macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install mandownlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install mandown with Homebrew, apk, Nix, pacman, zypper
Man-page inspired Markdown viewer. Version 1.0.5.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add mandownAlpine Linux edge package indexes · mandown · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#mandownnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ma/mandown/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S mandownArch Linux sync databases · mandown · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install mandownopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · mandown · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Man-page inspired Markdown viewer
Project links
Commands and aliases
- mdn
history
Project history and usage
mandown is a man-page-inspired Markdown pager written in C. Its installed command is `mdn`, and the README positions it as a terminal viewer for README files, manual-like Markdown, and local Markdown documents.
Project history
The public GitHub tag history shows early 0.x releases in May 2020, a 1.0.0 tag in June 2020, a 1.0.4 tag in October 2021, and renewed 1.0.5.x maintenance tags in 2025. The README notes a name change in which the executable became `mdn`.
Development has focused on a small C terminal application with ncurses, libxml2, and libconfig dependencies, plus a static/shared library embedding interface for applications that want to render Markdown.
Adoption history
mandown's adoption is niche but visible: the README documents Homebrew installation, and package-manager metadata shows availability in Homebrew and several Linux-oriented package collections. The GitHub repository has a few hundred stars, consistent with a small terminal utility rather than core system infrastructure.
Its appeal is strongest among users who like the `man` reading model and want Markdown to feel like local terminal documentation rather than a browser format.
How it is used
The normal usage is `mdn sample.md` or `mdn <file>`, with keyboard controls inspired by pagers such as `less` and `vim`: movement with arrows or `j`/`k`, page movement with space/backspace or page keys, hyperlink inspection, mouse scrolling, and `q` to exit.
The README documents a user customization file at `~/.config/mdn/mdnrc` and control schemes including mdn, vim, and less, with less being the default at the time described.
Why package nerds care
mandown is package-nerd interesting because it occupies a tiny terminal niche: render Markdown like a manual page without pulling in a browser, Electron app, or large documentation stack.
For packagers, the important details are the executable rename to `mdn`, the ncurses/libxml2/libconfig dependencies, and the user config path under XDG-style config.
Timeline
- 2020: Early 0.2 and 0.3 tags were published in May.
- 2020: v1.0.0 was tagged in June.
- 2021: v1.0.4 was tagged with a DEBUG-section fix.
- 2025: v1.0.5.x tags updated README/dependencies and fixed Fedora/libxml2 and return-code issues.
Related projects
- mandown overlaps with terminal pagers, Markdown renderers, and man-page-style viewers.
- Its package-manager neighbors include tools such as `glow`, `mdless`, `less`, and traditional `man`, though mandown's official sources describe it specifically as a C, man-page-inspired Markdown viewer.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.config/mdn/mdnrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
mdn | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.0.5.2
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/Titor8115/mandownnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:mandown |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.5.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mandown |
| Homepage | https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown |
| Repository | https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown#readme |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown/archive/refs/tags/v1.0.5.2.tar.gz |
| Dependencies | libconfig, ncurses |
| Build dependencies | pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | libxml2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | mandown |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 2 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
mandown
nix profile install nixpkgs#mandown- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mandown
apk95%
mandown 1.1.0-r0
Create man pages from markdown markup
https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown
sudo apk add mandown- License: Apache-2.0
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: mandown
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mandown
pacman95%
mandown 1.1.0-2
Create man pages from markdown markup
https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown
sudo pacman -S mandown- License: Apache-2.0
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mandown
zypper95%
mandown 1.1.0-1.1
A man page generator for markdown markup files
https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown
sudo zypper install mandown- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: Development/Tools/Doc Generators
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: mandown
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Mandown
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment