> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.markup.ai/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.markup.ai/_mcp/server. # Markup AI for MadCap Flare — Integration Guide > Install, configure, and use the Markup AI plugin inside MadCap Flare to check, score, and rewrite your topics without leaving the editor. Use Markup AI inside **MadCap Flare** to check, score, and rewrite content while you author. The integration runs as a **sidebar** hosted inside Flare — open a topic, click **Markup AI ▸ Sidebar**, and review issues from the panel without leaving the editor. The plugin analyzes the **active topic** and applies suggestions in place, so you can triage issues and rewrite text right where you're working. --- ## **What you need** * **MadCap Flare** on **Windows** — the plugin hosts the Markup AI sidebar and requires Flare to load it. The **latest version** of Flare is supported. * The **Microsoft Edge WebView2** runtime — the sidebar renders in WebView2. It's preinstalled on Windows 11 and current Windows 10; if the sidebar opens blank, [install it](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/) and restart Flare. * The **.NET Framework 4.8** runtime, which ships with current Windows 10/11. * A **Markup AI** account — [create one at console.markup.ai](https://console.markup.ai). --- ## **Which agents are supported** * **Style Agent** --- ## **What Markup AI does for you in MadCap Flare** * **Check & score**: Analyze the active topic and get a Content Risk level (High / Medium / Low Risk) plus a count of issues found. * **Grouped, filterable issues**: Issues from the **Style Agent** are returned as a categorized list. Filter by severity (**High**, **Medium**, **Low**) or by category (Style, Brand, Consistency, Clarity, Tone). * **Jump to issue in the topic**: Click an issue card in the sidebar to **select** the matching text in the Flare editor — useful for locating the issue in long topics. * **Apply a suggestion**: When Markup AI returns a suggested replacement, click it in the issue card to rewrite the text directly in the topic. * **Results for each topic**: The sidebar keeps separate results for every topic you check, so switching between open topics doesn't lose your place. --- ## **Installing the plugin** Install Markup AI for MadCap Flare with the **self‑extracting installer**, **`MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn-Installer.exe`**. It lays down the plugin and enables it for you in one command. > **Warning** > > **Unblock the installer first (Mark of the Web).** Windows tags anything downloaded from the internet as "came from another computer," and it flags a still‑blocked plugin so it **never appears in the Plugins list — with no error message**. Right‑click the downloaded exe → **Properties** → tick **Unblock** → **OK** *before* running it. The exe is Authenticode‑signed, which keeps Windows SmartScreen prompts to a minimum. #### Unblock and close Flare Right‑click **`MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn-Installer.exe`** → **Properties** → tick **Unblock** → **OK**. Then **close MadCap Flare** — the installer refuses to proceed while it's running. #### Run the installer with your Flare.app path From a command prompt — **elevated** if Flare lives under `Program Files` — run the installer, passing the path to your `Flare.app` folder (the version part of the path depends on your Flare version): ``` MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn-Installer.exe "C:\Program Files\MadCap Software\MadCap Flare 22\Flare.app" ``` It verifies the folder is a real Flare install, copies the plugin into `…\Flare.app\Plugins\MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn`, and **enables the plugin for you**. Run it with **no arguments** to be prompted for the path, or `--help` for options. #### Start Flare The plugin is already on — open a topic and click **Markup AI ▸ Sidebar**. ![Console output from MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn-Installer.exe showing the plugin version, the verified Flare.app path, the Plugins folder it installed into, and a 'Done. MarkupAI for MadCap Flare is installed and enabled' message.](/_fern-files/_img/2754f77545ba9e7806ed007dd414155e5ffa4e665f9818581e06f87747f93fcd.webp) > **Note** > > The installer enables the plugin for the **user who runs it**. If an administrator installs it for a *different* user, that user enables it once via **File ▸ Options ▸ Plugins**. ### **Updating and uninstalling** * **To update**: close Flare and run the newer installer — it replaces the plugin folder in place. The installer prints the version it's installing, so you can confirm which build you're on. Flare remembers the plugin is enabled, so you won't need to tick it again. * **To uninstall**: close Flare and delete the `…\Flare.app\Plugins\MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn` folder — there is no separate uninstaller. --- ## **Launching Markup AI in a topic** 1. Open any topic in Flare. 2. Show the sidebar in either of these ways: * **Ribbon mode**: click **Markup AI ▸ Sidebar** on the ribbon. * **Tool Strip mode**: click the **Markup AI** toolbar button. 3. Sign in to Markup AI if prompted. Sign‑in opens in your **default browser** (where you're usually already signed in); complete it there and return to Flare, and the sidebar switches to the main view automatically. Your session is remembered across Flare restarts. ![MadCap Flare ribbon with the Markup AI tab selected, showing the Show Sidebar button (with the red Markup AI icon) in a Markup AI group.](/_fern-files/_img/a987ae46137bb418ec2e0102e1f553e919227cd39aea85910494630d485b9801.webp) > **Note** > > Login opens in your default browser rather than a popup inside the plugin, so you don't have to sign in from scratch every time. To force a fresh sign‑in, close Flare and delete the WebView2 profile folder at `%LocalAppData%\MarkupAI\Sidebar\Flare\WebView2` (it's recreated on next launch). --- ## **Configure your check** Before your first check, open the **Settings** panel (gear icon at the top of the sidebar) and pick the right configuration for your team: * **Style Guide**: Select your team's style guide from the dropdown. When you sign in (or switch organizations), the plugin selects your organization's default target as the active style guide. * **Available agents**: The **Style** agent checks for style‑guide compliance, passive voice, word choice, and consistency. Settings persist across topics, so you only need to configure them once per session. If you change a setting after running a check, re‑run the check to apply the new configuration. --- ## **Running a check** 1. Open the topic you want to check. Save your work first — checks run against the topic's current text. 2. In the Markup AI sidebar, click **Check**. The plugin extracts the active topic's markup, analyzes it, and posts the result back to the sidebar. 