Parser — API Deep Dive

This page extracts the most important functions, types and helpers from packages/markdown-parser for a focused API reference.

Main functions

getMarkdown(msgId?, options?)

Create a configured markdown-it-ts instance.

Parameters:

• msgId (string | optional): identifier for this instance
• options (GetMarkdownOptions | optional): configuration options

Options include:

• plugin: list of Markdown-it plugins
• apply: functions to mutate the MarkdownIt instance
• i18n: translator map or function

parseMarkdownToStructure(content, md?, options?)

Parse a Markdown string into a streaming-friendly AST used by the renderer.

Parameters:

• content (string): markdown to parse
• md (MarkdownItCore, optional): a markdown-it-ts instance — created if not provided
• options (ParseOptions, optional): contains transform hooks described below

Returns: ParsedNode[]

processTokens(tokens)

Converts raw markdown-it tokens into a processed token list ready for the AST phase.

parseInlineTokens(tokens, md)

Parse inline tokens into inline nodes usable by the renderer.

Configuration & helpers

setDefaultMathOptions(options)

Set global math rendering options for KaTeX. Example:

setDefaultMathOptions({
  commands: ['infty', 'perp'],
  escapeExclamation: true
})

Heuristics and utilities

• isMathLike(content) — heuristic to detect whether a string looks like math
• findMatchingClose(src, startIdx, open, close) — find matching delimiter
• parseFenceToken(token) — parse code fence into CodeBlockNode
• normalizeStandaloneBackslashT(content, options?) — normalize backslash-t sequences in math content

Parse hooks (advanced)

When calling parseMarkdownToStructure you can pass ParseOptions with these hooks:

• preTransformTokens?: (tokens: MarkdownToken[]) => MarkdownToken[] — operate immediately after the markdown-it parser runs
• postTransformTokens?: (tokens: MarkdownToken[]) => MarkdownToken[] — transform tokens after internal fixes
• postTransformNodes?: (nodes: ParsedNode[]) => ParsedNode[] — operate on the node tree before rendering

These hooks are also available via parseOptions prop on the MarkdownRender component (applies only when using content instead of nodes).

Types

A condensed list of exported types to reference in your code:

• CodeBlockNode, GetMarkdownOptions, HeadingNode, ListItemNode, ListNode, MathOptions, ParagraphNode, ParsedNode, ParseOptions, etc.

Use import type { ParsedNode, CodeBlockNode } from 'stream-markdown-parser' in your TypeScript code.

Plugins & Defaults

This package ships with common plugin support (emoji, footnotes, task checkboxes) and includes pre-configured convenience plugins for typical flows. To add custom plugins, pass them via getMarkdown's plugin option.

Examples

Use the playground to test your parse transforms quickly. For instance, use a preTransformTokens hook to transform custom html_block tokens into a thinking_block type, then register a custom component for the new node type via setCustomComponents.

For full details and more examples, see packages/markdown-parser/README.md in the repository.