Rule Directory

Complete list of all mdsmith rules with category, status, and description, generated from rule READMEs.

All mdsmith rules. Each rule links to its full README with parameters, examples, and diagnostics.

Rule	Name	Category	Status	Description
MDS001	`line-length`	line	ready	Line exceeds maximum length.
MDS002	`heading-style`	heading	ready	Heading style must be consistent.
MDS003	`heading-increment`	heading	ready	Heading levels should increment by one. No jumping from `#` to `###`.
MDS004	`first-line-heading`	heading	ready	First line of the file should be a heading.
MDS005	`no-duplicate-headings`	heading	ready	No two headings should have the same text.
MDS006	`no-trailing-spaces`	whitespace	ready	No trailing whitespace at the end of lines.
MDS007	`no-hard-tabs`	whitespace	ready	No tab characters. Use spaces instead.
MDS008	`no-multiple-blanks`	whitespace	ready	No more than one consecutive blank line.
MDS009	`single-trailing-newline`	whitespace	ready	File must end with exactly one newline character.
MDS010	`fenced-code-style`	code	ready	Fenced code blocks must use a consistent delimiter.
MDS011	`fenced-code-language`	code	ready	Fenced code blocks must specify a language.
MDS012	`no-bare-urls`	link	ready	URLs must be wrapped in angle brackets or as a link, not left bare.
MDS013	`blank-line-around-headings`	heading	ready	Headings must have a blank line before and after.
MDS014	`blank-line-around-lists`	list	ready	Lists must have a blank line before and after.
MDS015	`blank-line-around-fenced-code`	code	ready	Fenced code blocks must have a blank line before and after.
MDS016	`list-indent`	list	ready	List items must use consistent indentation.
MDS017	`no-trailing-punctuation-in-heading`	heading	ready	Headings should not end with punctuation.
MDS018	`no-emphasis-as-heading`	heading	ready	Don’t use bold or emphasis on a standalone line as a heading substitute.
MDS019	`catalog`	directive	ready	Catalog content must reflect selected front matter fields from files matching its glob.
MDS020	`required-structure`	structural	ready	Document structure and front matter must match its schema.
MDS021	`include`	directive	ready	Include section content must match the referenced file.
MDS022	`max-file-length`	structural	ready	File must not exceed maximum number of lines.
MDS023	`paragraph-readability`	prose	ready	Paragraph readability index must not exceed a threshold.
MDS024	`paragraph-structure`	prose	ready	Paragraphs must not exceed sentence and word limits.
MDS025	`table-format`	table	ready	Tables must have consistent edge pipes, equal column counts, surrounding blank lines, and prettier-style alignment.
MDS026	`table-readability`	table	ready	Tables must stay within readability complexity limits.
MDS027	`cross-file-reference-integrity`	link	ready	Links to local files and heading anchors must resolve.
MDS028	`token-budget`	prose	ready	File must not exceed a token budget.
MDS029	`conciseness-scoring`	prose	not-ready	Paragraph conciseness score must not fall below a threshold.
MDS030	`empty-section-body`	heading	ready	Section headings must include meaningful body content.
MDS031	`unclosed-code-block`	code	ready	Fenced code blocks must have a closing fence delimiter.
MDS032	`no-empty-alt-text`	accessibility	ready	Images must have non-empty alt text for accessibility.
MDS033	`directory-structure`	structural	ready	Markdown files must exist only in explicitly allowed directories.
MDS034	`markdown-flavor`	structural	ready	Flags Markdown syntax that the declared target flavor does not render.
MDS035	`toc-directive`	directive	ready	Flag renderer-specific TOC directives that render as literal text on CommonMark and goldmark.
MDS036	`max-section-length`	heading	ready	Section length must not exceed per-level, per-heading, word, or paragraph limits.
MDS037	`duplicated-content`	prose	ready	Paragraphs should not repeat verbatim across Markdown files.
MDS038	`toc`	directive	ready	Keep toc generated heading lists in sync with document headings.
MDS039	`build`	directive	ready	Validate `<?build?>` directive parameters and keep the section body in sync with the recipe’s rendered `body-template`.
MDS040	`recipe-safety`	directive	ready	Validate each build.recipes command for shell-safety at lint time; the rule never executes any binary.
