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Autoformat families are profile-adjacent input-assist surfaces

docs/research/decisions/autoformat-families-are-profile-adjacent-input-assist-surfaces.md

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Autoformat families are profile-adjacent input-assist surfaces

Question

How should Plate model block shorthand, inline mark autoformat, and text substitution autoformat?

Decision

Treat them as profile-adjacent input-assist surfaces, not parser law.

Split them into at least three families:

  • block shorthand autoformat
  • inline mark autoformat
  • text-substitution autoformat

Why

  • they change typing behavior and editor feel
  • they do not define the canonical parse or serialize contract by themselves
  • different families want different authorities and different guardrails
  • some symbols are pair-on-type
  • some are selection-wrap-first
  • some are plain text substitutions with no markdown ownership at all

Consequences

  • editor-behavior law should not flatten them into one generic "autoformat" row
  • protocol rows should split block, mark, and text-substitution scenarios
  • parity should track them as profile-adjacent input-assist surfaces instead of pretending they are the core markdown parse contract