mq
A jq-like command-line tool for querying and transforming Markdown documents, optimized for LLM workflows and documentation management.
What is mq?
mq is a command-line tool written in Rust that processes Markdown using a syntax similar to jq. It enables users to slice, filter, map, and transform structured data within Markdown files, making it particularly valuable for LLM workflows, documentation management, and content analysis.
Developers and data engineers working with LLM workflows, documentation systems, or content pipelines that require programmatic manipulation of Markdown files.
Developers choose mq because it brings the powerful querying and transformation capabilities of jq to Markdown, a format that serves as the primary input for most language models. Its extensibility, IDE support, and suite of external tools offer a comprehensive ecosystem for Markdown processing.
Overview
A jq-like Markdown query language for command-line processing
Use Cases
Best For
- Efficiently manipulating and processing Markdown used in LLM prompts and outputs
- Generating structured Markdown content optimized for LLM consumption
- Extracting, transforming, and organizing content across multiple documentation files
- Quickly extracting specific sections or patterns from Markdown documents for content analysis
- Applying consistent transformations across multiple Markdown files in batch processing
- Converting various file formats (like CSV, HTML, or Excel via external tools) to Markdown and then querying them
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring real-time, browser-based Markdown editing without CLI integration
- Teams that primarily work with JSON or XML data and don't need Markdown-specific processing
- Enterprises needing long-term stable APIs, as mq is under active development with potential breaking changes
- Users seeking a graphical user interface for Markdown manipulation, since mq is CLI-focused with limited GUI tools
Pros & Cons
Pros
Uses a syntax similar to jq, making it intuitive for developers already skilled in JSON querying to quickly adopt Markdown processing, as highlighted in the philosophy.
Includes VSCode extension, LSP support, and an experimental debugger (mq-dbg), providing robust tooling for development and debugging of queries.
Supports external subcommands and custom functions via ~/.mq/bin/, enabling seamless integration with tools like mq-conv for file conversions and AI workflows.
Specifically targets LLM workflows with built-in functions for slicing and transforming Markdown, the primary input format for language models, as emphasized in the README.
Cons
The README notes the project is under active development, risking breaking changes, incomplete features, and potential bugs that may affect production reliability.
As a newer tool, mq has a smaller ecosystem and community support, resulting in fewer third-party resources, examples, and integrations than established alternatives like jq.
Installation involves multiple methods (curl, cargo, binaries) and dependencies like external subcommands, which can be cumbersome for users seeking a simple, drop-in solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
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