Markdown Outline view does not work for preview modes, and raw-editor navigation is unreliable

Support Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

This is about the universal Outline view in the Explorer sidebar, documented here:

I see two separate Markdown Outline issues in Cursor:

  1. The Outline view does not work in Markdown preview modes.
  2. Raw Markdown editor Outline navigation is unreliable.

Steps to Reproduce

Issue 1: Outline does not work in Markdown preview modes

For a Markdown file with headings, Outline works in raw editor mode.

Steps:

  1. Open a Markdown file with headings.
  2. Open the universal Outline view in the Explorer sidebar.
  3. Confirm the heading tree appears in raw Markdown editor mode.
  4. Switch to Cursor inline preview: Preview | Markdown.
  5. Check Outline.
  6. Open the same file in VS Code-style side preview: Markdown: Open Preview / Markdown: Open Preview to the Side.
  7. Check Outline again.

Observed behavior:

  • Outline does not show/navigate the Markdown heading hierarchy in either preview mode:
    • Cursor inline preview: Preview | Markdown
    • VS Code-style side preview: Markdown: Open Preview / Markdown: Open Preview to the Side

Issue 2: Raw Markdown editor Outline navigation is unreliable

Steps:

  1. Open a Markdown file with multiple headings.
  2. Keep the file in raw Markdown editor mode.
  3. Open the universal Outline view.
  4. Click different heading entries.

Observed behavior:

  • Some clicks scroll to the wrong location or do not reveal the expected heading. This does not happen in VS Code

Expected Behavior

  • In preview modes, Outline should show the backing Markdown document’s heading hierarchy.
  • Clicking a heading should navigate the active preview/editor to that heading.
  • In raw editor mode, clicking an Outline heading should reveal the matching Markdown heading.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.3.12 (Universal)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 75c0dfd29aecf2cc208dbaf761d5cc459c601aa0
Date: 2026-05-06T03:47:52.249Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.8.1
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.2.0

Additional Information

  • If preview-mode Outline support is intentionally unsupported, documenting that would also help.
  • I do not have local outline, breadcrumb, or symbol overrides set.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report.

On Issue 1, this isn’t a Cursor bug, it’s expected upstream VS Code behavior. Markdown preview (both the inline Preview | Markdown and the side Markdown: Open Preview) is implemented as a webview, not a text editor, so it doesn’t provide a DocumentSymbolProvider. Because of that, the Outline pane correctly says it can’t build an outline for the active editor. If you open the same file in plain VS Code and switch to preview, Outline will also go empty. For Outline to work in preview modes, VS Code would need a separate outline provider registration, which neither VS Code nor Cursor has.

Workaround: keep them separate, use the raw editor for Outline navigation, and preview side-by-side.

On Issue 2, this is more interesting and might be Cursor-specific. But to take action, we need a concrete repro:

  • A minimal .md file where it happens (you can attach it here).
  • Which heading you click and where it scrolls instead (a before and after screenshot or a short screencast).
  • Please also re-check the same file in plain VS Code 1.105.1. If navigation is correct there, it’s clearly a regression on our side.

Once you send it, I’ll reproduce it and file a ticket.

6

Issue 1 - yeah figured it was VS Code behavior. I know the implementation is different, but a markdown outline would still be very useful. Anyway, I understand it’s out of your hands.

Issue 2 - Haha, now I’m unable to repro this behavior (ofc). Perhaps it was some transient local state. I’ll keep an eye out for this over next few days and message back, else I can just delete issue 2 from my above post.

Thanks for your quick and helpful replies @deanrie

7

Thanks for coming back with an update.

On Issue 1, I agree an Outline in preview modes would be helpful. Can you create a feature request for it? Just a heads up, it’s not trivial to implement since preview is a webview and it needs a separate outline provider registration, but we’ll take a look.

On Issue 2, if you can reproduce it again, please drop the .md file here and a short screencast showing you clicking the heading and where it scrolls to. With that repro, I can check locally and file a ticket if it’s confirmed. I’ll keep the thread open for now.