# MD001 - Heading levels should only increment by one level at a time
This rule is triggered when you skip heading levels in your Markdown document, such as using an h3 directly after an h1.
## Examples
### ❌ Incorrect
```markdown
# Heading 1
### Heading 3
```
### ✅ Correct
```markdown
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
```
## Rationale
Maintaining a proper heading hierarchy is important for:
- Document structure and readability
- Accessibility (screen readers rely on proper heading hierarchy)
- SEO optimization
- Generating accurate tables of contents
## Configuration
This rule has no configuration options.
## Fix
The rule will suggest fixing the heading level by adjusting it to be one level deeper than the previous heading.
## Related Rules
- MD002 (First heading should be a top-level heading)
- MD003 (Heading style should be consistent)