Research / Constructs / Footnotes
Markdown footnotes in five publishing editors
One Markdown fixture, five real publishing editors, tested 2026-08-24. For footnotes the observed result was a manual step in WordPress, Substack, Beehiiv, X, and LinkedIn. Every row below is a rule with its own page and its own dated record.
Matches footnote. Fixture markdown-portability-test-v1. Tested 2026-08-24. How these tests are run.
What happens, per destination
| Destination | What happens | Result | Severity | Rule | Confidence | Last tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Footnotes are moved to a checklist for Gutenberg paste. | Manual step | Action | WP-FOOT-01 | Verified | 2026-08-24 |
| Substack | Footnotes are moved to a checklist. | Manual step | Action | SUB-FOOT-01 | Verified | 2026-08-24 |
| Beehiiv | Footnotes are moved to a checklist. | Manual step | Action | BEE-FOOT-01 | Verified | 2026-08-24 |
| X | Footnotes are moved to a checklist; the marker leaves the post text. | Manual step | Action | X-FOOT-01 | Verified | 2026-08-24 |
| Footnotes are moved to a checklist; the marker leaves the post text. | Manual step | Action | LI-FOOT-01 | Verified | 2026-08-24 |
Manual steps this creates
- WordPress: Rebuild with the native Footnotes block, or use Markdown Block mode. (Gutenberg left footnote syntax literal. The WordPress.com Markdown Block did render them.)
- Substack: Recreate each note with the native Footnote control. (Footnote syntax stayed literal and no native footnote node was created by paste.)
- Beehiiv: Recreate each note with the native Footnotes component. (Footnote syntax stayed literal and an indented continuation became a code block.)
- X: Work each note into the post text, or reply with it, using the definitions listed below. (The composer has no footnote control and the syntax stays literal, so the reference and its definition are lifted out of the payload instead of shipping broken markers.)
- LinkedIn: Work each note into the post text, or add it as a comment, using the definitions listed below. (The composer has no footnote control, so the reference and its definition are lifted out of the payload rather than pasted as literal markers.)
Limits of what was tested
- Each result describes the surface named beside it, on the date named beside it, and nothing wider.
- A result marked unknown means no dated test covers it. It is not a prediction.
- Rendering is not the same across platform versions, themes, plugins, or email clients.
Prepare a draft
- Check your own draft against all five destinations
- Markdown to WordPress, handoff mode: gutenberg paste
- Markdown to Substack, handoff mode: rich html clipboard
- Markdown to Beehiiv, handoff mode: clean markdown paste
- Markdown to X, handoff mode: plain text
- Markdown to LinkedIn, handoff mode: plain text
Related
- The 5 rules behind this page:
BEE-FOOT-01,LI-FOOT-01,SUB-FOOT-01,WP-FOOT-01,X-FOOT-01 - Every construct, side by side
- The full five-destination matrix