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Markdown Strip CLI

A Node CLI that reads a Markdown file and prints the plain text with all formatting syntax removed, preserving paragraph breaks.

node --version

node mdstrip.mjs readme.md

node --test mdstrip.test.mjs

Prints the plain text content of the Markdown file with headings, emphasis, links, code spans, and list markers stripped, paragraphs preserved.

What it does

Reads a Markdown file and applies a sequence of regex replacements to strip formatting: code blocks and spans are removed or unwrapped, headings lose their #, emphasis loses its *, links keep their text, list markers and blockquotes are removed, and excessive blank lines are collapsed.

import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
const md = readFileSync(process.argv[2], 'utf8');
const out = md
  .replace(/```[\s\S]*?```/g, '')      // code blocks
  .replace(/\`([^`]*)\`/g, '$1')           // inline code
  .replace(/^#{1,6}\s+/gm, '')                 // headings
  .replace(/\*\*([^*]*)\*\*/g, '$1')         // bold
  .replace(/\*([^*]*)\*/g, '$1')              // italic
  .replace(/\[([^\]]*)\]\([^\)]*\)/g, '$1') // links
  .replace(/^[-*+]\s+/gm, '')                  // list markers
  .replace(/^>\s+/gm, '')                      // blockquotes
  .replace(/^\|.*$/gm, '')                     // tables
  .replace(/\n{3,}/g, '\n\n');               // collapse blank lines
console.log(out.trim());

Run and verify

node mdstrip.mjs readme.md

Run the test command to check the implementation: node --test mdstrip.test.mjs.

Expected Output

For a Markdown file with a heading and a bold paragraph, the output is the plain text:

Heading text
Bold paragraph text

Limitations

The regex approach handles common Markdown but not nested formatting, HTML blocks, or reference-style links. A proper parser would be more robust but is heavier for a CLI.