Native Markdown Preview | Markdown still does not render KaTeX ($ / $$) on 3.13.21

Support Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

In Cursor’s native Markdown UI (Preview | Markdown tabs / workbench.editor.markdown), LaTeX math delimited by $...$ / $$...$$ is shown as raw source text and is NOT rendered via KaTeX.

Classic VS Code markdown preview (Markdown: Open Preview to the Side / Cmd+Shift+V) renders the same file correctly using the built-in Markdown Math (KaTeX) extension.

This appears to be the same class of bug as Math doesn't render in .md Preview — still reproducible on Cursor 3.13.21.

Checked:

  • Built-in Markdown Math is available
  • markdown.math.enabled is not disabled (default true; not overridden in user settings)

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open a .md file with Cursor’s native Markdown editor (Preview | Markdown).
  2. Put this content in the file:
# Math test

Inline: $E = mc^2$

Block:

$$
\sigma(2)=\frac{1}{1+e^{-2}}\approx 0.880797
$$
  1. Switch to Preview.
  2. Observe: $$...$$ / $...$ remain raw text (e.g. \sigma, \frac visible).
  3. Open the same file with Text Editor, then run Markdown: Open Preview to the Side (Cmd+Shift+V).
  4. Observe: formulas render correctly with KaTeX.

Expected Behavior

Native Preview | Markdown should render $ / $$ math with KaTeX (same as classic webview preview), or clearly document that native Preview does not support math and point users to classic preview.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.13.21
VSCode Version: 1.128.0
Commit: 55434bd8062ece6fee083b82beed2aee42d253f0
Date: 2026-07-27T03:26:14.573Z
OS: Darwin arm64 25.5.0 (macOS 26.5.2)

Additional Information

Related markdown extensions installed (likely unrelated to this bug): bierner.markdown-mermaid, bierner.markdown-preview-github-styles, starkwang.markdown (NoteIM).

Issue reproduces specifically in native Preview pane, not in classic Cmd+Shift+V preview.

Staff previously confirmed this native-preview math bug as known (see linked thread). Requesting a fix or ETA for native Preview KaTeX support.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report. The repro steps and analysis are spot on.

You identified the cause correctly. Native Preview | Markdown and the classic preview Cmd+Shift+V use two different renderers. The markdown.math.enabled setting and the built-in Markdown Math only work in the classic webview preview, so KaTeX renders there. Native Preview doesn’t support math yet, that feature just isn’t wired up there.

Workaround: use the classic preview. Open the file in the Text Editor and run Markdown: Open Preview to the Side with Cmd+Shift+V. In that preview, $...$ and $$...$$ will render correctly via KaTeX.