Page format-guides mediawiki: Source version: Markbridge 0.4.2. These docs are built from the repository and may include unreleased changes. Source page: https://markbridge.dev/format-guides/mediawiki/ # MediaWiki > Convert MediaWiki wikitext into Discourse-flavored Markdown. The MediaWiki parser handles the wikitext subset most commonly found in wiki exports — formatting, lists, headings, links, tables, and the HTML tags MediaWiki accepts inline. ## Quick start ```ruby require "markbridge/mediawiki" result = Markbridge.mediawiki_to_markdown("'''bold''' and ''italic''") result.markdown # => "**bold** and *italic*" ``` Like the other parsers, the convenience method returns a [`Markbridge::Conversion`](/concepts/result-objects/). ## Supported syntax ### Inline formatting | Wikitext | Renders as | AST node | | ---------------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------- | | `'''bold'''` | `**bold**` | `AST::Bold` | | `''italic''` | `*italic*` | `AST::Italic` | | `'''''both'''''` | `***both***` | `AST::Bold` + `AST::Italic` | | `[[target]]` | `[target](target)` | `AST::Url` | | `[[target\|display]]` | `[display](target)` | `AST::Url` | | `[https://example.com text]` | `[text](href)` | `AST::Url` | ### Block syntax | Wikitext | Renders as | AST node | | ----------------------------- | -------------------- | --------------------- | | `= H1 =` … `====== H6 ======` | `# H1` … `###### H6` | `AST::Heading` | | `* item` / `** sub` | `- item` (nested) | `AST::List` | | `# item` / `## sub` | `1. item` (nested) | `AST::List` | | `----` | `---` | `AST::HorizontalRule` | | Line starting with a space | Code block | `AST::Code` | | `{\| ... \|}` | GFM table | `AST::Table` | ### HTML tags MediaWiki accepts a small set of inline HTML. Markbridge honors: ``, ``, `
`, `
`, ``, ``, ``, ``, ``, ``.

Inside ``, wiki syntax is preserved as literal text. Indented code and `
` content render as fenced code blocks, even for a single line. `` stays inline unless its content contains a newline.

## Using the parser directly

```ruby
parser = Markbridge::Parsers::MediaWiki::Parser.new
ast = parser.parse("== Section ==\n* one\n* two")


renderer = Markbridge::Renderers::Discourse::Renderer.new
renderer.render(ast)
# => "## Section\n\n- one\n- two"
```

MediaWiki’s block syntax is fixed — there’s no handler registry for headings, lists, tables, etc. Inline HTML-like tags (``, ``, ``, etc.) go through an `InlineTagRegistry` you can customize via the `handlers:` kwarg:

```ruby
registry = Markbridge::Parsers::MediaWiki::InlineTagRegistry.default
registry.register("custom", :raw, MyCustomNode)


Markbridge.mediawiki_to_markdown(input, handlers: registry)
```

`type` is one of `:raw` (content preserved verbatim, not re-parsed), `:formatting` (content re-parsed), or `:self_closing` (leaf with no content).

For block-level customization, transform the AST after parsing, or register a different renderer tag via [`Markbridge.discourse_renderer(tags:)`](/customization/customizing-renderer/).

## Limitations

The parser targets the bulk of content you’ll see in wiki exports, not the full MediaWiki specification:

* **No templates** (`{{Template}}`). They’re passed through as literal text.
* **No magic words or parser functions** (`__NOTOC__`, `{{#if:}}`, etc.).
* **Categories and file embeds** are not translated to Discourse equivalents.
* **Reference footnotes** (``) are not special-cased.

If your export relies on these, pre-process before handing it to Markbridge, or post-process the AST.