Formats plain text or markdown files with frontmatter, titles, summaries, headings, bold, lists, and code blocks. Use when user asks to "format markdown", "beautify article", "add formatting", or improve article layout. Outputs to {filename}-formatted.md.
Transforms plain text or markdown into well-structured, reader-friendly markdown. The goal is to help readers quickly grasp key points, highlights, and structure — without changing any original content.
Core principle: Only adjust formatting and fix obvious typos. Never add, delete, or rewrite content.
Scripts in scripts/ subdirectory. ${SKILL_DIR} = this SKILL.md's directory path. Resolve ${BUN_X} runtime: if bun installed → bun; if npx available → npx -y bun; else suggest installing bun. Replace ${SKILL_DIR} and ${BUN_X} with actual values.
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
scripts/main.ts | Main entry point with CLI options (uses remark-cjk-friendly for CJK emphasis) |
scripts/quotes.ts | Replace ASCII quotes with fullwidth quotes |
scripts/autocorrect.ts | Add CJK/English spacing via autocorrect |
Check EXTEND.md existence (priority order):
# macOS, Linux, WSL, Git Bash
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md && echo "project"
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"
# PowerShell (Windows)
if (Test-Path .baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md) { "project" }
if (Test-Path "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md") { "user" }
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐ │ Path │ Location │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ .baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md │ Project directory │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ $HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-format-markdown/EXTEND.md │ User home │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘
┌───────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Result │ Action │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Found │ Read, parse, apply settings │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Not found │ Use defaults │ └───────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
EXTEND.md Supports:
| Setting | Values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
auto_select | true/false | false | Skip both title and summary selection, auto-pick best |
auto_select_title | true/false | false | Skip title selection only |
auto_select_summary | true/false | false | Skip summary selection only |
| Other | — | — | Default formatting options, typography preferences |
The workflow has two phases: Analyze (understand the content) then Format (apply formatting). Claude performs content analysis and formatting (Steps 1-5), then runs the script for typography fixes (Step 6).
Read the user-specified file, then detect content type:
| Indicator | Classification |
|---|---|
Has --- YAML frontmatter | Markdown |
Has #, ##, ### headings | Markdown |
Has **bold**, *italic*, lists, code blocks, blockquotes | Markdown |
| None of above | Plain text |
If Markdown detected, ask user:
Detected existing markdown formatting. What would you like to do?
1. Optimize formatting (Recommended)
- Analyze content, improve headings, bold, lists for readability
- Run typography script (spacing, emphasis fixes)
- Output: {filename}-formatted.md
2. Keep original formatting
- Preserve existing markdown structure
- Run typography script only
- Output: {filename}-formatted.md
3. Typography fixes only
- Run typography script on original file in-place
- No copy created, modifies original file directly
Based on user choice:
Read the entire content carefully. Think from a reader's perspective: what would help them quickly understand and remember the key information?
Produce an analysis covering these dimensions:
2.1 Highlights & Key Insights
2.2 Structure Assessment
2.3 Reader-Important Information
2.4 Formatting Issues
Save analysis to file: {original-filename}-analysis.md
The analysis file serves as the blueprint for Step 3. Use this format:
# Content Analysis: {filename}
## Highlights & Key Insights
- [list findings]
## Structure Assessment
- Current flow: [describe]
- Suggested sections: [list heading candidates with brief rationale]
## Reader-Important Information
- [list actionable items, key concepts, buried lists, potential tables]
## Formatting Issues
- [list specific issues with location references]
## Typos Found
- [list any obvious typos with corrections, or "None found"]
Check for YAML frontmatter (--- block). Create if missing.
| Field | Processing |
|---|---|
title | See Title Generation below |
slug | Infer from file path or generate from title |
summary | See Summary Generation below |
coverImage | Check if imgs/cover.png exists in same directory; if so, use relative path |
Title Generation:
Generate 3 candidate titles with different angles/styles. Present to user for selection:
Pick a title:
1. [Title A] — [angle/style note]
2. [Title B] — [angle/style note]
3. [Title C] — [angle/style note]
Enter number, or type a custom title:
Title principles:
If frontmatter already has title, skip selection and use it. If first line is H1, extract to frontmatter as default title but still offer alternatives.
Summary Generation:
Generate 3 candidate summaries with different focuses. Present to user for selection:
Pick a summary:
1. [Summary A] — [focus note]
2. [Summary B] — [focus note]
3. [Summary C] — [focus note]
Enter number, or type a custom summary:
Summary principles:
If frontmatter already has summary, skip selection and use it.
EXTEND.md skip behavior: If auto_select: true is set in EXTEND.md, skip title and summary selection — generate the best candidate directly without asking. User can also set auto_select_title: true or auto_select_summary: true independently.
Once title is in frontmatter, body should NOT have H1 (avoid duplication).
Apply formatting guided by the Step 2 analysis. The goal is making the content scannable and the key points impossible to miss.
Formatting toolkit:
| Element | When to use | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Headings | Natural topic boundaries, section breaks | ##, ### hierarchy |
| Bold | Key conclusions, important terms, core takeaways | **bold** |
| Unordered lists | Parallel items, feature lists, examples | - item |
| Ordered lists | Sequential steps, ranked items, procedures | 1. item |
| Tables | Comparisons, structured data, option matrices | Markdown table |
| Code | Commands, file paths, technical terms, variable names | `inline` or fenced blocks |
| Blockquotes | Notable quotes, important warnings, cited text | > quote |
| Separators | Major topic transitions | --- |
Formatting principles — what NOT to do:
Formatting principles — what TO do:
Save as {original-filename}-formatted.md
Backup existing file:
if [ -f "{filename}-formatted.md" ]; then
mv "{filename}-formatted.md" "{filename}-formatted.backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).md"
fi
Run the formatting script on the output file:
${BUN_X} ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts {output-file-path} [options]
Script Options:
| Option | Short | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
--quotes | -q | Replace ASCII quotes with fullwidth quotes "..." | false |
--no-quotes | Do not replace quotes | ||
--spacing | -s | Add CJK/English spacing via autocorrect | true |
--no-spacing | Do not add CJK/English spacing | ||
--emphasis | -e | Fix CJK emphasis punctuation issues | true |
--no-emphasis | Do not fix CJK emphasis issues |
Examples:
# Default: spacing + emphasis enabled, quotes disabled
${BUN_X} ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts article.md
# Enable all features including quote replacement
${BUN_X} ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts article.md --quotes
# Only fix emphasis issues, skip spacing
${BUN_X} ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts article.md --no-spacing
Script performs (based on options):
Display a report summarizing all changes made:
**Formatting Complete**
**Files:**
- Analysis: {filename}-analysis.md
- Formatted: {filename}-formatted.md
**Content Analysis Summary:**
- Highlights found: X key insights
- Golden quotes: X memorable sentences
- Formatting issues fixed: X items
**Changes Applied:**
- Frontmatter: [added/updated] (title, slug, summary)
- Headings added: X (##: N, ###: N)
- Bold markers added: X
- Lists created: X (from prose → list conversion)
- Tables created: X
- Code markers added: X
- Blockquotes added: X
- Typos fixed: X [list each: "原文" → "修正"]
**Typography Script:**
- CJK spacing: [applied/skipped]
- Emphasis fixes: [applied/skipped]
- Quote replacement: [applied/skipped]
Adjust the report to reflect actual changes — omit categories where no changes were made.
python, javascript)Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Preferences section for paths and supported options.