Open Knowledge Format (OKF) vs Markdown for Agents
They sit at the same step and overlap in purpose; the fields above are the basis for choosing.
| Open Knowledge Format OKF | Markdown for Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle step | 4 Read: Give me the content | 4 Read: Give me the content |
| Answers | How can an organization package durable, structured knowledge (schemas, metrics, playbooks, runbooks) so both humans and agents can read, produce, and trust it without a bespoke SDK? | Can an agent ask a site for a Markdown version of an HTML page, instead of parsing the HTML itself? |
| Governed by | Google Cloud open-source project; canonical repository is GoogleCloudPlatform/open-knowledge-format on GitHub (moved out of the GoogleCloudPlatform/knowledge-catalog monorepo in August 2026, which now carries only a frozen, unmaintained snapshot) | Cloudflare; a feature of its network documented in Cloudflare's developer docs, not submitted to a standards body; it rides on ordinary HTTP content negotiation |
| Status (issuer's words) | "An open specification; contributions, alternative implementations, and adoption beyond Google products are all explicitly welcomed" | Vendor feature, available to Pro, Business and Enterprise plans and SSL for SaaS customers at no cost; not a standards-track document |
| Version | v0.2 (2026-08) | Generally available on Pro, Business and Enterprise plans; docs last updated 2026-10-09 (2026-02-12) |
| Form / transport | document format | HTTP header |
| Found at | /okf/index.md | HTTP content negotiation: the client sends Accept: text/markdown and an enabled zone answers with Content-Type: text/markdown; charset=utf-8 and Vary: Accept. There is no manifest or well-known file. |
| Implementation | shipping — Google Cloud (Knowledge Catalog and 4 sample bundles: GA4, Stack Overflow, Bitcoin, Acme Retail), OpenKnowledge (OKF linter plugin), and agenticweb.wiki (163-concept OKF v0.2 knowledge bundle at /okf/index.md) | shipping — Cloudflare's own developer docs and blog answer Accept: text/markdown with text/markdown (our check, 2026-10-20); Cloudflare publishes no count of enabled zones |
| Evidence | 4 verified | 3 verified |
| Primary use case | Serve readable content to agents | Serve readable content to agents |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 (current) | 2026-10-23 (current) |
| Specification | https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/open-knowledge-format/blob/main/SPEC.md | https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/reference/markdown-for-agents/ |
When to use which
- Choose Open Knowledge Format when your question is “How can an organization package durable, structured knowledge (schemas, metrics, playbooks, runbooks) so both humans and agents can read, produce, and trust it without a bespoke SDK?” and you accept its maturity: status ""An open specification; contributions, alternative implementations, and adoption beyond Google products are all explicitly welcomed"", implementation shipping (Google Cloud (Knowledge Catalog and 4 sample bundles: GA4, Stack Overflow, Bitcoin, Acme Retail), OpenKnowledge (OKF linter plugin), and agenticweb.wiki (163-concept OKF v0.2 knowledge bundle at /okf/index.md)).
- Choose Markdown for Agents when your question is “Can an agent ask a site for a Markdown version of an HTML page, instead of parsing the HTML itself?” and you accept its maturity: status "Vendor feature, available to Pro, Business and Enterprise plans and SSL for SaaS customers at no cost; not a standards-track document", implementation shipping (Cloudflare's own developer docs and blog answer Accept: text/markdown with text/markdown (our check, 2026-10-20); Cloudflare publishes no count of enabled zones).
Read the full articles
- Open Knowledge Format: How can an organization package durable, structured knowledge (schemas, metrics, playbooks, runbooks) so both humans and agents can read, produce, and trust it without a bespoke SDK?
- Markdown for Agents: Can an agent ask a site for a Markdown version of an HTML page, instead of parsing the HTML itself?