API Reference

CLI options and programmatic API reference for mdx-formatter

CLI Options

Option	Description
`-w, --write`	Write formatted files in place
`-c, --check`	Check if files need formatting (for CI)
`--config <path>`	Path to config file
`--ignore <patterns>`	Comma-separated patterns to ignore (default: `node_modules/,dist/,build/,.git/,worktrees/**`)

The --ignore patterns are merged with exclude patterns from the config file.

`format(content, options?)`

Format markdown/MDX content.

content (string) - Content to format
options.config (string) - Path to config file
options.settings (object) - Direct settings overrides (see Options Reference)
Returns Promise<string> - Formatted content (returns original on error)

The exclude config option is CLI-only. When using the programmatic API (format, formatFile, checkFile), handle file filtering in your own code.

`formatFile(filePath, options?)`

Format a file and write it back if changed.

filePath (string) - Path to the file
options - Same as format()
Returns Promise<boolean> - true if file was changed

`checkFile(filePath, options?)`

Check if a file needs formatting without modifying it.

filePath (string) - Path to the file
options - Same as format()
Returns Promise<boolean> - true if file needs formatting

`detectMdx(content)`

Check if content is likely MDX (has imports, exports, JSX components, or frontmatter).

content (string) - Content to check
Returns boolean