whatisgithub

What is markdowntoc?

0xdevalias/markdowntoc — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-29 · repo last pushed 2026-05-25

Audience · writerComplexity · 2/5MaintainedSetup · easy

In one sentence

A Sublime Text 3 plugin that automatically generates and updates a table of contents in your Markdown documents based on headings, keeping it in sync every time you save.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Auto-generates table of contents
      Updates on save
      GitHub-compatible links
    How to use
      Insert via Tools menu
      Place cursor at insertion point
      Configure with tag attributes
    Use cases
      Long README files
      Documentation wikis
      Open-source project docs
    Audience
      Technical writers
      Open-source maintainers
      Project managers
    Configuration
      Heading depth control
      Link toggle
      Non-English character handling

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Add a clickable table of contents to a long README file in Sublime Text.

USE CASE 2

Keep a documentation wiki's table of contents up to date as headings change.

USE CASE 3

Generate a GitHub-compatible linked table of contents for a project's documentation.

What is it built with?

Sublime Text 3PythonMarkdown

How does it compare?

0xdevalias/markdowntoc00kaku/gallery-slider-block04amanrajj/netwatch
Stars0
LanguageJavaScriptRust
Last pushed2026-05-252021-05-19
MaintenanceMaintainedDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencewritergeneralops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Sublime Text 3 installed, plugin is installed via Package Control.

So what is it?

MarkdownTOC is a plugin for Sublime Text 3 that automatically generates a table of contents inside a Markdown document. Instead of manually writing and updating a list of sections at the top of your README, wiki, or documentation file, you run a command and the plugin builds the list for you based on your headings. Once installed, you place your cursor where you want the table of contents to appear and pick the plugin from the Tools menu. The plugin scans the rest of your document for heading text, generates a linked list, and inserts it. Whenever you save the file, the table of contents updates itself automatically, adding new entries for new headings and removing ones you deleted. You can also configure how it behaves by adding small attributes to the generated tags, such as choosing how deep the list goes, whether entries are clickable links, and how non-English characters are handled. This is for anyone who writes long Markdown files in Sublime Text, open-source maintainers, technical writers, or project managers maintaining documentation. If you have a README with 20 headings and you add a new section near the bottom, the table of contents at the top stays in sync without you doing anything. One notable detail is that the table of contents only considers headings below where you insert it. Anything above the insertion point is ignored, which keeps the generated list from referencing itself. The plugin also supports link styles that match GitHub's rendering, so clickable entries work correctly when you push the file to a repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I write long Markdown files in Sublime Text 3 and want an automatically updating table of contents. Walk me through installing and using the MarkdownTOC plugin step by step.
Prompt 2
Help me configure the MarkdownTOC Sublime Text plugin so the generated table of contents only goes 3 levels deep and uses GitHub-style clickable links.
Prompt 3
I installed MarkdownTOC in Sublime Text 3 but the table of contents isn't updating on save. Help me troubleshoot common configuration issues.
Prompt 4
Explain how the MarkdownTOC plugin decides which headings to include when I insert the table of contents, and why headings above the insertion point are ignored.

Frequently asked questions

What is markdowntoc?

A Sublime Text 3 plugin that automatically generates and updates a table of contents in your Markdown documents based on headings, keeping it in sync every time you save.

Is markdowntoc actively maintained?

Maintained — commit in last 6 months (last push 2026-05-25).

How hard is markdowntoc to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is markdowntoc for?

Mainly writer.

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