Markscope VS Code

Review Markdown structure inside VS Code.

Markscope opens Markdown files as a custom preview with an outline pane and a focused section body. It is useful for reviewing document shape, topic flow, and section balance while editing.

The preview runs entirely inside the extension webview. It does not require the markscope command or any sibling checkout.

Markdown parsing is bundled with the extension, so the published extension is self-contained.

Features

• Open Markdown files with Markscope Preview.
• Switch between outline-only and first-paragraph reading.
• Filter the outline by heading depth.
• Switch the reading panes between automatic, side-by-side, and stacked layouts.
• Navigate sections with ArrowUp, ArrowDown, j, and k after clicking the preview.
• Sync the selected outline item from the active Markdown editor cursor.

Usage

Open a Markdown file, then run:

Markscope: Open Preview

You can also use Reopen Editor With... or Open With... and choose Markscope Preview.

From the Explorer context menu, use Open in Markscope on a Markdown file.

Development Setup

Enter the Nix development shell:

nix develop

The shell provides Azure CLI, Node.js 22, and pnpm 10.

Install dependencies:

pnpm install

For non-interactive shells, use:

CI=true pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

Compile the extension:

pnpm run compile

Run the extension from VS Code with the Run Extension launch target. In the Extension Development Host window, open a Markdown file and use Reopen Editor With... or Open With... to choose Markscope Preview.

Package a local .vsix:

pnpm run package

Publish with Microsoft Entra ID credentials:

az login
pnpm exec vsce publish --azure-credential

Commands

• Markscope: Open Preview: opens the active Markdown file with the Markscope Preview custom editor.
• Open in Markscope: available from the Explorer context menu for Markdown files.