# 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 ```sh sudo av install brew:mandown ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install mandown ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add mandown ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mandown from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#mandown ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mandown/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S mandown ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: mandown from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install mandown ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mandown from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:mandown - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.0.5.2 - **Source summary:** Man-page inspired Markdown viewer - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - mdn (cli) - mdn (alias) ## Dependencies - libconfig - ncurses ## Build dependencies - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - libxml2 ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.0.5.2 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/Titor8115/mandown - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## 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 `, 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 - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: ~/.config/mdn/mdnrc ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** mandown - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 2 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - mandown: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ma/mandown/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - mandown - 1.1.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: mandown from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Create man pages from markdown markup | https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown - pacman - mandown - 1.1.0-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: mandown from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Create man pages from markdown markup | https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown - zypper - mandown - 1.1.0-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: mandown from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A man page generator for markdown markup files | https://gitlab.com/kornelski/mandown ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [ncurses](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ncurses/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [github-markdown-toc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/github-markdown-toc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [glow](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glow/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, markdown, terminal, viewer. - [grip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/grip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [mdv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mdv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, markdown, terminal, viewer. - [mmark](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mmark/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [action-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [cmark](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmark/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [cmark-gfm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmark-gfm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mandown.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/mandown.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph