install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install mdsh

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install mdsh

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · mdsh · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#mdsh

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/md/mdsh/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Markdown shell pre-processor

Project links

Commands and aliases

mdsh

history

Project history and usage

mdsh is a Rust Markdown shell preprocessor that updates Markdown files in place by including files, executing commands, and refreshing generated blocks. The project describes itself as similar to literate programming or notebooks, but for shell commands in Markdown.

Project history

The public repository was created on 2019-02-15. Its README explains the original problem as keeping README snippets, command output, and embedded file contents synchronized without manually copying text.

Unlike many preprocessors that emit a separate generated file, mdsh is designed around idempotent in-place updates. The README and project site document a compact Markdown extension for command blocks, comments, links, raw Markdown output, code-block output, and shell variable expansion.

Adoption history

Official installation instructions recommend `cargo install mdsh`, Nix installation, Nix flakes, and use as a pre-commit hook. The input package-manager facts list Homebrew, dnf, and Nix packages.

GitHub metadata showed ongoing maintenance through 2026 and a modest but real open-source footprint, with repository topics around Markdown, pre-processing, and shell.

How it is used

By default, `mdsh` processes `./README.md`; `--inputs`, `--output`, and `--work-dir` let users choose files and execution directories. The `--frozen` mode is intended for CI checks that fail when generated documentation is stale.

The README documents commands for reading files, executing shell commands, producing raw Markdown or code blocks, expanding environment variables, cleaning generated blocks, and installing mdsh as a pre-commit hook.

Why package nerds care

mdsh matters to package-oriented developers because it turns a README into a reproducible build artifact without leaving Markdown. It is small, scriptable, CI-friendly, and sits in the same culture as literate shell docs, generated examples, and pre-commit-enforced documentation freshness.

Timeline

2019: Public GitHub repository created.
2019: README license block identifies copyright for zimbatm and contributors.
2026: Repository metadata showed continued updates and availability through Cargo, Nix, Homebrew, and dnf-related packaging facts.

Related projects

The README compares mdsh with literate programming, Jupyter Notebooks, active code/Pandoc filters, and Enola.dev ExecMD.
The project deliberately chooses in-place Markdown updates rather than a separate rendered-document pipeline.

Sources

https://api.github.com/repos/zimbatm/mdsh
https://github.com/zimbatm/mdsh#readme
https://zimbatm.github.io/mdsh/
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:shell

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
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.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`mdsh`	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 version0.9.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.9.2

https://github.com/zimbatm/mdsh

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:mdsh
Version	0.9.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mdsh
Homepage	https://zimbatm.github.io/mdsh/
Repository	https://github.com/zimbatm/mdsh
Upstream docs	https://github.com/zimbatm/mdsh#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/zimbatm/mdsh/archive/refs/tags/v0.9.2.tar.gz
Build dependencies	rust
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, 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	mdsh
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

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%

mdsh

nix profile install nixpkgs#mdsh

normalized package name match
Matched by: Mdsh

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/md/mdsh/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

dnf95%

mdsh 0.7.0-8.fc44

Markdown shell pre-processor

https://crates.io/crates/mdsh

sudo dnf install mdsh

License: MIT AND Unicode-DFS-2016 AND (Apache-2.0 OR MIT) AND (Unlicense OR MIT)
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rust-mdsh
4 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Mdsh

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: mdsh from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/mdsh.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install mdsh with Homebrew, dnf, Nix