panache

A formatter, linter, and LSP for Quarto (.qmd), Pandoc, and Markdown files.

Work in Progress

This project is in early development. Expect bugs, missing features, and breaking changes.

Installation

From crates.io (Recommended)

cargo install panache

Pre-built Binaries

Download pre-built binaries from the releases page. Available for:

• Linux (x86_64, ARM64)
• macOS (Intel, Apple Silicon)
• Windows (x86_64)

Each archive includes the binary, man pages, and shell completions.

Linux Packages

For Debian/Ubuntu systems:

# Download the .deb from releases
sudo dpkg -i panache_*.deb

For Fedora/RHEL/openSUSE systems:

# Download the .rpm from releases
sudo rpm -i panache-*.rpm

Packages include:

• Binary at /usr/bin/panache
• Man pages for all subcommands
• Shell completions (bash, fish, zsh)

Usage

CLI Formatting

# Format a file in place
panache format document.qmd

# Check if a file is formatted
panache format --check document.qmd

# Format from stdin
cat document.qmd | panache format

# Parse and inspect the AST (for debugging)
panache parse document.qmd

Language Server (LSP)

panache includes a built-in Language Server Protocol implementation for editor integration.

Start the server:

panache lsp

Editor Configuration:

The LSP communicates over stdin/stdout and provides document formatting capabilities.

-- Add to your LSP config
local lspconfig = require("lspconfig")
local configs = require("lspconfig.configs")

-- Define panache LSP
if not configs.panache then
	configs.panache = {
		default_config = {
			cmd = { "panache", "lsp" },
			filetypes = { "quarto", "markdown", "rmarkdown" },
			root_dir = lspconfig.util.root_pattern(".panache.toml", "panache.toml", ".git"),
			settings = {},
		},
	}
end

-- Enable it
lspconfig.panache.setup({})

Format on save:

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("BufWritePre", {
	pattern = { "*.qmd", "*.md", "*.rmd" },
	callback = function()
		vim.lsp.buf.format({ async = false })
	end,
})

Install a generic LSP client extension like vscode-languageserver-node, then configure in settings.json:

{
  "languageServerExample.server": {
    "command": "panache",
    "args": ["lsp"],
    "filetypes": ["quarto", "markdown", "rmarkdown"]
  },
  "editor.formatOnSave": true
}

Or use the Custom LSP extension.

Add to ~/.config/helix/languages.toml:

[[language]]
name = "markdown"
language-servers = ["panache-lsp"]
auto-format = true

[language-server.panache-lsp]
command = "panache"
args = ["lsp"]

Configuration: The LSP automatically discovers .panache.toml from your workspace root.

Configuration

panache looks for a configuration in:

1. .panache.toml or panache.toml in current directory or parent directories
2. ~/.config/panache/config.toml

Example config

# Markdown flavor and line width
flavor = "quarto"
line-width = 80
line-ending = "auto"
wrap = "reflow"

# External code formatters (opt-in)
# Enable R formatting with preset
[formatters.r]
preset = "air"  # Quick setup

# Or use full custom configuration
[formatters.python]
cmd = "black"
args = ["-", "--line-length=88"]

# Add formatters for other languages
[formatters.rust]
cmd = "rustfmt"

See .panache.toml.example for a complete configuration reference.

External Code Formatters

panache supports external formatters for code blocks—opt-in and easy to enable:

# Enable R formatting with preset
[formatters.r]
preset = "air"  # Available: "air", "styler"

# Enable Python formatting with preset
[formatters.python]
preset = "ruff"  # Available: "ruff", "black"

Key features:

• Opt-in by design - No surprises, explicit configuration
• Preset shortcuts - Quick setup with sensible defaults
• Parallel execution - Formatters run concurrently with markdown formatting
• Graceful fallback - Missing tools preserve original code (no errors)
• Custom config - Full control with cmd, args, stdin fields

Full custom configuration:

# Custom Python formatter
[formatters.python]
cmd = "black"
args = ["-", "--line-length=88"]
stdin = true

# Add formatters for other languages
[formatters.rust]
cmd = "rustfmt"

Additional details:

• Formatters respect their own config files (.prettierrc, pyproject.toml, etc.)
• Support both stdin/stdout and file-based formatters
• 30 second timeout per formatter invocation

Motivation

I wanted a formatter that understands Quarto and Pandoc syntax. I have tried to use Prettier as well as mdformat, but both fail to handle some of the particular syntax used in Quarto documents, such as fenced divs and some of the table syntax.

Design Goals

• Full LSP implementation for editor integration
• Linting as part of LSP but also available as a standalone CLI command
• Support Quarto, Pandoc, and Markdown syntax
• Fast lossless parsing and formatting (no AST changes if already formatted)
• Be configurable, but have sane defaults (that most people can agree on)
• Format math
• Hook into external formatters for code blocks (e.g. air for R, ruff for Python)