Markdown Authoring Skill

This skill ensures markdown documents follow best practices for syntax, structure, accessibility, and content quality.

Markdown Flavors

This project follows CommonMark with GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extensions:

Feature	CommonMark	GFM Extension
Headings	✓
Emphasis	✓
Links	✓	Autolinks
Images	✓
Code blocks	✓	Syntax highlighting
Blockquotes	✓
Lists	✓	Task lists
Tables		✓
Strikethrough		✓

Document Structure

Single H1 Rule

Every document should have exactly one H1 heading as the title:

# Document Title

Content begins here...

## First Section

## Second Section

Heading Hierarchy

Follow logical heading levels - never skip levels:

# Title (H1)

## Major Section (H2)

### Subsection (H3)

#### Detail (H4)

## Another Major Section (H2)

Avoid:

# Title

### Skipped H2!  <!-- BAD: Jumped from H1 to H3 -->

Document Template

# Document Title

Brief description or introduction paragraph.

## Table of Contents

- [Section One](#section-one)
- [Section Two](#section-two)
- [Section Three](#section-three)

## Section One

Content here.

## Section Two

Content here.

## Section Three

Content here.

## Related

- [Link to related doc](./related.md)

YAML Frontmatter

Basic Frontmatter

Add metadata at the top of documents:

---
title: Document Title
description: Brief description for SEO and previews
author: Author Name
date: 2024-01-15
tags:
  - documentation
  - guide
---

# Document Title

Content begins after frontmatter.

Common Frontmatter Fields

Field	Purpose	Example
title	Document title	"Getting Started Guide"
description	SEO/preview text	"Learn how to..."
author	Content author	"Jane Doe"
date	Publication date	2024-01-15
updated	Last modified	2024-03-20
tags	Categorization	[guide, tutorial]
draft	Publication status	true or false
order	Sort position	1, 2, 3

Blog Post Frontmatter

---
title: How to Build Web Components
description: A comprehensive guide to creating custom elements
author: Jane Doe
date: 2024-01-15
tags:
  - javascript
  - web-components
  - tutorial
image: /images/blog/web-components.jpg
---

Documentation Frontmatter

---
title: API Reference
description: Complete API documentation
sidebar_position: 3
---

Text Formatting

Emphasis

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic*** or ___bold italic___
~~strikethrough~~

Prefer asterisks (*) over underscores (_) for consistency.

Inline Code

Use backticks for code, commands, filenames, and technical terms:

Run `npm install` to install dependencies.
Edit the `package.json` file.
The `useState` hook manages state.

Links

Inline Links

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title text")

Reference Links

For repeated URLs or cleaner text:

Read the [documentation][docs] for more details.
See the [API reference][api] for endpoints.

[docs]: https://example.com/docs
[api]: https://example.com/api

Internal Links

Use relative paths for internal links:

See [Getting Started](./getting-started.md)
Read the [API docs](../api/reference.md)
Jump to [Installation](#installation)

Anchor Links

Link to headings using lowercase, hyphenated IDs:

## Installation Steps

...

See [Installation Steps](#installation-steps) above.

Accessible Link Text

Use descriptive link text:

<!-- BAD -->
[Click here](./guide.md) for the guide.
For more info, [read this](./docs.md).

<!-- GOOD -->
Read the [installation guide](./guide.md).
See the [API documentation](./docs.md) for details.

Images

Basic Syntax

![Alt text describing the image](./images/screenshot.png)

Images with Titles

![Dashboard screenshot](./images/dashboard.png "The main dashboard view")

Reference Images

![Application logo][logo]

[logo]: ./images/logo.png "Application Logo"

Alt Text Guidelines

Write meaningful alt text:

<!-- BAD -->
![](./chart.png)
![image](./chart.png)
![chart](./chart.png)

<!-- GOOD -->
![Monthly revenue chart showing 25% growth](./chart.png)
![Error dialog with retry and cancel buttons](./error-dialog.png)

When to Use Empty Alt

For decorative images only:

![](./decorative-divider.png)

Code Blocks

Fenced Code Blocks

Always specify the language for syntax highlighting:

```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}
```

Common Language Identifiers

Language	Identifier
JavaScript	javascript or js
TypeScript	typescript or ts
HTML	html
CSS	css
JSON	json
YAML	yaml
Bash/Shell	bash or shell
Python	python or py
Markdown	markdown or md
Plain text	text or plaintext

Code Block with Filename

Use a comment or heading to indicate the file:

**`src/utils.js`**
```javascript
export function formatDate(date) {
  return date.toISOString();
}
```

Diff Syntax

Show changes with diff highlighting:

```diff
- const old = "value";
+ const updated = "new value";
```

Lists

Unordered Lists

Use hyphens consistently:

- First item
- Second item
- Third item

Ordered Lists

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Nested Lists

Indent with 2 or 4 spaces (be consistent):

- Parent item
  - Child item
  - Another child
    - Grandchild
- Another parent

Task Lists (GFM)

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [ ] Another todo

List Content

For multi-paragraph list items:

1. First step

   Additional details about the first step.
   Can span multiple lines.

