How to post your readme as a slack channel announcement
- Step 1Trim the badge row from the README first — Badge images (
,) are not supported and leave a stray!in the output. Delete the badge block at the top of the README before converting — Slack will not inline-render them anyway. - Step 2Flatten any feature tables — Slack has no table element and the converter passes pipe tables through as raw text. Convert a feature/comparison table to a short bulleted list in your README copy before running.
- Step 3Paste or upload the README — Use Paste text for a quick copy from GitHub, or Upload file to load
README.mddirectly (accepts.md,.mdx,.markdown,.txt). One file per run. - Step 4Run the conversion — Click Run MD → Slack. Headings become bold lines, links become
<url|label>, code fences keep their content but drop the language tag, and the result appears in the panel. - Step 5Spot-check emphasis and the install block — Bold callouts written with
**come out italic (a rule-ordering quirk) — if your README has a**Note:**you want bold, use a single asterisk instead. Confirm the install code block still has its triple-backticks. - Step 6Copy or download, then post the announcement — Click Copy or Download (
-slack.txt) and paste into #announcements or #engineering. If your client strips formatting, paste as plain text (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+V).
README constructs and what reaches Slack
How each common README element survives conversion. Trim the unsupported ones before running so the announcement reads clean.
| README element | Output in Slack | Status | Action before converting |
|---|---|---|---|
# Project Name heading | *Project Name* (bold line) | Supported | None |
[Docs](https://…) link | <https://…|Docs> | Supported | None |
a fenced bash install block | the same block, monospace, with the language tag dropped | Supported | None |
 badge | !<https://shields.io/…|build passing> (stray !) | Unsupported | Delete the badge row |
Feature table | feature | yes | | raw pipes as plain text | Unsupported | Flatten to a bulleted list |
**Note:** … bold callout | _Note:_ … (italic, not bold) | Quirk | Use a single * for true Slack bold |
--- section divider | line of 40 ─ characters | Supported | None — useful as a visual break |
Tier limits for README conversion
Markdown-family input limits. A typical README is a few KB, so the free tier is almost always sufficient; large monorepo READMEs with embedded docs may need Pro.
| Tier | Max file size | Max characters | Files per run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 MB | 500,000 | 1 |
| Pro | 10 MB | 5,000,000 | 10 (this tool: 1) |
| Pro-media | 50 MB | 20,000,000 | 50 (this tool: 1) |
| Developer | 500 MB | unlimited | unlimited (this tool: 1) |
Cookbook
Real README fragments and the mrkdwn the converter emits. Use these to predict exactly how your launch post will look in #announcements.
README header section to a bold announcement intro
The top of a README — a heading, a one-line description, and a docs link — converts to a tidy bold-led intro suitable for the first lines of a channel post.
Input (README.md): # Inklet A tiny CLI for inking diagrams from text. See the [full docs](https://inklet.dev/docs) to get started. Output (Slack mrkdwn): *Inklet* A tiny CLI for inking diagrams from text. See the <https://inklet.dev/docs|full docs> to get started.
Install block survives, language tag is dropped
The install instructions are usually the most-copied part of an announcement. The fenced block keeps its content and renders monospace; the bash hint is stripped because Slack ignores it.
Input (README.md): ## Install ```bash npm install inklet --save-dev ``` Output (Slack mrkdwn): *Install* ``` npm install inklet --save-dev ```
Badge row leaves stray exclamation marks
This is why you delete the badge block first. Each badge image is matched only on its link portion, leaving a ! in front and a useless badge URL in the message.
Input (README.md):   Output (Slack mrkdwn): !<https://img.shields.io/badge/build-passing-green|build> !<https://img.shields.io/npm/v/inklet|npm>
A bold callout becomes italic
READMEs lean on **Note:** and **Warning:** callouts. After conversion these are italic, not bold, because of the emphasis rule order. Switch to a single asterisk in the source if the callout must stand out in bold.
Input (README.md): **Warning:** v2 drops Node 14 support. Output (Slack mrkdwn): _Warning:_ v2 drops Node 14 support. For true Slack bold, write the source as: *Warning:* v2 drops Node 14 support.
Feature table needs flattening first
A comparison table is a common README element but Slack renders it as raw pipes. Rewrite it as a bulleted list in the README before converting so the announcement stays readable.
Before (raw, in README): | Feature | v1 | v2 | | ------- | -- | -- | | Plugins | no | yes | Rewrite the source as a list, then convert: *What's new in v2* - Plugins: now supported (was not in v1)
Edge cases and what actually happens
Shields.io badges leave a stray `!`
UnsupportedThere is no image transform. A badge  is matched only on its [label](url) portion and becomes !<url|label>. Slack will not inline-render the badge image in message text anyway. Delete the badge row from the README before converting.
