Markdown to ADF Converter

Markdown to ADF Converter

Expert assistance for converting Markdown content to Confluence's ADF (Atlassian Document Format).

When to Use This Skill

• Converting README.md to Confluence
• Creating Confluence pages from Markdown documentation
• Updating Confluence with Markdown content
• User mentions: convert, markdown, ADF, format

What is ADF?

ADF (Atlassian Document Format) is Confluence's JSON-based document format representing content as a tree of nodes.

{
  "version": 1,
  "type": "doc",
  "content": [/* nodes */]
}

Quick Conversion Reference

Text Formatting

Markdown	ADF Mark Type	Example
**bold**	{"type": "strong"}	{"type": "text", "text": "bold", "marks": [{"type": "strong"}]}
*italic*	{"type": "em"}	{"type": "text", "text": "italic", "marks": [{"type": "em"}]}
`code`	{"type": "code"}	{"type": "text", "text": "code", "marks": [{"type": "code"}]}
~~strike~~	{"type": "strike"}	{"type": "text", "text": "strike", "marks": [{"type": "strike"}]}
<u>underline</u>	{"type": "underline"}	{"type": "text", "text": "underline", "marks": [{"type": "underline"}]}
[link](url)	{"type": "link", "attrs": {"href": "url"}}	Text with link mark

Combined marks: Use array of marks for ***bold italic***

Block Elements

Markdown	ADF Type	Key Attributes
# Heading	heading	attrs.level: 1-6
Paragraph	paragraph	-
- bullet	bulletList → listItem	-
1. ordered	orderedList → listItem	-
```lang	codeBlock	attrs.language
> quote	blockquote	-
---	rule	-
| table |	table → tableRow → tableCell/tableHeader	-
	mediaSingle → media	attrs: {type: "external", url, alt}
- [x] task	taskList → taskItem	attrs.state: "DONE"/"TODO"

Headings

{"type": "heading", "attrs": {"level": 1}, "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Title"}]}

Confluence supports levels 1-6.

Lists

Bullet list structure:

{
  "type": "bulletList",
  "content": [
    {"type": "listItem", "content": [
      {"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Item"}]}
    ]}
  ]
}

Nested lists: Add another bulletList/orderedList inside the listItem.content array.

Code Blocks

{
  "type": "codeBlock",
  "attrs": {"language": "python"},
  "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "def hello():\n    print('Hello')"}]
}

Supported languages: javascript, python, java, go, rust, typescript, sql, bash, json, xml, html, css, and more.

Tables

{
  "type": "table",
  "content": [
    {"type": "tableRow", "content": [
      {"type": "tableHeader", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Header"}]}]},
      {"type": "tableHeader", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Header 2"}]}]}
    ]},
    {"type": "tableRow", "content": [
      {"type": "tableCell", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Cell"}]}]},
      {"type": "tableCell", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Cell 2"}]}]}
    ]}
  ]
}

Confluence-Specific Extensions

Panels (Callouts)

{"type": "panel", "attrs": {"panelType": "info"}, "content": [/* paragraphs */]}

Panel types: info, note, warning, error, success

Convert from: > ℹ️ **Info** or > ⚠️ **Warning**

Expand/Collapse

{"type": "expand", "attrs": {"title": "Click to expand"}, "content": [/* content */]}

Convert from: <details><summary>Title</summary>Content</details>

Status Badge

{"type": "status", "attrs": {"text": "DONE", "color": "green"}}

Colors: neutral, purple, blue, red, yellow, green

Mentions and Emojis

{"type": "mention", "attrs": {"id": "user-id", "text": "@username"}}
{"type": "emoji", "attrs": {"shortName": ":smile:", "text": "😀"}}

Complete Example

Markdown Input:

# Project Documentation

This is a **sample project** with `code examples`.

- Feature 1
- Feature 2

```bash
npm install my-package

Command	Description
start	Start server

**ADF Output**:
```json
{
  "version": 1,
  "type": "doc",
  "content": [
    {"type": "heading", "attrs": {"level": 1}, "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Project Documentation"}]},
    {"type": "paragraph", "content": [
      {"type": "text", "text": "This is a "},
      {"type": "text", "text": "sample project", "marks": [{"type": "strong"}]},
      {"type": "text", "text": " with "},
      {"type": "text", "text": "code examples", "marks": [{"type": "code"}]},
      {"type": "text", "text": "."}
    ]},
    {"type": "bulletList", "content": [
      {"type": "listItem", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Feature 1"}]}]},
      {"type": "listItem", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Feature 2"}]}]}
    ]},
    {"type": "codeBlock", "attrs": {"language": "bash"}, "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "npm install my-package"}]},
    {"type": "table", "content": [
      {"type": "tableRow", "content": [
        {"type": "tableHeader", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Command"}]}]},
        {"type": "tableHeader", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Description"}]}]}
      ]},
      {"type": "tableRow", "content": [
        {"type": "tableCell", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "start", "marks": [{"type": "code"}]}]}]},
        {"type": "tableCell", "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Start server"}]}]}
      ]}
    ]}
  ]
}

Conversion Patterns

README.md to Confluence

1. Extract title from first H1
2. Convert sections to H2/H3
3. Preserve code blocks with language tags
4. Convert tables for command reference
5. Add info panels for warnings/notes

API Documentation

1. Endpoint sections as H2
2. Parameters as tables
3. Code examples with syntax highlighting
4. Response schemas as code blocks

Architecture Docs

1. Diagrams as images
2. Decision records with info panels
3. Component lists as bullet lists
4. Tech stack tables

Limitations and Workarounds

Markdown Feature	Workaround
HTML tags	Convert to ADF equivalent or plain text
Footnotes	Use numbered references in text
Definition lists	Use tables or headings
Complex nesting	Flatten or use expand sections

Confluence Enhancements

Add these to improve Markdown content:

• Info panels for important notes
• Expand sections for optional details
• Status badges for project status
• Task lists for checklists

How I'll Help

When converting Markdown to ADF, I will:

1. Parse the Markdown: Understand structure and content
2. Convert to ADF: Build proper JSON structure
3. Enhance for Confluence: Add panels, badges where appropriate
4. Validate: Ensure valid ADF format
5. Create/Update: Use /confluence-create-page or /confluence-update-page

Example Interaction

You: "Convert my README.md to a Confluence page"

Me: "I'll convert your README.md to Confluence ADF format.

[Reads README.md]

I see:

• Title: 'My Project'
• Sections: Overview, Installation, Usage
• Code blocks in bash and javascript
• A table of CLI commands

Converting to ADF with enhancements:

• Code blocks with proper language tags
• Tables for command reference
• Info panels for warnings

Ready to create the page. Which space should I use?"

You: "Space 123456"

Me: [Uses /confluence-create-page with converted ADF] "Created page 'My Project' in space 123456!"