Markdown with
superpowers

Markdown meets the power of LaTeX.
And it's free and open source.

Install Get started  →
No boilerplate

Spend your time writing

and don't worry about the rest.

.docauthor {Jennifer Chu}

.pagemargin {topright}
    .docauthor | MIT News

# X-ray flashes from a supermassive black hole

!(70%)[Black hole](img/blackhole.jpg)

.abstract
    One supermassive black hole has kept astronomers glued to their scopes
    for the last several years.
    The black hole in question is `1ES 1927+654`, which is about as
    massive as a million suns and sits in a galaxy that is 270 million
    light-years away.
    In 2018, astronomers at MIT and elsewhere observed that the black
    hole’s corona — a cloud of whirling, white-hot plasma — suddenly
    **disappeared**, before reassembling months later.
    The brief though dramatic shut-off was a first in black hole astronomy.

> This would be the closest thing we know of around any black hole.
> - Megan Masterson, a graduate student in physics at MIT
Rendered article about X-ray flashes from a supermassive black hole
Batteries included

Complete authoring experience

Write Markdown to reach flow state faster.
Use Quarkdown's extensions to achieve more.

First page of a scientific paper with title, abstract and introduction Second page of a scientific paper with formulas and a results table
Ready for autopilot

Agent-friendly

Let your AI agent speak fluent Quarkdown with built-in skills.
Read the eval

> Add a warning for candy thieves
● Skill(quarkdown) 
.box type:{warning}    **Hands off the candy jar.** You have been warned.
Versatile

One tool to rule them all

Whether you are writing a research paper, a quick report, a company-wide wiki, class notes, or preparing interactive slides for your next talk, there's only one line you need.

Replaces LaTeXLaTeXTypstTypst 
.doctype {paged}
Paged document output showing a formatted article

For articles, books and reports.

Replaces NotionNotionObsidianObsidian 
.doctype {plain}
Plain document output showing a coffee brewing guide

For notes, knowledge bases and simple static websites.

Replaces GitBookGitBookDocusaurusDocusaurusMkDocsMaterial for MkDocsVitePressVitePress 
.doctype {docs}
Documentation website output

For wikis, technical documentation and large knowledge bases.

Replaces BeamerLaTeXGoogle SlidesGoogle Slides 
.doctype {slides}
Slide presentation output

For lectures, talks and interactive presentations.

Reactive preview

Typesetting for the impatient

With blazing fast compilation and live preview, see results instantly as you type.

Turing complete

Don't repeat yourself

Reuse your workflow thanks to powerful scripting capabilities.

.function {animal}
    name ecosystem picture:
    .row
        .clip {circle}
            .picture

        - **Name**: .name
        - **Ecosystem**: .ecosystem

.animal {Red panda} ecosystem:{Temperate forests}
    ![Red panda](img/red-panda.jpg)

.animal {Sea otter} ecosystem:{Kelp forests}
    ![Sea otter](img/sea-otter.jpg)

.animal {Clownfish} ecosystem:{Coral reefs}
    ![Clownfish](img/clownfish.jpg)
Animal cards rendered from a custom function

Installation

Linux / macOS 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/quarkdown-labs/get-quarkdown/refs/heads/main/install.sh | sudo env "PATH=$PATH" bash
macOS (Homebrew) 
brew install quarkdown-labs/quarkdown/quarkdown
Windows 
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/quarkdown-labs/get-quarkdown/refs/heads/main/install.ps1 | iex
Windows (Scoop) 
scoop bucket add quarkdown https://github.com/quarkdown-labs/scoop-quarkdown; scoop install quarkdown
Claude Code skill (post-install) 
ln -s "$(quarkdown doctor get agent-skill)" ~/.claude/skills/quarkdown
Get started  →
Over 15K stars

Open source, proudly made in Italy

Quarkdown's compiler is actively evolving, and will stay free and open source forever.

Become a sponsor

Frequently asked questions

I already know Markdown. How hard is it to learn Quarkdown?
Quarkdown is a Markdown superset: the well-known Markdown syntax works out of the box. Quarkdown extensions are opt-in for document setup (instead of frontmatter) and whenever you need advanced control. The quickstart helps you get writing in minutes.
How does it compare to LaTeX or Typst?
Quarkdown keeps the low friction of Markdown, while granting fine-grained control over the document, and typesetting-grade output.
  • Use Quarkdown for fast iterations and low overhead.
  • Choose LaTeX for widespread collaboration and state-of-the-art typesetting.
  • Pick Typst for a larger ecosystem and for producing tagged PDFs.
Are docs and wikis ready for production?
Yes, .doctype {docs} produces sites on the same ballpark as Astro Starlight, Docusaurus, or MkDocs, while being extremely easy to set up and fast to compile. SEO and accessibility are supported out of the box, and AEO readiness is coming soon.
What output formats are supported?
Quarkdown can output to HTML, PDF, and plain text via the --renderer (-r) option. Markdown export is also planned.
Quarkdown is Turing complete. How is it safe?
Quarkdown is designed to be safe by default, relying on a restrictive permission system to prevent unauthorized actions. For instance, files outside the project directory cannot be read unless the --allow global-read option is granted.
Where can I ask questions or report bugs?
Head to GitHub Discussions for questions, ideas and showcases, or open an issue for bugs and requests.