Wenmode

Build a Markdown dialect with explicit rules, AST output, safe defaults, and pluggable renderers.

Introduction Quick Start

Wenmode is for Python applications where Markdown is part of the product model: documentation systems, user-generated content, static-site pipelines, AI/AST workflows, custom dialects, and format converters.

Quick start

Install Wenmode from PyPI:

pip install wenmode

Render Markdown with the default CommonMark-style rules and safer HTML defaults:

from wenmode import Wenmode

html = Wenmode().render('# Hello\n')

assert html == '<h1>Hello</h1>\n'

Why Wenmode?

From Mistune’s author

Wenmode comes from the same author as Mistune, redesigned for applications that need to own the full Markdown pipeline.

Introduction

Explicit rule composition

Choose CommonMark-style Markdown, GitHub-flavored Markdown, streaming output, or the exact rule list your product needs.

Presets

AST-first workflows

Parse to mdast-compatible nodes before indexing, transforming, storing, validating, or rendering content.

Node model

Safer HTML defaults

Escape raw HTML and sanitize unsafe URLs by default, then opt into trusted passthrough only when your application has a separate sanitization layer.

Security

Parsing, rule selection, transforms, directive handling, and rendering are separate pieces. Start with the default renderer, then opt into presets, plugins, or AST workflows only when your application needs them.

Markdown pipeline

Wenmode keeps the Markdown pipeline explicit:

Markdown source
  -> Parser + explicit rules
  -> mdast-compatible nodes
  -> transforms, validation, storage, or indexing
  -> HTML, Markdown, reStructuredText, AsciiDoc, or custom output

That split lets one application parse once, generate heading IDs, collect a table of contents, store AST JSON for search, and render HTML from the same tree.

Project status

Tested Markdown coverage

Wenmode runs CommonMark and GitHub-flavored Markdown fixture suites in its test suite, with documented compatibility boundaries.

Compliance

Modern Python support

The package supports Python 3.10 and newer, including current CPython releases and PyPy versions covered by the project metadata.

Compatibility

Start here

Goal	Start here
Decide whether Wenmode fits your application	Introduction
Parse Markdown and render HTML	Usage
Choose CommonMark, GFM, streaming, or custom rules	Presets
Add directives or non-standard syntax	Directives and Plugins
Render user-authored Markdown safely	Security
Parse and filter AI-generated Markdown	AI Markdown
Build AST transforms, TOCs, or custom renderers	Recipes
Integrate Wenmode into an application pipeline	Integrations
Compare Python Markdown parsers	Comparison
Migrate from another Markdown parser	Migration guides
Check compatibility and project status	Compatibility