Review Markdown structure inside VS Code.
Markscope opens Markdown files as a custom preview with an outline pane and a focused section body. It is useful for reviewing document shape, topic flow, and section balance while editing.
The preview runs entirely inside the extension webview. It does not require the markscope command or any sibling checkout.
Markdown parsing is bundled with the extension, so the published extension is self-contained.
Features
- Open Markdown files with
Markscope Preview. - Switch between outline-only and first-paragraph reading.
- Filter the outline by heading depth.
- Switch the reading panes between automatic, side-by-side, and stacked layouts.
- Navigate sections with
ArrowUp,ArrowDown,j, andk. - Sync the selected outline item from the active Markdown editor cursor.
- Render Mermaid diagrams from fenced
mermaidcode blocks. - Render PlantUML diagrams from fenced
plantumlandpumlcode blocks.
Usage
Open a Markdown file, then run:
Markscope: Open Preview
You can also use Reopen Editor With... or Open With... and choose Markscope Preview.
From the Explorer context menu, use Open in Markscope on a Markdown file.
Development Setup
Enter the Nix development shell:
nix develop
The shell provides Node.js 22 and pnpm 10.
Install dependencies:
pnpm install
For non-interactive shells, use:
CI=true pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
Compile the extension:
pnpm run compile
Run the extension from VS Code with the Run Extension launch target. In the Extension Development Host window, open a Markdown file and use Reopen Editor With... or Open With... to choose Markscope Preview.
Package a local .vsix:
pnpm run package
Publish from the Marketplace publisher management page:
See docs/release.md for the release checklist. Use the Nix development shell for release packaging so the pinned Node.js and pnpm versions are used.
Commands
Markscope: Open Preview: opens the active Markdown file with theMarkscope Previewcustom editor.Open in Markscope: available from the Explorer context menu for Markdown files.