---
updatedAt: 2026-03-24T11:58:15.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://developers.dovetail.com/llms.txt
---

# Content Formats

Learn how to create docs with Markdown, HTML, or plain text content.

When creating docs via `POST /docs` (or the deprecated `POST /insights`), you can specify the format of the `content` field using the optional `content_type` parameter. This is useful when importing content from tools like Confluence, Notion, or other wiki and document stores that export as Markdown.

## Supported formats

| Value      | Description                                                                                                                          |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `html`     | HTML content (default). Tags like `<strong>`, `<em>`, `<h1>`, `<ul>`, `<table>`, etc. are converted to rich text.                    |
| `markdown` | Markdown content. Supports headings, bold, italic, links, lists, blockquotes, code blocks, tables, task lists, and horizontal rules. |
| `text`     | Plain text. Line breaks are preserved as paragraphs.                                                                                 |

If `content_type` is omitted, content is parsed as HTML.

## Examples

### Creating a doc with Markdown

```http
POST https://dovetail.com/api/v1/docs
Authorization: Bearer <DOVETAIL_API_TOKEN>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "Sprint Retro Notes",
  "content": "# Key Findings\n\n- **Speed** improved by 20%\n- Need more [testing](https://example.com)\n\n## Action Items\n\n- [ ] Follow up with customers\n- [x] Update documentation",
  "content_type": "markdown",
  "project_id": "<PROJECT_ID>"
}
```

### Creating a doc with HTML

```http
POST https://dovetail.com/api/v1/docs
Authorization: Bearer <DOVETAIL_API_TOKEN>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "Interview Summary",
  "content": "<h1>Key Findings</h1><p>Speed improved by <strong>20%</strong></p>",
  "project_id": "<PROJECT_ID>"
}
```

### Creating a doc with plain text

```http
POST https://dovetail.com/api/v1/docs
Authorization: Bearer <DOVETAIL_API_TOKEN>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "title": "Quick Note",
  "content": "First paragraph of notes.\n\nSecond paragraph with more detail.",
  "content_type": "text",
  "project_id": "<PROJECT_ID>"
}
```

## Supported Markdown syntax

The following Markdown constructs are supported:

* **Headings**: `# H1` through `###### H6`
* **Bold**: `**text**`
* **Italic**: `*text*`
* **Links**: `[text](url)`
* **Unordered lists**: `- item` or `* item`
* **Ordered lists**: `1. item`
* **Task lists**: `- [ ] todo` and `- [x] done`
* **Blockquotes**: `> text`
* **Code blocks**: ` ```language ` with syntax highlighting
* **Inline code**: `` `code` ``
* **Tables**: pipe-delimited with header separator rows
* **Horizontal rules**: `---`