Will the anchor links actually work on GitHub?

Yes. GitHub's slug rules are surprisingly specific — lowercase, spaces become hyphens, most punctuation is dropped, underscores and unicode letters/digits are preserved, and duplicate slugs get `-1`, `-2` suffixes. We mirror this exactly. If you're publishing to GitLab or Bitbucket, switch the "Anchor flavor" dropdown — Bitbucket needs the `markdown-header-` prefix, GitLab keeps underscores as underscores, and the link won't resolve on those hosts without the right slug.

How do I pick a depth range?

For a typical README, H2–H4 gives you sections and subsections without listing every minor heading. For a long spec or a book chapter, H1–H6 captures everything. The "Min level" drops top-level entries you don't want (often the document title itself) and "Max level" caps how deep the outline goes. Indentation is computed from the shallowest visible level, so H2–H4 still produces a properly flush-left outline.

What does "Copy full doc" do?

It returns your original markdown with the TOC spliced in, wrapped in ` ` / ` ` markers. If those markers already exist in your document, we replace the block between them — so you can regenerate the TOC any time without disturbing the rest of the file. If only a bare ` ` placeholder exists, we expand it. Otherwise the block lands right after the first H1.

Do you parse headings inside code blocks?

No, and that's deliberate. A line like `# init()` inside a Bash fence isn't a heading — it's a comment. We track fenced code blocks (both ` ``` ` and `~~~`) and skip them entirely. Setext headings (`Title\n===` and `Title\n---`) are recognized in addition to ATX (`# Title`).

Why is my second "Setup" section getting `-1` appended?

GitHub allows duplicate heading text but the anchor has to be unique, so the second `## Setup` becomes `#setup-1`, the third `#setup-2`, and so on. We do the same. If you don't want this, rename the duplicates in your source — the TOC will follow.

Does numbering reset on subsections?

Yes. Pick "Numbered" and the TOC produces `1.`, `1.1`, `1.1.1`, `1.2`, `2.`, `2.1` exactly like a book outline. Counters at each depth reset when their parent advances. This is purely cosmetic — the underlying anchor links are unchanged.

Keeping a 4000-line README navigable on GitHub

Your open-source README has grown to 38 H2/H3 sections and readers scroll forever to find the install steps. Paste the whole file, pick H2-H3, GitHub flavor, and drop the generated list under a ` ` marker. Next time you add a section, regenerate and "Copy full doc" rewrites only the block between the markers, so the rest of the README stays byte-for-byte the same.

Fixing anchor links that 404 after moving docs to GitLab

You migrated 12 markdown guides from GitHub to a GitLab wiki and half the in-page links broke because GitLab keeps underscores while GitHub strips them. Switch the anchor flavor to GitLab, regenerate each TOC, and the `#my_section` style anchors resolve again. No manual slug guessing across 200-odd headings.

Adding a numbered outline to a 60-page spec

A product spec reviewed by legal needs stable section numbers people can cite in comments ("see 3.2.1"). Turn on hierarchical numbering, set depth H1-H4, and the TOC emits 1., 1.1, 1.1.1 with counters that reset per parent. Anchors stay unchanged, so existing deep links keep working while reviewers get the numbers they asked for.

Skipping headings that live inside code samples

Your tutorial pastes shell sessions where lines like `# build the image` look exactly like H1 headings. A naive regex TOC would list them as real sections. Here, fenced blocks (``` and ~~~) are tracked and skipped, so the outline shows only your actual 9 sections, not the 15 comment lines hiding in the code.

Markdown TOC Generator — Table of Contents with Anchor Links

Markdown TOC generator — paste your markdown, get a clean table of contents with anchor links.

Runs locally
Category Format Converter
Best for Turning pasted content or local files into a handoff-friendly format.

Min levelMax levelIndentAnchor flavorNumbered (1., 1.1, …)

Markdown input

Replaces a  placeholder, otherwise inserts after the first H1.

TOC output · 9 headings detected

- [Project](#project)
  - [Install](#install)
    - [macOS](#macos)
    - [Linux](#linux)
  - [Usage](#usage)
  - [API](#api)
    - [init()](#init)
    - [run()](#run)
  - [License](#license)

What this tool does

Free online Markdown table of contents generator. Paste a README, a spec, or any .md file and get back a clean nested list of `- [Heading](#anchor)` links you can drop straight into GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or any CommonMark renderer. Pick a depth range (H1–H6, or just H2–H4 for a typical README), toggle hierarchical numbering (1., 1.1, 1.1.1), choose 2 or 4 space indent, and switch anchor flavor between GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and CommonMark — each one matches the host's exact slug rules so your links actually resolve. Bonus: hit "Copy full doc" and we splice the TOC into the document for you, either replacing a `` placeholder or sliding it in right after the first H1. Headings inside fenced code blocks are skipped automatically, and duplicate slugs are deduped GitHub-style (`-1`, `-2`). 100% browser-side.

