About Markdown → Slack mrkdwn

Convert GitHub-flavor markdown to Slack's mrkdwn. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the AI / Modern Dev collection.

Use Cases

• Converting README snippets for posting in Slack channels
• Preparing formatted announcements from Markdown drafts
• Translating GitHub PR descriptions into Slack-readable messages
• Adapting documentation excerpts for Slack-based team updates

Tips

• Bold syntax converts from **text** to *text* automatically
• Links convert from [text](url) to <url|text> format
• Preview the mrkdwn output before pasting into Slack

Fun Facts

• Slack's markup language is called 'mrkdwn' (without the vowels) and intentionally differs from standard Markdown in several ways, including using single asterisks for bold.
• Slack was launched in August 2013 and reached 10 million daily active users by 2019; its message formatting has remained largely unchanged since launch.
• The Markdown language was created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz in 2004, while Slack's mrkdwn variant appeared nearly a decade later with its own quirks.

FAQ

Is this the same as Markdown-to-Slack?

Yes — both convert between GitHub-flavored Markdown and Slack's mrkdwn. Different tool names; same engine. Historical aliasing for discoverability.

What's lost in translation?

Headings become bold text (mrkdwn has no headings). Tables are stripped. Nested lists flatten. Mrkdwn is simpler than Markdown.

Does it handle Slack-specific syntax?

Yes — user mentions `<@U12345>`, channel mentions `<#C12345>`, and special `<!here>` strings are generated when your Markdown has corresponding patterns.

Can I go the other way (mrkdwn → Markdown)?

Toggle direction. Useful when a Slack export needs to become a blog post or documentation.