2. Second step

   More information here.

Tables

Basic Tables

| Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |

Column Alignment

| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L    | C      | R     |
| L    | C      | R     |

Table Best Practices

• Keep tables simple - complex data may need different format
• Use alignment for numeric data (right-align numbers)
• Keep cell content concise
• Consider using lists for very long content

Blockquotes

Basic Blockquotes

> This is a blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.

Nested Blockquotes

> Outer quote
>
> > Nested quote

Callouts/Admonitions

Use blockquotes with emphasis for callouts:

> **Note:** Important information here.

> **Warning:** Be careful about this.

> **Tip:** Helpful suggestion here.

Or with emoji for visual distinction:

> 📝 **Note:** Information to highlight.

> ⚠️ **Warning:** Proceed with caution.

> 💡 **Tip:** Helpful suggestion.

> 🚨 **Danger:** Critical warning.

Horizontal Rules

Use three hyphens with blank lines:

Content above.

---

Content below.

Escaping

Escape special characters with backslash:

\*not italic\*
\# not a heading
\[not a link\]

Line Breaks

Paragraphs

Separate paragraphs with blank lines:

First paragraph.

Second paragraph.

Hard Line Breaks

Use two trailing spaces or <br> for line breaks within a paragraph:

Line one
Line two (note two spaces above)

Or use:
Line one<br>
Line two

Accessibility

Heading Structure

Screen readers use headings for navigation:

• Use one H1 per document
• Don't skip heading levels
• Use headings for structure, not styling

Descriptive Links

<!-- Screen reader announces: "link, click here" - unhelpful -->
[Click here](./guide.md)

<!-- Screen reader announces: "link, installation guide" - clear -->
[Installation guide](./guide.md)

Image Alt Text

• Describe the content and function
• Keep it concise but meaningful
• Use empty alt for decorative images

Tables

• Use header rows
• Keep structure simple
• Provide context before complex tables

Code Blocks

• Specify language for syntax highlighting
• Provide context before code examples
• Explain what code does, not just show it

Content Quality

Integration with Content Skills

The content-writer skill applies to markdown:

• Run spell check: npm run lint:spelling
• Run grammar check: npm run lint:grammar
• Check reading level for technical vs general content

Consistency

• Use consistent heading capitalization (Title Case or Sentence case)
• Use consistent list markers (hyphens, not mixed)
• Use consistent code fence style (backticks, not indentation)
• Use consistent emphasis style (asterisks, not underscores)

File Naming

README.md           # Repository root
CHANGELOG.md        # Version history
CONTRIBUTING.md     # Contribution guide
docs/               # Documentation folder
  getting-started.md
  api-reference.md
  troubleshooting.md

Markdown Checklist

Before finalizing markdown documents:

Structure

• Single H1 as document title
• Logical heading hierarchy (no skipped levels)
• Table of contents for long documents
• Frontmatter with appropriate metadata

Content

• Descriptive link text (not "click here")
• Alt text for all images (except decorative)
• Language specified for code blocks
• Spell check passed

Formatting

• Consistent list markers
• Consistent emphasis style
• Proper table alignment
• Blank lines around blocks (headings, code, lists)

Links

• Internal links use relative paths
• External links work
• Anchor links match heading IDs

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Solution
Skipped heading levels	Poor accessibility	Use sequential levels
No code language	No syntax highlighting	Add language identifier
"Click here" links	Poor accessibility	Use descriptive text
Missing alt text	Screen readers can't describe	Add meaningful alt
Inconsistent lists	Visual inconsistency	Pick one marker style
No frontmatter	Missing metadata	Add YAML frontmatter
Broken internal links	404 errors	Use relative paths, verify

Related Skills

Skill	Relationship
content-writer	Spelling, grammar, reading level
i18n	Multilingual documentation
git-workflow	Commit messages, changelogs