Feature/comparison tables show as raw pipes
UnsupportedSlack message text has no table element and the converter does not flatten pipe tables. A | feature | v1 | v2 | block becomes literal pipe text. Rewrite tables as a bulleted list in the README source before running.
Bold callouts render italic
By designBecause **bold** is reduced to *bold* and then the italic pass converts it to _bold_, README callouts written as **Note:** come out italic in Slack. Use a single asterisk in the source (*Note:*) when you need a callout to be bold.
Collapsible `<details>` sections pass through as HTML
Preserved as textGitHub <details>/<summary> blocks are raw HTML. The converter does not interpret HTML, so the tags appear as literal text in the message. Remove <details> wrappers and inline the content before converting.
Relative repo links break in Slack
Watch outA README link like [CONTRIBUTING](./CONTRIBUTING.md) converts to <./CONTRIBUTING.md|CONTRIBUTING>, which is not a clickable URL outside GitHub. Replace relative links with absolute https URLs in the README before converting so they resolve in the channel.
Heading-heavy README becomes a wall of bold lines
ExpectedEvery # heading becomes a bold line, so a README with many sections produces many bold lines in one message. Keep only the headings worth announcing (Overview, Install, What's New) and drop the rest for a tight post — or post longer content as a Slack canvas.
README exceeds the character limit
400 over limitFree tier caps input at 1 MB / 500,000 characters; most READMEs are far under that, but a monorepo README with embedded API docs can exceed it. Upgrade to Pro (10 MB / 5,000,000) or split the doc with md-splitter at /markdown-tools/md-splitter and convert the announcement section only.
Slack truncates a very long announcement
Slack limitIndependent of the tool's tier limits, Slack truncates message text around 40,000 characters at post time. For a long launch writeup, post the highlights as a message and link to a Slack canvas or the repo for the full README.
Frequently asked questions
Will my README badges render in Slack?
No. Badge images use Markdown image syntax (), which the converter does not support — it leaves a stray ! and a bare URL, and Slack does not inline Markdown images in message text. Delete the badge row before converting.
Why did my `**Note:**` callout turn italic?
The emphasis passes run in an order that reduces **bold** to *bold* and then to _bold_, which Slack renders as italic. For a bold callout, write it with a single asterisk (*Note:*) in the README source and re-run.
Do install code blocks survive?
Yes. Fenced code blocks are preserved and render as monospace in Slack — ideal for npm install/pip install lines. The converter strips the language tag (a bash hint after the opening backticks is removed) because Slack ignores fence languages.
What happens to feature comparison tables?
Slack has no table element, so pipe tables pass through as raw text and look like literal pipes. Rewrite the table as a short bulleted list in your README before converting for a readable announcement.
Can I post the whole README at once?
You can convert it, but a heading-heavy README becomes a long run of bold lines, and Slack truncates messages around 40,000 characters. Trim to the announcement-worthy sections, or post the full content as a Slack canvas and announce the highlights.
Are relative repo links handled?
They are converted to <./path|label>, which is not clickable outside GitHub. Replace relative links with absolute https URLs in the README so they resolve in the channel.
Does it strip GitHub `<details>` blocks?
No. The converter does not interpret HTML, so <details>/<summary> tags appear as literal text. Remove them and inline the content before converting.
Can I use this for thread replies and canvases too?
Yes. The mrkdwn output works in any Slack message context — channels, DMs, thread replies, and canvas text blocks all accept the same *, _, and <url|label> syntax.
Is the README content uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser via the markdown engine. README text is never sent to a server; only an anonymous processed-count metric is recorded for signed-in dashboard stats.
What file types can I upload?
A single .md, .mdx, .markdown, or .txt file, or paste the text directly. This tool processes one file per run; it does not accept multiple files.
How big can the README be?
Free tier allows up to 1 MB and 500,000 characters; Pro raises that to 10 MB / 5,000,000 characters. The download is a plain-text -slack.txt file.
I want the README as HTML or a PDF instead — is there a tool?
Yes. Use md-to-github-html at /markdown-tools/md-to-github-html for GitHub-style HTML, md-to-html at /markdown-tools/md-to-html for a styled web page, or md-to-pdf-modern at /markdown-tools/md-to-pdf-modern for a polished PDF.
Privacy first
All Markdown processing runs locally in your browser using JavaScript. No file is ever uploaded to JAD Apps servers — only metadata counters are saved for signed-in dashboard stats.