Google Chat Formatting

---
created: 2025-12-16
modified: 2026-04-25
reviewed: 2026-04-25
name: google-chat-formatting
description: Convert Markdown to Google Chat formatting. Use when formatting messages for Google Chat or converting Markdown documents to Google Chat syntax.
user-invocable: false
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash
---

# Google Chat Formatting

Expert knowledge for converting Markdown and plain text to Google Chat's limited formatting syntax. Google Chat supports a subset of formatting that differs from standard Markdown.

## When to Use This Skill

| Use this skill when... | Use ticket-drafting-guidelines instead when... |
|---|---|
| Converting Markdown to Google Chat's single-asterisk bold and bullet syntax | Drafting a GitHub issue, PR description, or technical ticket |
| Formatting status updates, meeting notes, or release notes for posting in Google Chat | Writing a structured What/Why/How bug report or feature request |
| Stripping headers and tables for a chat-channel announcement | Producing prose intended for a GitHub or docs surface (keep standard Markdown) |

## Core Expertise

**Format Conversion**
- Transform Markdown headers to bold text
- Convert list markers to bullet symbols
- Adapt bold/emphasis syntax to Google Chat format
- Preserve code blocks and inline code
- Ensure mobile-friendly spacing and readability

**Google Chat Limitations**
- No native header support (use bold instead)
- Limited text formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough, code)
- Bullet symbols (U+2022) instead of hyphen lists
- No nested formatting (bold inside italic, etc.)
- No tables, images, or advanced Markdown features

## Conversion Rules

### Headers to Bold Text

Google Chat has no header support. Convert all headers to bold text:

```markdown
# Header           → *Header*
## Subheader       → *Subheader*
### Section        → *Section*
```

**Pattern**: Remove all `#` symbols and wrap text in single asterisks.

### Text Formatting

Google Chat uses single asterisks for bold (not double):

```markdown
**bold**          → *bold*
__bold__          → *bold*
*italic*          → _italic_
_italic_          → _italic_
~~strikethrough~~ → ~strikethrough~
```

**Key differences**:
- Bold: Single asterisks `*text*` (not `**text**`)
- Italic: Single underscores `_text_` (not `*text*`)
- Strikethrough: Single tildes `~text~`
- No nested formatting support

### Code Formatting

Preserve code blocks and inline code unchanged:

```markdown
`inline code`     → `inline code` (unchanged)
```code block```  → ```code block``` (unchanged)
```

### Lists

Replace Markdown list markers with bullet symbols:

```markdown
- item            → • item
* item            → • item
+ item            → • item
1. numbered       → 1. numbered (keep numbered lists)
```

**Pattern**: Replace `-`, `*`, `+` at line start with bullet symbol.

### Special Patterns

**Label formatting** (common in structured messages):

```markdown
**Label:**        → *Label:*
**Status:** text  → *Status:* text
```

### Whitespace

Normalize spacing for readability:
- Collapse multiple blank lines to single blank line
- Strip trailing whitespace

## Essential Commands

### Convert Markdown File

```bash
# Read file, convert, write output
cat input.md | sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/^[*+-] /• /g' > output.txt
```

### Convert Inline Text

```bash
# Quick conversion of text string
echo "## Header\n**bold** text\n- item" | \
  sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/^[*+-] /• /g'
```

### Process Clipboard (macOS)

```bash
# Convert clipboard content
pbpaste | sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g' | \
  sed -E 's/^[*+-] /• /g' | pbcopy
```

### Batch Processing

```bash
# Convert all .md files in directory
for file in *.md; do
  sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' "$file" | \
    sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g' | \
    sed -E 's/^[*+-] /• /g' > "${file%.md}.gchat.txt"
done
```

For common conversion patterns (meeting notes, status updates, release notes), best practices, troubleshooting, integration examples, limitations, and advanced patterns, see [REFERENCE.md](REFERENCE.md).

## Quick Reference

### Conversion Patterns

| Markdown | Google Chat | Notes |
|----------|-------------|-------|
| `# Header` | `*Header*` | All header levels |
| `**bold**` | `*bold*` | Single asterisks |
| `__bold__` | `*bold*` | Underscores to asterisks |
| `*italic*` | `_italic_` | Single underscores |
| `- item` | `• item` | Bullet symbol |
| `` `code` `` | `` `code` `` | Unchanged |

### Sed Commands

```bash
# Headers
sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g'

# Bold (asterisks)
sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g'

# Bold (underscores)
sed -E 's/__([^_]+)__/\*\1\*/g'

# Lists
sed -E 's/^[*+-] /• /g'

# Collapse blank lines
sed -E '/^$/N;/^\n$/D'

# Strip trailing whitespace
sed -E 's/[ \t]+$//'
```

## Agentic Optimizations

| Context | Command |
|---------|---------|
| Quick convert file | `sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' file.md \| sed -E 's/\*\*([^*]+)\*\*/\*\1\*/g'` |
| Check for unconverted | `grep -E '^\#\|^\*\*' output.txt` |
| Clipboard convert | `pbpaste \| sed -E 's/^#{1,6} (.+)$/*\1*/g' \| pbcopy` |

## Resources

- **Google Chat Formatting**: https://support.google.com/chat/answer/7649118
- **Markdown Guide**: https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/
- **Sed Reference**: https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/manual/sed.html
- **Unicode Bullet**: U+2022