baoyu-format-markdown_skill

Overview

This skill formats plain text or Markdown files into well-structured, publication-ready Markdown and outputs a new file named {filename}-formatted.md. It adds or updates YAML frontmatter, extracts or proposes titles, generates summaries, and applies consistent headings, lists, bolding, code blocks, and blockquotes. After structural formatting it runs typography scripts to fix spacing, emphasis, and optional quote replacement.

How this skill works

The skill detects whether the input is plain text or existing Markdown, then either converts plain text to Markdown or asks whether to optimize, preserve, or only apply typography fixes for existing Markdown. It analyzes document structure to find or generate a title, create frontmatter (title, slug, summary, coverImage), and convert parallel text into lists, bold key phrases, and mark code. Finally it saves {filename}-formatted.md, backs up existing formatted files, and runs the post-processing script to apply spacing, emphasis, and quote transformations according to options.

When to use it

• You want a consistent Markdown structure for publishing or blogging
• You need frontmatter and a concise summary automatically added
• You have plain text that should become readable Markdown
• You want automated CJK/English typography and punctuation fixes
• You need an editorial-friendly conversion that preserves original tone

Best practices

• Review detected Markdown choice prompt before full optimization to avoid unwanted changes
• Prefer the default Optimize workflow for best structure and frontmatter output
• Keep original file backups or enable the script’s backup behavior before overwriting
• Confirm generated title from the three candidates if accuracy matters
• Select script options (--spacing, --emphasis, --quotes) based on target audience and language mix

Example use cases

• Convert meeting notes or draft articles into blog-ready Markdown with frontmatter and summary
• Beautify a technical write-up: extract code snippets and label code blocks with language
• Batch-format content destined for a static site generator with consistent slugs and summaries
• Improve readability of bilingual content by applying CJK/English spacing and emphasis fixes
• Quickly produce a copy-safe formatted file while retaining the original file unchanged