Published March 2026

Auto-Generated Table of Contents for Markdown

Long Markdown files need navigation. A Table of Contents generated from headings makes any document scannable. ShowMeMyMD generates one automatically — no tags, no plugins, no CLI tools.

## The Problem

Markdown Has No Built-In TOC

Markdown doesn’t have a table of contents syntax. There’s no [TOC] tag in the spec. Some tools support one, most don’t.

So people work around it. CLI generators like markdown-toc and doctoc inject TOC markdown into your file. VS Code has extensions for it. GitHub auto-generates one for README files on the web.

None of it is automatic. You either modify your file or install tooling. And when you change a heading, the TOC is out of date until you re-run something.

## How ShowMeMyMD Handles It

Open a File. The TOC Is Already There.

Open any .md file with headings — # through ###### — and ShowMeMyMD generates a clickable Table of Contents automatically.

No tags to insert. No plugins to install. No CLI tools to run. No configuration. Just open your file and navigate.

Key detail

The TOC is generated at render time. Your .md file is never modified. Change a heading, and the TOC updates instantly the next time you open the file.

## Why It Matters

Long Documents Need Navigation

Any document with structure benefits from a clickable TOC. Jump to the section you need instead of scrolling through hundreds of lines.

README files

Open-source projects with installation, usage, API docs, and contributing sections. Jump straight to what you need.

Documentation

Technical specs, API references, runbooks. A TOC turns a wall of text into a navigable resource.

Meeting notes

Agenda items, decisions, action items. Find last week’s decision without re-reading the entire document.

Technical specs

Architecture decisions, design docs, RFCs. Navigate complex documents by section.

## Alternatives

Other Ways to Get a Markdown TOC

Manual TOC

Write Markdown links to heading anchors by hand. Something like [Installation](#installation) for each section. Tedious to write, breaks when headings change, and you have to maintain it yourself.

markdown-toc (npm)

A CLI tool that generates a TOC and inserts it as Markdown text into your file. Works, but requires Node.js, npm install, and re-running the command every time headings change. Modifies your source file.

VS Code Extensions

Several VS Code extensions add TOC generation. They work within VS Code, but you need VS Code open — a full IDE just to navigate a document.

GitHub

GitHub auto-generates a TOC for README files on the web. Click the hamburger icon next to the filename. But this only works on GitHub.com — not for local files on your Mac.

## The Simple Way

Just Open Your File

ShowMeMyMD generates a Table of Contents from your headings automatically. No modification to your files. Non-destructive. Works with any heading structure from # through ######.

The TOC is always current because it’s generated from the file as it is right now — not from a cached snapshot or an injected block that might be stale.

## Keep reading

Stop scrolling. Start navigating.

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Download on theMac App Store