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<img src="img/md-pdf.svg" alt="md-pdf logo" width="150">
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# md-pdf
A fast, lightweight command-line tool that converts Markdown files to professional PDF documents using [Typst](https://typst.app).
## Features
- 🚀 **Fast conversion** powered by Typst
- 🎨 **Professional output** with built-in templates
- ⚙️ **Zero configuration** - works out of the box
- 👀 **Watch mode** for live preview
- 📂 **Auto-open** generated PDFs
- 🔗 **Link validation** checks external URLs
- 📝 **Rich metadata** support via YAML front matter
## Installation
### Prerequisites
### Typst
Install [Typst CLI](https://github.com/typst/typst):
```bash
# macOS
brew install typst
# Or download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/typst/typst/releases
```
### Fonts
The default template `simple` uses some fonts which are optional.
Install [Iosevka](https://typeof.net/Iosevka/)
### Install md-pdf
```bash
# From source
cargo install --git https://github.com/tschinz/md-pdf
# Or build locally
git clone https://github.com/tschinz/md-pdf
cd md-pdf && cargo install --path .
# from crates.io
cargo install md-pdf
```
## Quick Start
```bash
# Convert markdown to PDF
md-pdf document.md
# Convert and open PDF automatically
md-pdf document.md --open
# Watch for changes (live preview)
md-pdf --watch document.md
# Watch for changes and open PDF after each rebuild
md-pdf --watch document.md --open
# Check links before conversion
md-pdf --check-links document.md
# Use specific template
md-pdf document.md -t none
md-pdf document.md -t simple
md-pdf document.md -t playful
md-pdf document.md -t brutalist
md-pdf document.md -t darko
```
## Usage
```
Convert markdown files to PDF using typst with templating
Usage: md-pdf [OPTIONS] [INPUT]
Arguments:
[INPUT] Path to the input Markdown file
Options:
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Path to the output PDF file
-t, --template <TEMPLATE> Template to use for PDF generation [default: none]
-w, --watch Watch the input file for changes and rebuild automatically
--check-links Check all links in the markdown file and display warnings for unreachable links
--list-templates List all available templates
--create-config Create default configuration file
--show-config Show configuration file locations and settings
--open Open the generated PDF file after creation
--refresh-templates Refresh templates in the config directory with the latest embedded versions
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
```
## Templates
- `none` - Minimal styling (default)
- `simple` - Professional with headers/footers
- `playful` - colorful inspired by Dieter Rams
- `brutalist` - Raw, bold, stark design with high contrast
- `darko` - May the dark side be with you
- You can add you own templates
## Front Matter
Add metadata to your markdown, all elements are optional:
```yaml
---
title: "My Document"
subtitle: "Subtitle"
logo: "path/to/logo.png"
author: "Your Name"
date: "2026-01-23"
version: "0.0.1"
language: "en"
toc: true
tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
participants: ["Participant1", "Participant2"]
template: "simple"
---
# Content starts here
```
## Configuration
Auto-created at `~/.config/md-pdf/config.ron` on first run. Customize defaults:
```rust
(
templates_dir: Some("/Users/username/.config/md-pdf/templates"),
default_template: Some("simple"),
default_author: Some("Your Name"),
default_language: Some("en"),
default_toc: Some(true),
)
```
## Examples
See [`examples/comprehensive-guide.md`](examples/comprehensive-guide.md) for full documentation and feature demonstrations.
```
md-pdf example/comprehensive-guide.md
```
> Rustdoc AI generated