MD-UTILS(1)

✨ USAGE ✨

md-utils.pl options [markdown-file]

okay bestie, so md-utils (that's the MD-UTILS(1) page you're reading rn, heyyy 👋) is this adorable little utility that adds a table of contents and other goodies to your GitHub-flavored markdown. it's giving ✨glow up for your README✨ and honestly? obsessed.

here's the lil magic spells it understands:

• @TOC@ — drop this exactly where you want your table of contents to appear 🎀
• @TOC_BACK@ — pops in an internal link back to the TOC 🔁
• @DATE(format-str)@ — put this where you want a formatted date 🗓️
• @GIT_USER@ — shows your git user name 👑
• @GIT_EMAIL@ — shows your git email address 📧
• the --render option to render the HTML for the markdown 🌈

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🌸 Examples 🌸

md-utils.pl README.md.in > README.md

md-utils.pl -r README.md.in

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💅 Options 💅

• -B, --body — the default is to add a body tag; if that's not the vibe, use --nobody to prevent it 🫶
• -b, --both — interpolates the intermediate file and renders HTML, both things, together, slay
• -c, --css — css file 🎨
• -e, --engine — the engine: github, text_markdown (default: github)
• -h — help, bestie needs it sometimes 😭
• -i, --infile — input file, default: STDIN
• -m, --mode — for GitHub API, mode is 'gfm' or 'markdown' (default: markdown)
• -n, --no-titl — do not print a title for the TOC 🤫
• -o, --outfile — outfile, default: STDOUT
• -r, --render — render only, does NOT interpolate keywords ⚠️ (fr fr, it skips the keywords)
• -R, --raw — return raw HTML from the engine
• -t, --title — string to use for a custom title, default: "Table of Contents" 👑
• -v, --version — version
• -N, --nocss — do not add any CSS link 🚫

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🦋 Tips 🦋

• Use !# to prevent a header from being included in the table of contents.

Add your own custom back-to-TOC message like this: @TOC_BACK(Back to Index)@ 💖

• Date format strings are based on format strings supported by the Perl module 'Date::Format'.

The default format is %Y-%m-%d if no format is given. 🗓️

• use the --nobody tag to return the HTML without the <html><body></body></html> wrapper.

"--raw" mode will also return HTML without wrapper. ✨

no cap: --render (-r) does NOT interpolate keywords, and both --nobody and "--raw" give you HTML with no wrapper. noted, remembered, periodt 💅

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okay that's the whole thing, you're so ready to make your markdown iconic 🧚✨ this page is from the User Contributed Perl Documentation collection, perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-05-26, and it's literally MD-UTILS(1) — go forth and TOC-ify, bestie, you ate 💖🎀🦋