MDS041	`no-inline-html`	structural	ready	Raw HTML tags in Markdown are not allowed; use a Markdown construct or an mdsmith directive instead.
MDS042	`emphasis-style`	prose	ready	Enforces a single delimiter character for bold and italic emphasis, and optionally forbids cross-delimiter nesting.
MDS043	`no-reference-style`	link	ready	Reference-style links and footnotes require global definition resolution; flag them in favor of inline links.
MDS044	`horizontal-rule-style`	whitespace	ready	Thematic breaks must use a consistent delimiter style, exact length, and blank-line spacing.
MDS045	`list-marker-style`	list	ready	Unordered list items must use the configured bullet marker character.
MDS046	`ordered-list-numbering`	list	ready	Ordered list items must be numbered in the configured style.
MDS047	`ambiguous-emphasis`	prose	ready	Forbid emphasis sequences whose meaning a human cannot predict at a glance.
MDS048	`git-hook-sync`	structural	ready	Git artifacts must match the canonical glob-based template derived from .mdsmith.yml.
MDS049	`no-space-in-link-text`	link	ready	Link text and image alt text must not have leading or trailing whitespace inside the brackets.
MDS050	`proper-names`	prose	ready	Configured proper names (e.g. JavaScript, GitHub) must appear with their canonical casing.
MDS051	`single-h1`	heading	ready	At most one H1 heading is allowed per file.
MDS052	`no-space-in-code-spans`	whitespace	ready	Inline code spans with leading or trailing whitespace inside the backticks are almost always typos; flag them.
MDS053	`no-unused-link-definitions`	link	ready	Every `[label]: url` definition must be consumed by at least one reference-style link or image; duplicate labels are flagged.
MDS054	`no-undefined-reference-labels`	link	ready	Reference-style links and images must have a matching link reference definition in the same file.
MDS055	`forbidden-paragraph-starts`	prose	ready	Paragraphs must not begin with any configured prefix.
MDS056	`forbidden-text`	prose	ready	Paragraphs must not contain any configured substring.
MDS057	`required-text-patterns`	prose	ready	Heading-bounded sections must match every configured regex.
MDS058	`required-mentions`	prose	ready	Heading-bounded sections must contain every configured substring.
MDS059	`blockquote-whitespace`	whitespace	ready	Blockquote markers must not be followed by multiple spaces, and adjacent blockquote blocks must not be separated by blank lines.
MDS061	`list-marker-space`	list	ready	Each list marker must be followed by the configured number of spaces.
MDS062	`link-validity`	link	ready	Links must not use the reversed `(text)[url]` form, and every link or image must have a non-empty destination; a link must also have visible text.
MDS063	`descriptive-link-text`	prose	ready	Link text must be descriptive. Non-descriptive phrases like “click here”, “here”, “link”, and “more” fail screen readers and link-list navigation.
MDS064	`atx-heading-whitespace`	heading	ready	ATX heading whitespace and indentation.
MDS065	`code-block-style`	code	ready	Code blocks must use a single delimiter — fenced or four-space indented — consistently across the file.
MDS066	`commands-show-output`	code	ready	A fenced code block whose every non-blank line begins with `$` and shows no output must drop the prompt.
MDS067	`callout-type`	structural	ready	Validate Obsidian callout types against an allowed set.
MDS068	`link-style`	link	ready	Flag links and images whose path, extension, form, or link-image-style deviates from the project’s declared `links.style` policy.
MDS069	`unique-frontmatter`	structural	ready	Every file in the configured glob scope must hold a distinct value in the configured front-matter field.
MDS070	`same-file-anchor`	link	ready	Every same-file #fragment link must resolve to a heading present in the same file.

# Directive rules

Rules whose nature: directive front matter marks them as <?...?> directive implementations. Filtered from the same source as the table above.

Rule	Name	Description
MDS019	`catalog`	Catalog content must reflect selected front matter fields from files matching its glob.
MDS021	`include`	Include section content must match the referenced file.
MDS038	`toc`	Keep toc generated heading lists in sync with document headings.
MDS039	`build`	Validate `<?build?>` directive parameters and keep the section body in sync with the recipe’s rendered `body-template`.