Markdown Angel 👼
Transform your markdown workflow with AI-optimized formatting and beautiful viewing.
Markdown Angel is a powerful VSCode extension that combines a beautiful markdown viewer with intelligent formatting modes designed for both humans and AI agents.
✨ Features
🎨 Beautiful Markdown Viewer
Experience markdown like never before with our custom-built viewer:
- GitHub-Flavored Rendering - Clean, professional markdown display that matches GitHub's style
- Auto-Generated Table of Contents - Navigate large documents effortlessly with automatic TOC generation from headers
- ✨ NEW: Collapsible TOC Panel - Toggle button in TOC header to show/hide sidebar for distraction-free reading
- ✨ NEW: External Image Support - Display images from URLs and external sources directly in preview
- Go to Top Button - Floating button for instant return to document start
- Live Sync - Real-time updates as you type, no manual refresh needed
- Syntax Highlighting - Beautiful code block formatting with language-specific highlighting
- Smooth Navigation - Click any TOC item to jump directly to that section
- State Persistence - Remembers your TOC visibility preference across sessions
⚡ Compact Mode (AI-Optimized)
Default formatting designed for AI context windows and efficient reading:
- Minimal Whitespace - Intelligently removes unnecessary blank lines
- Condensed Format - Optimizes list spacing and section breaks
- 35-45% Size Reduction - Fit more content in limited context windows
- Smart Formatting - Preserves readability while maximizing density
- Reversible - Toggle back to human-readable format anytime
Perfect for:
- 🤖 AI/LLM context windows (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot)
- 📱 Mobile reading
- 📊 Documentation with space constraints
- 🚀 Quick scanning and review
Before Compact Mode:
# Project Overview
This is the main section.
- Feature one
- Feature two
- Feature three
## Next Section
More content here.
After Compact Mode:
# Project Overview
This is the main section.
- Feature one
- Feature two
- Feature three
## Next Section
More content here.
📖 Human-Readable Mode
Traditional markdown formatting optimized for comfortable reading:
- Generous Spacing - Two blank lines between major sections
- List Breathing Room - Proper spacing within and between lists
- Visual Hierarchy - Enhanced structure through whitespace
- Easy Scanning - Optimized for human eyes and comprehension
🔄 Smart Mode Toggle
Seamlessly switch between formatting modes:
- Per-File Memory - Remembers your preference for each document
- Status Bar Indicator - Always know which mode you're in
- 📦 = Compact Mode (AI-optimized)
- 📖 = Human-Readable Mode
- One-Click Toggle - Switch modes instantly from status bar
- Undo Support - Safe formatting with full undo/redo capability
- Visual Feedback - Progress indicators show formatting in progress
🚀 Getting Started
Installation
From VSCode Marketplace:
- Open Extensions panel (
Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Search for "Markdown Angel"
- Click Install
From Command Line:
code --install-extension Cattt.markdown-angel
Quick Start
- Open any
.md file in VSCode
- Press
Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Win/Linux) to open the viewer
- Press
Cmd+Alt+M (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+M (Win/Linux) to toggle formatting mode
- Check the status bar to see current mode: 📦 Compact or 📖 Human
📖 Usage Guide
Opening the Markdown Viewer
Multiple ways to launch:
| Method |
Shortcut |
Description |
| Keyboard |
Cmd+Shift+V (Mac)
Ctrl+Shift+V (Win/Linux) |
Fastest method |
| Editor Title |
Click preview icon |
When viewing .md files |
| Command Palette |
Markdown Angel: Open Viewer |
Access all commands |
| Right-Click Menu |
Context menu in editor |
Quick access |
Switch between Compact and Human-Readable:
| Method |
Shortcut |
Description |
| Keyboard |
Cmd+Alt+M (Mac)
Ctrl+Alt+M (Win/Linux) |
Instant toggle |
| Status Bar |
Click mode indicator |
Visual feedback |
| Command Palette |
Markdown Angel: Toggle Mode |
Full command name |
| Right-Click Menu |
Context menu in editor |
Quick access |
Navigation
Getting around your document:
- Go to Top: Use Command Palette →
Markdown Angel: Go to Top
- Jump to Section: Click any item in the Table of Contents
- Scroll in Viewer: Use mouse wheel or trackpad for smooth scrolling
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts
Mac
| Command |
Shortcut |
| Open Viewer |
Cmd+Shift+V |
| Toggle Mode |
Cmd+Alt+M |
| Command Palette |
Cmd+Shift+P |
Windows/Linux
| Command |
Shortcut |
| Open Viewer |
Ctrl+Shift+V |
| Toggle Mode |
Ctrl+Alt+M |
| Command Palette |
Ctrl+Shift+P |
🎯 Use Cases
For AI/LLM Users
- Maximize Context Windows - Fit more documentation in ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot
- Clean Input - Remove formatting noise for better AI comprehension
- Quick Conversion - Toggle between modes for different use cases
For Writers & Documenters
- Dual Format - Maintain both compact and readable versions
- Quick Review - Scan documents in compact mode, edit in human mode
- Professional Output - Beautiful viewer for presentations and reviews
For Developers
- README Optimization - Make GitHub READMEs more scannable
- Documentation - Toggle between formats for different audiences
- Code Comments - Optimize markdown in code documentation
🔧 Commands
All available commands in Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):
| Command |
Description |
Markdown Angel: Open Viewer |
Launch the markdown viewer |
Markdown Angel: Toggle Compact/Human Mode |
Switch formatting modes |
Markdown Angel: Go to Top |
Scroll to document start |
📋 Requirements
- Visual Studio Code version 1.75.0 or higher
- Operating Systems: macOS, Windows, Linux
🆘 Support
Getting Help
Common Issues
Viewer not opening?
- Make sure you have a
.md file open
- Try reloading VSCode window (
Cmd+R / Ctrl+R)
Mode toggle not working?
- Check status bar for current mode indicator
- Ensure cursor is in a markdown file
📝 Release Notes
1.0.5 (Latest)
- ✨ NEW: Collapsible TOC panel with toggle button in sidebar header
- ✨ NEW: External image support - display images from URLs in preview
- ✨ NEW: Comprehensive test suite with 17 automated tests
- ✨ NEW: GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline for multi-platform testing
- 🎯 FIXED: TOC toggle button now positioned in panel header (no text overlap)
- 🎯 IMPROVED: Smooth animations and state persistence for TOC visibility
- 🧪 QUALITY: Automated testing on Ubuntu, Windows, macOS with Node 16.x & 18.x
- 🚀 AUTOMATION: Auto-publish to marketplace on GitHub releases
1.0.4
- 📦 Enhanced package.json with comprehensive metadata
- 👤 Added author information and licensing details
- 🏆 Added marketplace badges (version, installs, rating)
- 🔍 Extended keywords for better discoverability
1.0.3
- 🎨 Enhanced README with rich formatting
- 📚 Added comprehensive feature descriptions
- 🔗 Updated repository links
1.0.2
- 🧹 Cleaned up package - removed development files
- 📦 Reduced package size
1.0.1
- 🐛 Fixed dependency bundling
- ✅ Extension now works reliably when installed
1.0.0
- 🎉 Initial release
- ✨ Markdown viewer with TOC
- ⚡ Compact mode formatting
- 📖 Human-readable mode
- 🔄 Mode toggle functionality
See CHANGELOG.md for detailed history.
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:
- Report Bugs: Open an issue
- Suggest Features: Start a discussion
- Submit Pull Requests: Fork, create a branch, and submit a PR
- Improve Documentation: Help make our docs even better
📄 License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
⭐ Show Your Support
If you find Markdown Angel useful:
