Quarto Flavor¶
For projects using Quarto or RMarkdown for scientific publishing.
Supported Patterns¶
Cell Options¶
Quarto code cell options using #| syntax:
```{python}
#| label: fig-example
#| fig-cap: "Example figure"
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.plot([1, 2, 3])
```
Affected rules: MD038 (code spans), MD040 (fenced code language)
Executable Code Blocks¶
Code blocks with language in braces:
Affected rules: MD040 (fenced code language)
Pandoc Citations¶
Quarto supports Pandoc citation syntax:
According to @smith2020, the results show...
Multiple citations [@smith2020; @jones2021] confirm this.
Suppress author: [-@smith2020] showed...
In-text: @smith2020 [p. 42] argues that...
Affected rules: MD042 (empty links), MD051 (link fragments), MD052 (reference links)
Shortcodes¶
Quarto/Hugo shortcodes are recognized:
{{< video https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxx >}}
{{< include _content.qmd >}}
{{% callout note %}}
This is a callout.
{{% /callout %}}
Affected rules: MD034 (bare URLs - URLs in shortcodes not flagged), MD042, MD051, MD052
Div Blocks and Callouts¶
Quarto div syntax with attributes:
::: {.callout-note}
This is a note callout.
:::
::: {.column-margin}
Marginal content here.
:::
::: {#fig-layout layout-ncol=2}


:::
Affected rules: MD031 (blanks around fences)
Math Blocks¶
LaTeX math blocks are recognized and excluded from emphasis checking:
Affected rules: MD037 (no space in emphasis), MD049 (emphasis style), MD050 (strong style)
Rule Behavior Changes¶
| Rule | Standard Behavior | Quarto Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| MD034 | Flag all bare URLs | Skip URLs inside shortcodes |
| MD037 | Check emphasis spacing | Skip math blocks |
| MD038 | Check all code spans | Handle Quarto-specific syntax |
| MD040 | Standard language detection | Recognize {language} and #\| options |
| MD042 | Flag empty links | Skip citations and shortcodes |
| MD049 | Check emphasis consistency | Skip math blocks |
| MD050 | Check strong consistency | Skip math blocks |
| MD051 | Validate link fragments | Skip citations and shortcodes |
| MD052 | Flag undefined references | Skip citations and shortcodes |
Limitations¶
- Complex Pandoc filter syntax may not be fully recognized
- YAML front matter extensions are parsed as standard YAML
Configuration¶
Or auto-detect by file extension:
Note: .qmd and .Rmd files are auto-detected as Quarto flavor by default.
When to Use¶
Use the Quarto flavor when:
- Writing Quarto documents (
.qmd) - Writing RMarkdown documents (
.Rmd) - Creating scientific publications with citations
- Using Jupyter notebooks converted to Quarto
See Also¶
- Flavors Overview - Compare all flavors
- Quarto Documentation