Tool details

Input: Text + Numbers + Structured content; The page exposes text boxes, numeric controls, file pickers, or structured inputs depending on the tool.
Output: Live result + Copy; The result area focuses on usable output, with copy, download, or preview actions when supported.
Privacy: Browser-side processing; The main tool logic does not call an external API, so inputs normally stay in the current tab.
Save / share: No account required; Open the page and use it; whether results survive refresh depends on the tool.
Performance budget: Initial JS <= 14 KB; No WASM budget is declared, keeping the tool quick to open on mobile.
Best fit: Format Converter · Developer; Category and role tags drive related tools, internal links, and quick fit checks.

How to use

1. Input

Paste or drop your content into the tool panel.
2. Process

Click the button. All processing is local in your browser.
3. Copy / Download

Copy the result or download to disk in one click.

How Markdown TOC Generator fits into your work

Use it when the main problem is getting content from one practical format into another.

Conversion jobs

Turning pasted content or local files into a handoff-friendly format.
Previewing a conversion before you use it in a larger workflow.
Cleaning small format mismatches without opening a full editor.

Conversion checks

Try a small sample first when the source format is messy.
Check character encoding, separators, and line endings after conversion.
Keep the source until the converted output has been reviewed.

Good next steps

These links move the current task into a more complete workflow.

Real-world use cases

Keeping a 4000-line README navigable on GitHub
Your open-source README has grown to 38 H2/H3 sections and readers scroll forever to find the install steps. Paste the whole file, pick H2-H3, GitHub flavor, and drop the generated list under a `` marker. Next time you add a section, regenerate and "Copy full doc" rewrites only the block between the markers, so the rest of the README stays byte-for-byte the same.
Fixing anchor links that 404 after moving docs to GitLab
You migrated 12 markdown guides from GitHub to a GitLab wiki and half the in-page links broke because GitLab keeps underscores while GitHub strips them. Switch the anchor flavor to GitLab, regenerate each TOC, and the `#my_section` style anchors resolve again. No manual slug guessing across 200-odd headings.
Adding a numbered outline to a 60-page spec
A product spec reviewed by legal needs stable section numbers people can cite in comments ("see 3.2.1"). Turn on hierarchical numbering, set depth H1-H4, and the TOC emits 1., 1.1, 1.1.1 with counters that reset per parent. Anchors stay unchanged, so existing deep links keep working while reviewers get the numbers they asked for.
Skipping headings that live inside code samples
Your tutorial pastes shell sessions where lines like `# build the image` look exactly like H1 headings. A naive regex TOC would list them as real sections. Here, fenced blocks (``` and ~~~) are tracked and skipped, so the outline shows only your actual 9 sections, not the 15 comment lines hiding in the code.

Common pitfalls

Picking H1-H6 for a README dumps every tiny heading into the TOC. For a typical readme, H2-H3 gives sections without the noise; reserve H1-H6 for long specs.
Generating a GitHub-flavored TOC then pasting it into Bitbucket; the links silently fail because Bitbucket needs the `markdown-header-` prefix. Match the anchor flavor to the host before copying.
Re-running "Copy full doc" without `` markers in your file, so the TOC lands after the first H1 instead of where you wanted it. Add the marker pair first to control placement and enable clean re-generation.

Privacy

Everything runs in your browser. Your markdown is parsed locally to build the TOC and never leaves the page or hits a server. The document text is not written into the URL either, so you can safely paste internal specs, unreleased READMEs, or private notes without anything being uploaded or shared. Only your option choices (depth, indent, anchor flavor) live in the URL for share links.

FAQ

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Markdown TOC Generator — Table of Contents with Anchor Links

What this tool does

Tool details

How to use

1. Input

2. Process

3. Copy / Download

How Markdown TOC Generator fits into your work

Conversion jobs

Conversion checks

Good next steps

Real-world use cases

Keeping a 4000-line README navigable on GitHub

Fixing anchor links that 404 after moving docs to GitLab

Adding a numbered outline to a 60-page spec

Skipping headings that live inside code samples

Common pitfalls

Privacy

FAQ

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