Why M-Press exists

The design reasons for a small static documentation generator that uses Markdown, HTML, and one Go executable.

M-Press is for teams that want documentation without a JavaScript application toolchain. It accepts Markdown and standard HTML. It produces files that any static web server can publish.

Portable content is the primary constraint

Documentation usually lives longer than its first generator. Framework-specific components make migration expensive because content becomes application source. M-Press keeps its authoring model small so teams can read and transform the source with common tools.

HTML is the escape hatch. Authors can use semantic HTML when Markdown is not sufficient. A landing page can use a custom layout without changing the format of the technical documentation.

Strict builds make migration safer

A migration tool must not hide content that it cannot convert. The M-Press Starlight importer converts supported syntax and writes a migration report. Unsupported components remain visible and cause a strict build error.

This behaviour can make the first migration build fail. The failure is useful: it identifies work that a silent conversion would lose.

The open generator and the service have different jobs

The open-source generator owns deterministic local work. This includes parsing, navigation, private search, accessibility controls, language routes, structural translation, version snapshots, checks, production optimisation, and static output.

The commercial service can coordinate people and hosted data. It can add managed analytics, browser editing, translation workflows, review status, preview links, and hosted version retention. A subscription is not required to build or publish a complete static site.

See the open-source feature set for the complete boundary.