3. The header updates with: * A **Content Risk** banner — *High Risk*, *Medium Risk*, or *Low Risk*. * An **issue count** (for example, *48 issues found*). * A **severity breakdown** — counts of **High**, **Medium**, and **Low** issues. * A **Group / List** view toggle. 4. Re‑run **Check** any time you want to refresh the score after editing. The content is captured at the moment you click **Check**, so you can keep editing while the check runs without affecting the result. ![MadCap Flare editing a topic with the MarkupAI sidebar on the right showing HIGH RISK with 15 issues found, High/Medium/Low severity pills, the Brand and Style category groups, and an expanded Tone card with a SUGGESTION and a 'Why this matters' explanation.](/_fern-files/_img/10ac71fc5fc5cea5cca7af762bb14046c21ad2caa98e8aee34e24ec7248ec7d4.webp) --- ## **Reviewing and resolving issues** Once the check completes, Markup AI lists every issue under the **Suggestions** section. Use the controls at the top of the list to triage: * **Severity pills** — Click **High**, **Medium**, or **Low** to scope the list to one severity level. Counts update as you work through issues. * **Group / List** — Toggle between **Group** view (issues grouped by category with counts, like **Brand 62**, **Style 85**) and **List** view (a flat, ordered list). ### **Working through an issue card** 1. Click anywhere on an issue card to **expand** it. The card reveals: * The **category** label (Consistency, Clarity, Spelling and grammar, Tone, etc.) and the **severity** tag (HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). * The **issue text** — the exact phrase Markup AI flagged. * The **suggested replacement** (when Markup AI has one) shown under a **SUGGESTION** label. * A **Why this matters** explanation of the rule. 2. Click the **issue text** at the top of the card to **select** the matching content in the Flare editor — this jumps you to the exact range in the topic. 3. Decide what to do for each card: * **Apply the fix** — click the suggested replacement (under **SUGGESTION**) to rewrite the text directly in the topic. * **Edit manually** — fix the text in the editor, then click **Check** again to re‑score. * **Dismiss** — remove an issue that doesn't apply. The plugin keeps positions accurate even if you've edited the topic since the check ran, so selecting and applying suggestions still land on the right text. --- ## **Working with multiple topics** The sidebar stays open for your whole Flare session and keeps separate results for each topic you check. * **Switching topics**: The sidebar updates as soon as you switch. If you've already checked that topic, its results come back right away. If you haven't, the sidebar shows a **"not analyzed yet"** message. * **Opening a new topic**: The sidebar makes it the active topic automatically — no extra click needed. * **No topic open**: The **Markup AI** button still works. Click it and the sidebar opens with a **"no active topic"** message. * **Applying a suggestion**: A suggestion only ever edits the topic it came from. If you switch topics mid‑click, the change is skipped rather than applied to the wrong topic. --- ## **Troubleshooting** * **The plugin doesn't appear** in **File ▸ Options ▸ Plugins** — almost always the Mark of the Web: the files are still blocked. Unblock the installer exe (right‑click → **Properties** → **Unblock**) and run it again. To unblock the already‑installed files in place instead, run this once in an **Administrator** PowerShell, then fully restart Flare: ```powershell Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\MadCap Software\MadCap Flare 22\Flare.app\Plugins\MarkupAI.MadCapFlarePlugIn" -Recurse | Unblock-File ``` * **The sidebar opens blank** — your machine is probably missing the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. Install it from [developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2](https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/) and restart Flare. The bundle already contains everything else the plugin needs. * **Sign‑in doesn't stick, or you want a clean session** — close Flare and delete the WebView2 profile folder at `%LocalAppData%\MarkupAI\Sidebar\Flare\WebView2`. It's recreated on the next launch. --- ## **FAQ** * **Does this work with Flare Online?** No — this integration is for the **Flare desktop app**. For **Flare Online**, use the [Markup AI Chrome extension](/apps/madcap-flare-online) instead. * **Can I check just a selection?** No — checks run against the full active topic. * **How long does the sidebar keep my results?** For about 20 topics. Check more than that and the oldest results are dropped — run **Check** again to bring them back. Switching Flare projects doesn't reset the count, and all results clear when you close Flare. * **Why did my results disappear after I renamed a topic?** Markup AI tracks each topic by its file path, so a renamed topic looks unchecked. Run **Check** again under the new name. * **Can I move or resize the sidebar?** Yes — it's a standard Flare tool pane. Dock it to any edge, float it, tab it into another pane group, resize it, or auto‑hide it. Flare saves the arrangement with your layout. --- ## **Under consideration** We're exploring the following enhancements, though we can't commit to specific timelines yet. * Including content from snippets in a check. ## **Known limitations** * **One topic at a time.** Checks run against the single active topic — there's no project‑ or TOC‑level check. * **Referenced content isn't expanded.** Content pulled in by variables or cross‑references is not resolved and isn't covered by a check. * **Applied suggestions aren't recorded as tracked changes.** When **Track Changes** is enabled and you apply a suggestion, the replacement is written directly to the topic and doesn't appear as a tracked change. This is a limitation of Flare's replace‑text API, which the plugin uses to edit the topic.