Markdown to Something

You can also use our API to convert markdown programmatically. Here are some examples using cURL:

Convert to DOCX

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"markdown": "# Hello World"}' \
     https://md.colinknapp.com/api/convert

Convert to HTML (Professional Template)

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"markdown": "# Hello World", "format": "html", "template": "professional", 
     "title": "Document Title", "subtitle": "Document Subtitle", 
     "contact": "Contact Information", "footer": "Footer Text"}' \
     https://md.colinknapp.com/api/convert

Convert to HTML and Send to Haste

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"markdown": "# Hello World", "format": "html", "template": "professional", 
     "send_to_haste": true}' \
     https://md.colinknapp.com/api/convert

When using send_to_haste: true, the response will include haste_key, haste_url, and preview_url fields. URL fields point to the app-owned /haste/{key} shared preview route.

Mermaid diagrams and MathJax/LaTeX are both supported per template. When your content contains diagrams or equations, the appropriate scripts are injected automatically.

This service is available as an MCP server, allowing you to use markdown conversion capabilities directly from MCP-compatible clients like Cursor, Claude Desktop, and other AI assistants. Discovery aligns with MCP Discovery via Well-Known URI.

Discovery Endpoints

Both well-known documents are served per the spec:

https://md.colinknapp.com/.well-known/mcp.json
https://md.colinknapp.com/.well-known/skills.md

Clients should read skills.md first for operating guidance, then mcp.json for structured endpoint metadata (tools, capabilities, transport).

Adding to Cursor

To add this service to Cursor, edit your MCP configuration file (typically ~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json in your project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdown-to-something": {
      "url": "https://md.colinknapp.com"
    }
  }
}

Note: The discovery endpoint (/.well-known/mcp.json) provides the transport configuration. If your MCP client supports well-known discovery, it will automatically use the transport details from that document.

Adding to Claude Desktop

To add this service to Claude Desktop, edit your MCP configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdown-to-something": {
      "url": "https://md.colinknapp.com"
    }
  }
}

If your Claude Desktop version requires using mcp-remote, you can use:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdown-to-something": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://md.colinknapp.com"]
    }
  }
}

Available MCP Tools

The service provides the following MCP tool:

• convert_markdown: Convert Markdown content to HTML, DOCX, or PDF format with various template options

Tool Parameters

• markdown (required): The Markdown content to convert
• template (optional): Template name (e.g., 'minimalist-light', 'professional', 'academic'). Default: 'minimalist-light'
• output_format (optional): Output format - 'html', 'docx', or 'pdf'. Default: 'html'
• title (optional): Document title
• subtitle (optional): Document subtitle
• contact (optional): Contact information
• footer (optional): Footer text

Example Usage

Once configured, you can use the service from your MCP client:

# In Cursor or Claude Desktop, you can now ask:
"Convert this markdown to HTML using the professional template:
# My Document
This is my content."

# The AI assistant will use the MCP tool to convert your markdown
# and return the formatted HTML.

Verifying the Setup

You can verify both discovery documents are accessible by visiting:

curl https://md.colinknapp.com/.well-known/mcp.json
curl https://md.colinknapp.com/.well-known/skills.md

The JSON document describes the service capabilities; the markdown document provides a short skills summary. For the discovery specification, see MCP Discovery via Well-Known URI.

Using Mermaid Diagrams

Include Mermaid diagrams in your markdown using code blocks with the mermaid language identifier:

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Start] --> B{Is it raining?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Take umbrella]
    B -->|No| D[Enjoy the weather]
```

Using LaTeX Equations

Include mathematical expressions using LaTeX syntax:

• Inline equations: Use single dollar signs $E = mc^2$
• Display equations: Use double dollar signs

  $$
  \frac{d}{dx}[x^n] = nx^{n-1}
  $$

Note: For currency symbols in text, escape the dollar sign with a backslash: \$5.99

Each template declares whether it supports Mermaid and MathJax in template_config.py. Both are injected when the template allows and the content contains diagrams or equations.

WCAG-Compliant Templates

All WCAG-compliant templates support both Mermaid and MathJax: professional, classic, modern, creative, academic, blog, corporate, newspaper, minimalist-light, playful, modern-photo, compact.

Quick Reference

Testing & Verification

All templates are tested to ensure template defaults work correctly:

• ✅ Template defaults are respected when flags not provided
• ✅ Per-call renderer overrides do not mutate template defaults
• ✅ Script injection matches template settings
• ✅ WCAG templates behave consistently

For Developers: See docs/FEATURE_FLAGS_CONSISTENCY_PLAN.md for the complete testing and implementation plan.

This application creates app-owned shared preview links for HTML output:

• HTML Sharing: Convert markdown to HTML and share via a unique URL
• Preview Endpoint: View shared HTML documents through the application's preview endpoint

To use this feature, check the "Create share link" option before converting.

The preview URL format is: https://md.colinknapp.com/haste/{haste_key}