refrakt format
Re-indents Markdown so nested runes read as nested. It applies one rule: a rune's content is indented one tab only when the rune holds another block rune.
{% tabs %}
{% tab name="npm" %}
Install with npm.
{% /tab %}
{% tab name="pnpm" %}
Install with pnpm.
{% /tab %}
{% /tabs %}
tabs holds tab runes, so its content is indented. Each tab holds only prose, so its content stays at the tab's own level. A rune written inline, inside a line of text, does not count. Fenced code moves as a block and keeps its own indentation.
refrakt format site/content # re-indent every .md file under a directory
refrakt format docs/page.md # or one file
refrakt format --check site/content # write nothing; exit 1 if any file would change
With no path, it formats the current directory. Directories are walked for .md files, skipping node_modules, build output and dot-directories.
What it changes
Only the leading whitespace of lines inside a rune that holds another rune. Every other byte stays as written: list markers, numbering, emphasis, long tag openings and tables included. It does not reprint the document, which is why it is not Markdoc.format.
Before writing a file, it parses the result and compares it with the original. If anything other than indentation would change, it leaves the file alone and reports it, with a line number, and exits 1. A refusal means the formatter has met a case it gets wrong, so please report it.
Options
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
--check | Write nothing. List each file that would change, and exit 1 if there is any |
--format json | Print { check, files, changed, refused } instead of text |
In an editor and for agents
The refrakt language server formats a document with the same function, so an editor that formats on save keeps a file in the shape --check expects. The MCP server exposes it as refrakt.format (see MCP tools).
Why the rule is not "indent everything"
Everywhere outside refrakt, a line indented by four spaces or a tab is a code block: GitHub, most editor previews and other Markdown tools render it that way. refrakt reads indentation as structure instead, so indenting is free here. It is worth doing only where it shows nesting. A rune holding only prose stays flat, and so it reads the same everywhere.