MD014 - Show command output in documentation¶

Aliases: commands-show-output

What this rule does¶

Checks that shell commands in code blocks include their output, making documentation more helpful and complete.

Why this matters¶

Better documentation: Readers can see what to expect when they run commands
Reduces confusion: No guessing about whether a command worked or what it produced
Improves learning: Examples with output help users understand command behavior
Catches errors: Missing output often indicates incomplete or untested documentation

Examples¶

✅ Correct¶

$ npm install
added 125 packages, and audited 126 packages in 3s

14 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details

found 0 vulnerabilities

$ echo "Hello, World!"
Hello, World!

❌ Incorrect¶

$ npm install

$ echo "Hello, World!"

🔧 Fixed¶

$ npm install
added 125 packages, and audited 126 packages in 3s

14 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details

found 0 vulnerabilities

Configuration¶

[MD014]
show-output = true  # Whether commands should show output (default: true)

Automatic fixes¶

When auto-fix is enabled (--fix), this rule removes the $ prompt from commands that don't show output, converting them to plain code blocks. For example:

$ echo "Hello, World!"

becomes:

echo "Hello, World!"

If you prefer to keep the $ prompt and add output manually, you can disable fixing for this rule:

[global]
unfixable = ["MD014"]

Learn more¶

MD031: Add blank lines around code blocks
MD040: Specify language for code blocks
MD048: Use consistent code fence style