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Markdown Mind Maps for Confluence — User Guide

Introduction​

Markdown Mind Maps turns a plain Markdown outline into an interactive mind map directly on a Confluence page. You don't draw anything — you type headings and bullets, and the structure becomes branches and leaves you can expand, collapse, and click through.

It's the fastest way to go from notes to a diagram: no canvas, no drag-and-drop, no learning curve. Titles become the central topic, ## headings become branches, and bullets become leaves. Because the Markdown is always the source of truth, your plan stays editable, diffable, and git-friendly.

Everything runs natively in Confluence Cloud (built 100% on Atlassian Forge) with the open-source markmap engine. The map follows Confluence light/dark mode automatically.

Quick start​

  1. Install from the Atlassian Marketplace (try it free on your own site).
  2. Edit a Confluence page, type /mind map, and select Markdown Mind Maps for Confluence.
  3. Paste or type a Markdown outline. The live preview renders the map as you type.
  4. Click Save — the interactive mind map appears on the page where the macro sits.

The editor​

The configuration dialog splits into a Markdown editor on the left and a live preview on the right. The preview updates as you type, so a ## Help heading immediately grows a branch.

A minimal outline:

# Project Kickoff

## Vision
- Launch fast
- Measure everything

## Goals
### Q1
- Ship MVP

Renders as a map whose center is Project Kickoff, with Vision and Goals as branches, Q1 as a sub-branch, and the bullets as leaves.

Options​

The options bar across the top of the editor controls how the map is built:

  • Template — insert one of ten ready-made outlines instead of starting from a blank page. The current outline is replaced when you pick one.
    • Project Kickoff, Backlog, Brainstorm, API Design, Meeting Notes, Org Chart, Roadmap, Product Launch, Error Handling, Sprint Planning
  • Theme — Auto (match Confluence light/dark mode), Light, or Dark. Auto follows each reader's theme.
  • Initial expand — how much of the map to expand when the page loads: Expand all, or Level 1 through Level 5. Levels control how much complexity readers see first.
  • Alignment — Center (classic radial mind map) or Left (left-aligned, reads more like a document outline).
  • Height — Auto, or a fixed 400 / 600 / 800 / 1000 px. Auto lets the map size itself to its content; a fixed height gives the macro a stable box on the page.

The preview always auto-sizes to show the whole map — the Height option only affects the saved macro on the page.

On the page​

The saved macro is the same interactive mind map, rendered inline where you placed it:

  • Click any node to expand or collapse its branch.
  • The map follows the reader's theme — light or dark mode — without any extra configuration.
  • It renders at full width beside your page content and updates the moment you save changes.

Templates​

Ten built-in outlines cover common planning motions — start from one and trim it to your own content:

  • Project Kickoff — vision, goals, scope, risks, team, timeline.
  • Backlog — now/next/later buckets, bugs, tech debt.
  • Brainstorm — multiple idea branches with problem, ideas, owner.
  • API Design — design goals, resources, auth scopes, errors, open questions.
  • Meeting Notes — attendees, updates, decisions, action items.
  • Org Chart — leadership, product engineering, platform, teams.
  • Roadmap — now/next/later with quarters attached to each.
  • Product Launch — focus areas, product, audience, channels, timeline, metrics.
  • Error Handling — error categories, handling by layer (UI/API/data), monitoring.
  • Sprint Planning — goal, capacity, stories by priority, risks, definition of done.

FAQ​

Do I need to draw anything? No. You write Markdown (headings + bullets) and get an interactive mind map. There is no canvas, no shape palette, and no drag-to-connect workflow.

Can I edit the map after saving? Yes. Double-click the macro to reopen the editor — your Markdown source is preserved, so you continue exactly where you left off, then Save to update the page.

Does it work in dark mode? Yes. With the default Auto theme, the map matches each reader's Confluence light/dark mode. You can also pin a map to Light or Dark regardless of the reader's theme.

How do I control how much of a big map is shown first? Use Initial expand. Set it to a low level (1–3) so readers see the high-level shape first, then click into branches. Set Expand all when you want the full tree visible immediately.

Can I use lists as well as headings? Yes — bullets become leaves in the map. Any level of # headings becomes a branch, so ### level nesting works too.

Limitations & notes​

  • Markdown is compressed and stored inside the macro. Very large outlines (tens of thousands of compressed characters) hit Confluence's macro size limit — the editor warns before saving; shorten labels, reduce bullet levels, or split the content into two macros.
  • The page (non-edit) view is intentionally read-focused: zoom and pan are disabled, so the map fills its container cleanly. Interaction on the page is click-to-expand/collapse.
  • The mind map renders inline on the page; it does not create a separate Confluence attachment or external diagram file.
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