MARP Layout Debugger

Overview

Diagnoses and fixes common MARP slide layout issues including whitespace problems, box alignment, bullet formatting inconsistencies, and responsive design issues. Provides visual diff comparisons and automated CSS fixes for common rendering problems. Outputs actionable fix recommendations with before/after comparisons.

When to Use

• MARP slides have unexpected whitespace or spacing issues
• Box elements are misaligned or overlap incorrectly
• Bullet points have inconsistent indentation or formatting
• Content overflows slide boundaries
• CSS styles render differently than expected
• Need to validate MARP CSS against best practices
• Converting presentations and encountering layout problems

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• No API keys required
• Dependencies: pyyaml (for frontmatter parsing), re (standard library)

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze MARP File for Issues

Parse the MARP markdown file and detect layout issues across multiple categories.

python3 scripts/analyze_marp_layout.py \
  --input path/to/slides.md \
  --output analysis_report.json

The analyzer checks for:

• Whitespace anomalies (double blank lines, trailing spaces, inconsistent indentation)
• Box alignment issues (flexbox misuse, margin/padding conflicts)
• Bullet formatting (mixed list styles, incorrect nesting)
• Overflow risks (long code blocks, wide tables, oversized images)
• CSS specificity conflicts and redundant rules

Step 2: Review Issue Report

Read the generated JSON report to understand detected issues.

{
  "file": "slides.md",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-03T08:00:00Z",
  "total_issues": 12,
  "issues_by_category": {
    "whitespace": 3,
    "alignment": 4,
    "bullets": 2,
    "overflow": 2,
    "css": 1
  },
  "issues": [
    {
      "id": "WS001",
      "category": "whitespace",
      "severity": "medium",
      "line": 45,
      "description": "Double blank line creates excessive gap",
      "suggestion": "Remove one blank line",
      "auto_fixable": true
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Apply Automatic Fixes

Apply auto-fixable issues to generate a corrected MARP file.

python3 scripts/fix_marp_layout.py \
  --input path/to/slides.md \
  --report analysis_report.json \
  --output fixed_slides.md \
  --auto-only

Step 4: Generate Visual Diff Report

Create a side-by-side comparison showing original vs. fixed content.

python3 scripts/generate_diff_report.py \
  --original path/to/slides.md \
  --fixed fixed_slides.md \
  --output diff_report.md

Step 5: Manual Review and Additional Fixes

For non-auto-fixable issues, apply manual fixes based on the recommendations in the analysis report. Common manual interventions include:

• Restructuring complex flexbox layouts
• Adjusting custom CSS for specific viewport sizes
• Refactoring deeply nested bullet structures

Output Format

JSON Analysis Report

{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "file": "slides.md",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-03T08:00:00Z",
  "total_issues": 12,
  "auto_fixable_count": 8,
  "manual_review_count": 4,
  "issues_by_category": {
    "whitespace": 3,
    "alignment": 4,
    "bullets": 2,
    "overflow": 2,
    "css": 1
  },
  "issues": [
    {
      "id": "WS001",
      "category": "whitespace",
      "severity": "low|medium|high",
      "line": 45,
      "column": 0,
      "description": "Description of the issue",
      "suggestion": "How to fix it",
      "auto_fixable": true,
      "context": "surrounding code snippet"
    }
  ],
  "css_analysis": {
    "total_rules": 25,
    "redundant_rules": 2,
    "specificity_warnings": 1
  }
}

Markdown Diff Report

# MARP Layout Diff Report

## Summary
- **Original file**: slides.md
- **Fixed file**: fixed_slides.md
- **Issues fixed**: 8
- **Issues remaining**: 4

## Changes by Category

### Whitespace Fixes
| Line | Original | Fixed |
|------|----------|-------|
| 45   | `\n\n\n` | `\n\n` |

### Alignment Fixes
...

## Remaining Manual Issues
1. **Line 78**: Complex flexbox layout needs restructuring
   - Suggestion: Simplify to single-direction flex container

Resources

• scripts/analyze_marp_layout.py -- Main analysis engine detecting layout issues
• scripts/fix_marp_layout.py -- Automated fix application
• scripts/generate_diff_report.py -- Visual diff report generator
• references/marp-layout-patterns.md -- Common MARP layout patterns and anti-patterns
• references/css-fix-catalog.md -- Catalog of CSS fixes for common issues

Key Principles

1. Non-destructive analysis -- Never modify original files without explicit confirmation
2. Severity-based prioritization -- High severity issues (overflow, broken layouts) first
3. Auto-fix safety -- Only automatically fix issues with no risk of semantic changes
4. Preserve author intent -- Fixes should maintain the original visual intent
5. Comprehensive reporting -- Always provide context and reasoning for each fix

Issue Categories

Whitespace Issues (WS)

• WS001: Double or triple blank lines
• WS002: Trailing whitespace on lines
• WS003: Inconsistent indentation (tabs vs spaces)
• WS004: Missing blank line before/after headers

Alignment Issues (AL)

• AL001: Flexbox direction mismatch
• AL002: Margin collapse causing unexpected gaps
• AL003: Absolute positioning overflow
• AL004: Grid alignment inconsistency

Bullet Issues (BL)

• BL001: Mixed list markers (- and * in same list)
• BL002: Incorrect nesting level
• BL003: Missing space after marker
• BL004: Inconsistent nested indentation

Overflow Issues (OF)

• OF001: Code block exceeds slide width
• OF002: Image dimensions exceed container
• OF003: Table width overflow
• OF004: Long URLs break layout

CSS Issues (CS)

• CS001: Redundant rule (overridden elsewhere)
• CS002: High specificity causing cascade problems
• CS003: !important overuse
• CS004: Missing vendor prefixes for older browsers