---
id: mdformat-deflist
version: "0.1.4"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# mdformat_deflist — An mdformat plugin for markdown-it-deflist.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 92.8K/mo

## What it is and what it does

mdformat-deflist is a plugin that teaches mdformat how to handle definition lists—a Markdown syntax extension for term-and-definition pairs. It wraps the markdown-it-deflist parser and integrates it into mdformat's formatting pipeline, so that when you run mdformat on documents containing definition lists, those lists are parsed correctly and formatted consistently rather than being left as raw text or causing parse errors.

The package is minimal and focused: it exists solely to bridge mdformat and the markdown-it-deflist syntax. You install it alongside mdformat, and it becomes available as a formatting rule. It has no configuration options of its own and depends only on mdformat and mdit-py-plugins, making it a lightweight addition to a Markdown formatting workflow.

Use it for:

- Format Markdown documentation that uses definition lists for glossaries or term explanations.
- Enforce consistent definition list formatting across a documentation project using mdformat.
- Integrate definition list support into a CI/CD pipeline that already uses mdformat for style checks.
- Preserve definition list syntax when auto-formatting Markdown without losing or mangling the structure.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Extends mdformat with support for parsing and formatting definition lists in Markdown, using the markdown-it-deflist syntax.

Yes, if you use mdformat and need to format Markdown files containing definition lists. The install is frictionless, the license is permissive, and there are no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (299 days since last release) is a minor concern for a small, focused plugin, but the repository is not archived and the package works with current Python versions. Worth installing for projects that rely on definition list syntax.

## Install

pip install mdformat-deflist
uv add mdformat-deflist
poetry add mdformat-deflist

## Installing mdformat_deflist

Before you install: Low friction install with just two runtime dependencies (mdformat and mdit-py-plugins). Maintenance is aging—last release was 299 days ago—but the repository remains active and the package has no known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install mdformat-deflist

Then configure mdformat to use the plugin in your project's pyproject.toml or .mdformat.toml, and run mdformat on Markdown files containing definition lists.

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the plugin is automatically discovered by mdformat or requires explicit configuration
- What definition list syntax variations are supported beyond the standard markdown-it-deflist format

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 92.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

mdformat plugin definition lists, markdown definition list formatter, markdown-it-deflist support, format definition lists markdown, mdformat extension, markdown-formatting, plugin

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/mdformat-deflist) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/mdformat-deflist/)