setuptools-markdown
[Deprecated] Use Markdown for your project description
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned and explicitly deprecated by its maintainer. Modern setuptools and PyPI support Markdown natively without requiring this plugin. Only install if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- pandoc system library must be installed before running setup
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (pypandoc), but the package is abandoned—last release was 2019-08-14 and last commit 2022-05-11.
- The maintainer's own documentation explicitly recommends against using this in favor of built-in setuptools functionality.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive and poses no restrictions on use or redistribution.
last release 2019-08-14 (2557 days) · last repo commit 2022-05-11 · 28 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 110,313 downloads/mo, #12,470 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install setuptools-markdown
In setup.py:
from setuptools import setup
setup(
setup_requires=['setuptools-markdown'],
long_description_markdown_filename='README.md',
)- Whether pandoc system library installation is required before pip install succeeds
- Compatibility with modern setuptools versions released after 2019
What it is and what it does
setuptools-markdown is a setuptools plugin that integrates Markdown support into your package build process. During setup, it reads a Markdown file you specify, converts it to reStructuredText using pypandoc, and stores the result in your package's long_description metadata field for PyPI. This was useful before PyPI and setuptools added native Markdown support.
The package is deprecated and no longer maintained. The maintainer explicitly recommends using setuptools' built-in Markdown functionality instead. It has not been updated since 2019, and the repository shows no activity since 2022. If you are starting a new project, you should use modern setuptools features rather than this plugin.
Use it for
- Maintaining legacy packages that were built with this plugin before native Markdown support existed
- Converting existing setup.py configurations that depend on setuptools-markdown without immediate refactoring
- Understanding how Markdown-to-reStructuredText conversion worked in older setuptools workflows
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned and explicitly deprecated by its maintainer. Modern setuptools and PyPI support Markdown natively without requiring this plugin. Only install if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.
Install
setuptools-markdown on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (pypandoc), but the package is abandoned—last release was 2019-08-14 and last commit 2022-05-11. The maintainer's own documentation explicitly recommends against using this in favor of built-in setuptools functionality.
pandoc system library must be installed before running setup
License in practice
MIT license is permissive and poses no restrictions on use or redistribution.
Quickstart
pip install setuptools-markdown
In setup.py:
from setuptools import setup
setup(
setup_requires=['setuptools-markdown'],
long_description_markdown_filename='README.md',
)Verify before relying
- Whether pandoc system library installation is required before pip install succeeds
- Compatibility with modern setuptools versions released after 2019
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagepypandoc |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,557 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 110,313 / month, #12,470 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: setuptools_markdown-0.4.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also m2r2 · collective.checkdocs · readme-renderer · sphinx_mdinclude · docstring-to-markdown · pypandoc-binary · setupmeta · pyandoc · pypandoc · sphinx-markdown-builder