MarkStack V2
Markdown in. A searchable knowledge base out.
Write task-focused documentation in plain files. Build a static reader with folder navigation, page/heading search, code copying, diagrams and light/dark themes. Keep your source and host the generated result yourself. Add the optional private browser editor only when your writers need it.
This site is built with the pinned MarkStack V2 engine. It is a public handbook, not a hosted editing service. No editor, login or Admin service is running here.
Complete setup · First site · Markdown lab · Capabilities and limits
Find the right path
| Section | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Start | Install, build and write the first page |
| Run | Configure, host, protect and maintain |
| Use | Author, read, edit and administer |
| Examples | Inspect complete source specimens |
| Reference | Look up contracts and diagnose failures |
Begin with Start if you are new. Run explains the operating environment before Use introduces day-to-day writing. Examples make the patterns inspectable; Reference gives exact settings, commands, storage, implementation and evidence boundaries. Sidebar file order is not a training course, so section landings give the recommended task paths.
Four parts, separate responsibilities
| Part | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Generator | Markdown/assets to reader output |
| Reader | Static files and browser controls |
| Optional editor | Private server-side source writing |
| Admin, with editor | Accounts, presentation and local Publish |
The build/editor machine needs Node.js 24 or newer and npm. Readers need a supported browser, not Node or a database. A public static host needs the reviewed reader artifact, not the code checkout or private account/runtime files.
The editor is a separate Node.js process you start on your own installation. It provides source/preview, file actions, Save and browser-local draft recovery. Administrators manage accounts, real top-level section assignments, settings, links, bounded history and shared local publication.
Optional writing tools on your own installation. This public site remains documentation only.
Choose the writing workflow
| Workflow | What remains yours |
|---|---|
| Files and Git | Text editor, review and build/deploy process |
| Local browser writing | Private accounts, source and recovery |
| Team browser writing | Private service, access, TLS and backups |
| Public documentation | Audience review and static delivery |
| Internal documentation | Independent reader-host protection |
Use your regular editor and Git without running the browser writer. Or create an administrator and start the private editor for authenticated authoring. Neither choice creates managed hosting, source approval or remote deployment automatically.
Editor assignments restrict writing, not reading. Hidden folders still build and can appear in search. Internal readers need a host/network gate covering HTML, search, images and downloads. Put no confidential content or private runtime in public build/static inputs.
Follow one change to the reader
| Step | What changes |
|---|---|
| Draft | Unsaved text in one browser |
| Save | Source on the writing server |
| Build or Publish | Local generated reader output |
| Git review/commit/push | Chosen source/artifact repository |
| Deploy | Actual reader host files |
| Accept | Verified live content and behavior |
Administrator Publish builds saved work from intended writers, not unsaved tabs, and switches local output. It does not silently commit, push or send files to Cloudflare. The switch is staged but not a crash-atomic transaction. Save, publish and deploy separates each state and helps diagnose a stale page without repeating the wrong action.
Inspect the reader features
Markdown lab shows literal input beside real rendered code, tables, alerts, tasks, footnotes and a Mermaid diagram. Try a page-title query, then a heading query, follow its real target and read the surrounding task scope before copying commands.
The reader’s On this page rail uses H2 headings on substantial pages. Search includes page and H2-H4 targets, but strips code and diagram source from indexed prose. Explain important terms outside code. Copy supplies text, not command execution. Mermaid becomes SVG in the browser; this pin has no built-in diagram zoom/fullscreen control.
Theme and sidebar preferences are local to the browser profile. Drafts are local recovery aids, not server history or real-time merge. Preview and final-reader plugins differ. Check generated output, both themes, narrow tables, actual diagram SVG and search rather than assuming the source or preview proves the finished experience.
Grow only as the need grows
Start with Small personal site and one complete reader task. Use Team handbook for assigned writers/review ownership, Runbook library for procedures and expected outcomes, and Large organization for external governance and measurement.
Those are patterns, not product tiers. Private and public outputs separates full inputs/artifacts. Starter download is a small generic scaffold, not an offline runtime installer or complete organization deployment.
Know the limits before choosing
| Required guarantee | V2 boundary |
|---|---|
| Reader authentication/TLS | External host/network responsibility |
| SSO or MFA | Not built in |
| Source revisions/concurrent merge | Use review/history outside editor |
| Clustered writers/availability SLA | Not supplied |
| Compliance-grade retention | Not supplied by bounded local history |
| Native multilingual routes | Current ASCII slug limits |
| Universal device/accessibility support | Needs target-environment review |
The handbook documents source behavior, tested fixtures, local reader tasks and open checks. It does not certify your production DNS, TLS, proxy, account restore, capacity or compliance. Validation limits states evidence at its actual scope. Back up source, assets, configuration and private runtime; an old HTML artifact alone cannot restore them.
Project and license
Created by KineticEnforcer. Source: MarkStackV2 on GitHub. The pinned revision is 27a9763 (short form); package version is 1.1.4. The full pin is in Validation limits. V2 is the project identity, not an invented package 2.0 release.
The project’s license is GPL-3.0. Read its actual license before distributing modified software; bundled browser assets have separate license notices. Contributor workflow explains isolated tests and source review without changing this showcase’s pinned engine.