fmtmd

Convert Markdown to Slack-compatible HTML format for pasting into Slack, Google Docs, and other apps that recognize HTML clipboard format.

Installation

From Source

go install github.com/rynf1t/fmtmd@latest

This installs fmtmd to ~/go/bin/. To use it as fmtmd from anywhere:

# Create alias (add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc)
ln -sf ~/go/bin/fmtmd ~/go/bin/fmtmd

# Make sure ~/go/bin is in your PATH (usually already is)
export PATH="$HOME/go/bin:$PATH"

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/rynf1t/fmtmd.git
cd fmtmd
go build -o fmtmd

Pre-built Binaries

Download pre-built binaries from GitHub Releases for macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Usage

The tool is available as both fmtmd and fmtmd (if you set up the alias). Use it from anywhere:

# Read from stdin - simplest usage
echo "# Hello **world**" | fmtmd

# Read from file
fmtmd input.md
# or
fmtmd input.md

# Read from clipboard
fmtmd -c

# Write to file instead of clipboard
fmtmd input.md -o output.html

# Output to stdout (don't copy to clipboard)
fmtmd input.md -clipboard=false

Note: By default, the tool copies formatted HTML to your clipboard. Just paste into Slack or Google Docs!

Features

• Converts Markdown to HTML with proper heading tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>) for Google Docs
• Converts to Slack format for plain text fallback
• Copies HTML to clipboard in a format recognized by Slack and Google Docs
• Supports all common Markdown features:
  • Headings
  • Bold and italic text
  • Lists (bulleted and numbered)
  • Code blocks and inline code
  • Links
  • Blockquotes
  • Strikethrough

Platform Support

• macOS: Full HTML clipboard support using AppleScript
• Linux: Plain text clipboard (HTML clipboard support coming soon)
• Windows: Plain text clipboard (HTML clipboard support coming soon)

How It Works

1. Reads Markdown from stdin, file, or clipboard
2. Converts directly to HTML (preserving heading structure for Google Docs)
3. Also generates Slack-formatted text as a fallback
4. Copies HTML to clipboard using platform-specific methods
5. When you paste into Slack or Google Docs, the HTML format is recognized and formatting is applied

Examples

# Convert a markdown file and paste into Slack
fmtmd meeting-notes.md

# Convert from clipboard and paste into Google Docs
fmtmd -c

# Pipe markdown from anywhere
cat notes.md | fmtmd

Troubleshooting

• Formatting doesn't work when pasting: Make sure you're pasting into an app that recognizes HTML clipboard format (Slack, Google Docs, etc.)
• Clipboard errors on macOS: Ensure you've granted Terminal/iTerm accessibility permissions in System Preferences
• HTML clipboard not working: The tool will fall back to plain text. HTML clipboard support is currently only available on macOS.

See Also

• Web version - Use the tool in your browser
• All Tools - Browse all available tools