MarkNext

A minimal, unambiguous, and secure Markdown successor.

MarkNext fixes the fundamental problems with Markdown while keeping what makes it great: minimal friction, readable raw text, and simple syntax.

The Problem with Markdown

• Ambiguity: Multiple syntaxes for the same output (** vs __, # vs ===)
• Security: Inline HTML allows XSS attacks
• Complexity: Context-sensitive grammar (footnotes, reference links)
• No build system: Runtime rendering causes security and performance issues

MarkNext Solutions

| Problem | MarkNext Fix | |---------|-------------| | Multiple bold syntaxes | *text* only | | Multiple italic syntaxes | /text/ only | | Context-sensitive features | Strict CFG grammar | | Inline HTML XSS | Banned entirely | | No build pipeline | First-class compilation |

Key Documents

• MARKNEXT_SPEC.md - Complete formal specification
• grammar.ebnf - Formal EBNF grammar
• QUICKREF.md - Quick reference guide
• example.mnext - Example document

Syntax Highlights

# Headers (ATX style only)

*Bold text*          # Single asterisk
/Italic text/        # Slashes, not underscores
*/Bold italic/*      # Combined

- List item one      # Dash only
- List item two

[Link](url)          # Direct only, no reference style

```code```            # Fenced code blocks only

[warning text="Safe shortcodes replace HTML"]

Principles

1. One Way To Do Things - No duplicate syntaxes
2. Context-Free Grammar - Strict CFG, no ambiguities
3. Safe by Default - No inline HTML, sandboxed extensions
4. Readable Raw Text - Source should be as legible as rendered
5. Compiled, Not Rendered - Build-time processing for safety

License

Specification: CC BY 4.0