SnapMD
Pixel-perfect Markdown to PDF — with full Mermaid diagram support.
Other Markdown-to-PDF tools parse your document as flat text, breaking Mermaid diagrams, custom styles, and anything that needs a real browser to render. SnapMD takes a different approach: it renders your Markdown in a headless Chromium instance — the same engine behind Chrome — and prints it to PDF exactly as it looks.
Features
Export to PDF
Convert any Markdown file to a clean, print-ready PDF in one click. Headings, code blocks, tables, images, links — everything renders faithfully.
- Open any
.md file → Cmd+Shift+P → SnapMD: Export to PDF
- Or click the PDF icon in the editor title bar
- Or right-click in the editor →
SnapMD: Export to PDF
Mermaid Diagram Support
Mermaid code blocks are rendered as real SVG diagrams in your PDF — flowcharts, sequence diagrams, pie charts, Gantt charts, and more.
```mermaid
graph LR
A[Markdown] --> B[HTML + Mermaid.js]
B --> C[Headless Chrome]
C --> D[Pixel-perfect PDF]
```
Live Preview
Preview your rendered Markdown in a side panel — with Mermaid diagrams — before exporting.
- Cmd+Shift+P →
SnapMD: Preview Markdown
- Edits update the preview in real time (~300ms debounce)
- Click Export to PDF directly from the preview toolbar
Relative Image Support
Images with relative paths (e.g., ) resolve correctly from your file's directory. No broken images in your PDF.
Requirements
SnapMD requires a Chromium-based browser installed on your system. Any of these will work:
SnapMD auto-detects your browser. If detection fails, set the path manually (see Settings below).
Commands
| Command |
Description |
SnapMD: Export to PDF |
Export the current Markdown file to PDF |
SnapMD: Preview Markdown |
Open a live-rendered preview panel |
Both commands are available via:
- Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Editor title bar icons (when a
.md file is open)
- Right-click context menu in the editor
Settings
Configure SnapMD in your VS Code settings (settings.json or the Settings UI):
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
snapmd.chromePath |
"" (auto-detect) |
Absolute path to a Chrome/Chromium executable |
snapmd.pdfFormat |
"A4" |
Paper size: A4, Letter, Legal, A3, A5, Tabloid |
snapmd.printBackground |
true |
Include background colors and images in the PDF |
snapmd.mermaidTimeout |
10000 |
Max time (ms) to wait for Mermaid diagrams to render |
Example: Custom Chrome path
{
"snapmd.chromePath": "/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable"
}
How It Works
┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Markdown │────>│ markdown-it │────>│ Headless │────>│ PDF │
│ (.md file) │ │ + Mermaid │ │ Chromium │ │ file │
└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └─────────┘
Parse & render Load as real Print
to full HTML web page to PDF
- Parse — markdown-it converts your Markdown to HTML, with a custom plugin that transforms
```mermaid blocks into <div class="mermaid"> elements
- Render — A headless Chromium instance loads the HTML as a real web page, fetching Mermaid.js from CDN to render diagrams as SVGs
- Print — Chromium's built-in PDF printer captures the fully-rendered page with precise layout
FAQ
Mermaid diagrams aren't rendering in my PDF
Mermaid.js is loaded from a CDN at render time. Ensure you have an internet connection. If diagrams still fail, try increasing the timeout:
{
"snapmd.mermaidTimeout": 20000
}
"Could not find a Chrome/Chromium installation"
SnapMD needs a Chromium-based browser. Either:
- Install Google Chrome
- Set the path manually:
"snapmd.chromePath": "/path/to/chrome"
- Set the
CHROME_PATH environment variable
Can I use this offline?
PDF export works offline for standard Markdown. However, Mermaid diagrams require an internet connection since Mermaid.js is loaded from a CDN. Diagrams will be skipped (not block the export) if the CDN is unreachable.
Release Notes
0.0.1
- Initial release
- Export Markdown to PDF with Mermaid diagram support
- Live preview panel with real-time updates
- Cross-platform Chrome/Chromium/Edge/Brave auto-detection
- Configurable paper format, margins, and background printing
License
MIT
