spaces only?
• URLs wrapped in <> or []?
• Document starts with H1?
• Ordered lists use 1. for all items?
• File ends with single newline?
• Tables use consistent spacing?

Essential Rules

Lists (MD032, MD004)

Text before.

- Item one
- Item two

Text after.

Headings (MD001, MD022)

Text.

## Heading

Content.

Code Blocks (MD031, MD040)

Text.

```python
code()
```

Text.

Nested Fences: When showing markdown examples that contain code blocks, use one more backtick than the deepest level:

• Three backticks (```): Regular code
• Four backticks (````): Markdown examples with code
• Five backticks (`````): Nested markdown examples

````markdown
# Example

```bash
command
```

````

Line Length (MD013)

Break long lines at natural points. Use reference-style links for long URLs.

URLs and Email (MD034)

Wrap bare URLs and emails:

Wrong: https://example.com
Right: <https://example.com>
Right: [link](https://example.com)

Wrong: user@example.com
Right: <user@example.com>

Document Structure (MD041)

Start with H1 (or front matter then H1):

# Document Title

First paragraph.

Ordered Lists (MD029)

Use 1. for all items:

1. First
1. Second
1. Third

File Endings (MD047)

End with single newline:

Last content line.
[single newline]
[EOF]

Table Column Style (MD060)

Use consistent spacing in tables. Three styles:

Compact (recommended): | cell | - single space around content

| Header 1 | Header 2 |
| --- | --- |
| Data | More data |

Aligned: Pipes vertically aligned with padding

Tight: |cell| - no spaces

Pick ONE style per document. Compact is preferred.

Character Encoding

Detection: View → Render Whitespace in VS Code

Fix: Find \u00A0 → Replace with space

Critical for AI: Two trailing spaces = intentional line breaks. Do NOT remove them.

Critical Error Patterns

1. List Without Blank Lines

Wrong:

Text:
- Item
Text.

Right:

Text:

- Item

Text.

2. Heading Without Blank Lines

Wrong:

Text.
## Head
Text.

Right:

Text.

## Head

Text.

3. Code Without Blanks/Language

Wrong:

Text:
```
code
```
Text.

Right:

Text:

```python
code
```

Text.

4. Inconsistent Markers

Wrong:

- Item
* Item

Right:

- Item
- Item

5. Skipping Levels

Wrong:

# Title

### Sub (skipped H2)

Right:

# Title

## Section

### Sub

Post-Generation Validation

1. Lists have blank lines before/after
2. Headings have blank lines before/after
3. Code has blank lines before/after
4. Heading progression: 1→2→3→4
5. All lists use -
6. All code has language
7. Lines under 80 chars
8. Document starts with H1
9. URLs wrapped properly
10. Ordered lists use 1.
11. File ends with one newline
12. Two trailing spaces used intentionally
13. Only regular spaces (no nbsp/tabs)
14. Tables use consistent column spacing

Mental Model

Markdown is blocks with mandatory spacing:

[Text Block]
↓ BLANK LINE ↓
[Heading Block]
↓ BLANK LINE ↓
[List Block]
↓ BLANK LINE ↓
[Code Block]
↓ BLANK LINE ↓
[Text Block]
[EOF]

Every block transition = blank line required.

Quick Patterns

List:

text

- item

text

Heading:

text

## Head

text

Code:

text

```lang
code
```

text

Nested:

- parent
  - child
- parent

Ordered:

text

1. item
1. item

text

Table:

text

| Header | Header |
| --- | --- |
| Cell | Cell |

text

Common Languages

Programming: python javascript java c cpp go rust ruby php swift kotlin typescript

Shell: bash sh powershell cmd zsh

Markup: html css xml json yaml toml markdown

Database: sql postgresql mysql

Other: text diff log

Validation

markdownlint filename.md

Goal: Zero errors/warnings.

Additional Resources

See bundled references:

• references/complete-rules.md - Full rule catalog
• references/edge-cases.md - Platform quirks
• references/examples.md - Detailed examples

Remember

Most common: Missing blank lines around lists/headings/code.

Two trailing spaces: Intentional line breaks. Do NOT remove.

When in doubt:

1. Add blank lines before/after blocks
2. Use - for lists
3. Use # for headings
4. Specify code language
5. Increment headings by one
6. Use regular spaces only
7. Two trailing spaces = line break

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