- Category
- Productivity
- Rank
- No. 1372Tools index
Previous survey · No. 1377 ·
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- Builder
- vercel-labs
- GitHub
- 362 stars
- Date
About
Spec for interactive markdown presentations, designed to extend MDX with slide-style semantics.
What it does
MDXG defines a richer reading model for ordinary markdown while leaving source documents untouched. Headings become virtual pages and outlines. Implementations add page navigation, document-wide search, code presentation, task lists, and optional source editing.
Why it's ranked here
It is strongest as a concrete convention backed by working parser, web, and VS Code implementations. The design addresses long documents without requiring content migration. Its value still depends on other products adopting the specification, since MDXG is not itself a universal viewer.
What's good
Existing markdown needs no configuration, build step, or file splitting. The shared parser extracts pages and heading structure, generates stable slugs, supports duplicate headings, and permits custom code rendering. Viewer and editor conformance levels give implementors a clear scope.
Tradeoffs
MDXG standardizes presentation behavior, not markdown syntax or content organization. It does not replace a documentation site generator. Math, diagrams, and footnotes are encouraged extensions rather than core requirements, so experiences may still differ. The supplied end-user implementation targets VS Code.
How to use it well
Use it when building a markdown reader, editor, documentation surface, knowledge tool, or AI interface that must handle long files well. Start with viewer behavior, then add editing and document links if needed. Choose another system for publishing pipelines and multi-file information architecture.
Technical notes+
packages/parser/src/index.ts uses Marked with footnote and KaTeX support, splits H1 and H2 sections, extracts H3 through H6 outlines, deduplicates slugs, accepts a custom codeRenderer, and applies regex-based HTML sanitization. packages/vscode/src/parser.ts adds Highlight.js, while apps/web/src/lib/parser.ts uses Shiki with light and dark themes. packages/vscode/src/extension.ts implements a custom text editor, persists page, mode, and sidebar state, constrains linked documents, and applies edits through VS Code. packages/vscode/src/webview.ts builds the navigable preview, split editor, search controls, and content security policy. apps/web/src/lib/content.ts loads README.md and SPEC.md into the web reference implementation.
Observed
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Primary language
- TypeScript
- Packaging
- Private pnpm 10.11.0 monorepo root with Turbo build, development, and test scripts
- Library interface
- Shared framework-agnostic markdown parser package
- End-user interface
- VS Code custom editor reference implementation
- Web interface
- Next.js documentation reference implementation
- Conformance surface
- Read-only Viewer and full Editor levels
Read from README.md, package.json, packages/parser/src/index.ts, packages/vscode/src/parser.ts, packages/vscode/src/webview.ts, packages/vscode/src/extension.ts, apps/web/next.config.ts, apps/web/eslint.config.mjs, apps/web/postcss.config.mjs, apps/web/src/lib/utils.ts, apps/web/src/lib/parser.ts, apps/web/src/app/layout.tsx, apps/web/src/lib/content.ts, apps/web/src/app/not-found.tsx, apps/web/src/lib/page-titles.ts.
What it can do
Create interactive markdown presentations
MDX content with slide-style semantics → Interactive presentation
Parse MDX content into slide format
MDX markdown files → Structured slide data
Extend MDX syntax with presentation semantics
Standard MDX markup → Enhanced MDX with slide capabilities
Convert markdown to slide-based presentation
Markdown content → Slide presentation format
Render interactive presentation components
MDX components and slide definitions → Interactive presentation elements
Tags
Tech Stack
Media
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Editorially curated, with community endorsements as a secondary signal. Corrections welcome.