the only markdown syntax you need for teleprompter scripts

markdown is just text. you can write a whole script with zero formatting and it reads fine. here's the small bit of syntax that helps on a prompter.

if the word "markdown" makes you nervous, relax. it's not code. it's the plain text you already type, plus a few optional marks. open prompter reads the markdown file you wrote and shows it on screen. that's the whole deal.

you can skip all of it#

start here, because it's the most important part. you don't have to learn anything.

open a note. type your script the way you'd type a text message. line breaks, paragraphs, normal punctuation. save it to your folder. open prompter reads it and scrolls it. no headings, no asterisks, no nothing.

so if you read no further, you already know enough to use the app. the rest is the handful of marks that make a long script easier to read while you're talking.

the four marks that help#

these are the ones worth knowing. each one is a small character you type, and each one does something useful on a prompter specifically.

• headings. put # or ## at the start of a line and it becomes a section marker. # intro, ## the offer, ## outro. on screen these read as clear breaks between parts of your script, so a long read doesn't blur into one wall of text.
• bold. wrap a phrase in **double asterisks** and it shows up bold. use it on the line you don't want to flub. the punchline, the price, the name you keep mispronouncing.
• italic. wrap a phrase in *single asterisks* for a lighter emphasis. good for a word you want to lean on without shouting it.
• lists. start lines with - for bullets, or 1. 2. 3. for a numbered list. handy when you're reading three points and want to see them as three points, not a paragraph you have to untangle mid-sentence.

that's it. headings, bold, italic, lists. you could shoot for a year and never need a fifth thing.

what open prompter hides while you read#

here's where it gets nice for people who write messy scripts. and good scripts are often messy.

a lot of script files have stuff in them that's for you, not for the camera. notes to self. a table you pasted from somewhere. a [B-roll: drone shot of the coast] reminder. open prompter strips that scaffolding out of the reading view so you only see the words you're meant to say.

the things it hides at display time:

• frontmatter. the --- block of title and tags at the top of a file.
• footnotes. the little reference marks and their notes.
• tables. great for planning, distracting to read aloud.
• code blocks. the fenced ``` sections.
• callouts, including AI-generated markers like [!ai-generated].
• visual-direction cues in brackets, like [B-roll: ...] or [cut to logo].

you keep all of that in your file for your own use. it doesn't show up between you and the lens. this aggressive stripping is on by default. if you'd rather see your cues on screen, there's a gentle mode in Settings that leaves more in.

it never touches your file#

this is the part to trust. the stripping is for the reading view only. your actual .md file is untouched.

open prompter reads your file. it doesn't rewrite it, reformat it, or save a cleaned-up copy over the top. when you strip a table out of the prompter view, the table is still sitting in your document exactly where you left it. close the app, open the file on your mac, and it's the same file you wrote.

so you never have to keep a "clean" version for the prompter and a "real" version for editing. there's one file. you read from it, you edit it, it stays yours.

a messy doc, and what shows on screen#

here's a real-ish example. this is the kind of file you might really write.

---
title: skincare routine reel
platform: tiktok
---

# hook

okay so i tried this for **thirty days** and here's what happened.

[B-roll: before photo]

| product | step |
| ------- | ---- |
| cleanser | 1 |
| serum | 2 |

## the routine

morning, i do *two* things. that's it.

1. cleanse
2. spf

[cut to product flatlay]

## payoff

my skin has never looked better. link's in bio.

and here's what you see on the prompter, scrolling:

hook

okay so i tried this for thirty days and here's what happened.

the routine

morning, i do two things. that's it.

1. cleanse
2. spf

payoff

my skin has never looked better. link's in bio.

the headings became clean section markers. the bold and italic carried through. the list stayed a list. the frontmatter, the table, and both bracketed B-roll notes are gone from the read. your file still has every one of them.

write however you want#

you don't need a special editor or a template. write in Apple Notes, in Obsidian, in a Google Doc you export as .md, in whatever app you already open when you have an idea. drop the file in the folder you picked once. open prompter catches up and reads it.

so the next time you sit down to script something, don't think about formatting. think about what you want to say. type it like a text. if a section break or a bold line helps you read it cleanly later, add the mark. if it doesn't, skip it. the file is plain text, and the text is yours.

open prompter is free and MIT-licensed. point it at a folder, write some markdown, and read.