protoML

By OpenDucks IT

GitHub

protoML - A semantic markup for protocols

protoML is a lightweight, declarative markup language for meeting minutes, notes and task lists. It keeps documentation easy to write for humans while staying parseable enough for structured exports and repeatable workflows.

Why protoML?

Declarative and clean - no runtime, loops or hidden logic.
Structured - built for HTML exports and parser output.
Referenceable - use IDs, inline substitutions and macros.
Extensible - import tags, external macro blocks and themes.
Useful for teams, meeting minutes, task tracking and notes.

ReadableText stays understandable without specialized tooling.

StructuredParser output can support exports and repeatable workflows.

PortablePlain files are easy to store, review and version.

Syntax Example

@tags_import "tags.pml"
@macro decisionBox "decision-box.pml"

@date:21.05.2025
@participants // or @ptp
=pt1:John Doe,jdoe,jdoe@example.com
=pt2:Jane Doe

@subjects
=0:Project Status: TimeTrack
=1:Security: TLS Check

@tasks
-[ ] Renew SSL certificate @ptp=pt1 =1 @tag=important

@notes
- HTML export works -b very well -b-

@meeting
# Agenda: @@e=0
@@e=pt1, @@e=pt2
@@macro=decisionBox:title=Next step;text=@@e=1

Getting Started

Install the parser with Node.js 18 or newer. Use protoparser to convert .pml files, or protoviewer to open them in the bundled viewer.

npm install -g protoml-parser
protoparser -vv -output=meeting-summary protocol.pml html
protoviewer protocol.pml default

CLI Options

-v, -vv, -vvv - info, debug and trace output.
-output=NAME - write to a custom output filename.
-strict - fail on missing references.
-theme=name - select an export theme.
-config=PATH - use an external render/export config.

Output Formats

HTML - current stable render path for printable, styled exports.
JSON - parser/AST output for structured data pipelines.
PDF - listed by the CLI, with fuller render support planned.
Web parser - browser-based parser with a reduced feature set.

Project Info

Find the parser on GitHub or install it from npm as protoml-parser. For integrations into existing systems, Electron apps or documentation pipelines, contact us.

What protoML is not

Not a full Markdown replacement.
No runtime, no loops, no variables.
No embedded business logic - just structured content.

Designed by OpenDucks IT

protoML is part of our mission to build human-friendly tools for documentation, governance and transparency - useful for NGOs, education, public-sector workflows and open-source teams.