Markdown Cheat Sheet

A practical Markdown syntax cheat sheet and quick reference for GitHub, docs and AI writing. Covers GFM tables, task lists, code fences, plus Math and Mermaid used in MD Workbox.

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Clean messy Markdown

Headings

Use one H1 per page when you can. ATX (#) style is the most portable.

Syntax	Meaning	Example
# Heading 1	Top-level heading	Heading 1
## Heading 2	Section heading	Heading 2
### Heading 3	Subsection	Heading 3
#### Heading 4	Minor heading	Heading 4

Emphasis

Syntax	Meaning	Example
bold	Bold	bold
__bold__	Bold (alternate)	bold
italic	Italic	italic
_italic_	Italic (alternate)	italic
*bold italic*	Bold + italic	bold italic
~~strike~~	Strikethrough (GFM)	~~strike~~

Lists

Syntax	Meaning	Example
- item - item	Unordered list (-, * or +)	First Second Third
1. item 2. item	Ordered list	First Second Third
- parent - child	Nested list (indent 2 spaces)	Parent Child Child

Task lists

GitHub-flavored Markdown checkboxes — useful for AI-generated action items.

Syntax	Meaning	Example
- [ ] todo - [x] done	Unchecked / checked tasks	Open in Editor Preview locally

Links & images

Syntax	Meaning	Example
[text](https://mdworkbox.com)	Inline link	MD Workbox
[text](url "title")	Link with title attribute	Docs
![alt](https://…/image.png)	Image (alt text required for accessibility)	`![alt text](https://mdworkbox.com/image.png)`
<https://mdworkbox.com>	Autolink	https://mdworkbox.com

Code

Syntax	Meaning	Example
`code`	Inline code	Use `pnpm dev` to start.
```js code ```	Fenced code block with language tag	`console.log("hello")`
``` plain ```	Fenced block without a language	`plain text block`

Quotes & rules

Syntax	Meaning	Example
> quoted text	Blockquote	Nothing you paste is uploaded.
> a >> nested	Nested quote	Outer Nested
---	Horizontal rule (***, --- or ___)	Above Below

Tables

Header row + separator are required. Alignment uses `:---` / `---:` / `:---:`.

Syntax

Meaning

Example

| A | B |
| --- | --- |
| 1 | 2 |

Basic GFM table

Feature	Status
Local	Yes
Upload	No

| L | C | R |
| :--- | :---: | ---: |

Left / center / right alignment

Left	Center	Right
a	b	c

Math formulas

Supported in MD Workbox Editor and converters (MathML or KaTeX). Also accepts  and \[ \].

Syntax	Meaning	Example
$E = mc^2$	Inline math	Inline $E = m c^{2}$ works here.
$$ \int_a^b f(x)\,dx $$	Display math	$\int_{- \infty}^{\infty} e^{- x^{2}} d x = π$

Mermaid diagrams

Use a ```mermaid fence. Preview, HTML, PDF, DOCX and Image export render diagrams locally.

Syntax	Meaning	Example
```mermaid flowchart LR A --> B ```	Flowchart (sequence, class, state, pie, … also work)	flowchart LR A[Paste] --> B[Preview] B --> C[Export]

Escaping

Syntax	Meaning	Example
\not italic\	Escape special characters with a backslash	not italic and `not code`

How to use

Scan the section nav or jump to Headings, Tables, Math or Mermaid.
Click Copy on any syntax cell, then paste into the Editor or your docs.
Use Try examples in Editor to open a sample with formulas and a Mermaid diagram.
This Markdown reference guide follows common GFM rules used on GitHub and in most static site generators.

FAQ

Is this Markdown flavor GitHub-compatible?

Yes for the everyday syntax listed here (tables, task lists, strikethrough, fenced code). MD Workbox also adds Math delimiters and mermaid fences used by its preview and export tools.