I can't nested code blocks (example, under a bullet point) like I can with some other blocks (like block quotes)

[obadakhalili]

Description

in a Plate editor, I can't nest a code block to appear inside a bullet point, like I can with block quotes. why is that?

Reproduction URL

No response

Reproduction steps

render a platejs editor (I'm using the AI template) and try to nest a code block.

Plate version

49.2.21

Slate React version

which ever version plate 49.2.21 uses ..

Screenshots

Logs

Browsers

No response

[dosubot[bot]]

This happens because Plate's schema and plugin configuration treat code blocks as top-level block elements that can't be nested inside list items, while block quotes are allowed as children of lists. Even though the AI template uses the flexible List plugin (which lets you indent many block types), code blocks are still restricted by default and can't appear inside bullet points like block quotes can. This is due to how Plate's plugins define valid nesting and the use of the isStrictSiblings property, which prevents code blocks from being children of list items, but allows block quotes to nest "List plugin", "Code block", "Plugin rules", "Exit break".

There's no built-in option to change this, but Plate's MarkdownPlugin does allow custom conversion rules if you want to experiment with supporting this structure yourself "Markdown plugin".

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[obadakhalili]

yeah but why is it that "Plate's schema and plugin configuration treat code blocks as top-level block elements that can't be nested inside list items" ?

fundamentally what is preventing platejs from supporting that? it is very important for our use case that plate offers the flexibility to support cases like this one.

[dosubot[bot]]

Plate treats code blocks as top-level blocks because the CodeBlock plugin and schema are designed that way: code blocks have isStrictSiblings set, which prevents them from being nested inside other block types like list items. This is enforced by both the plugin config and normalization logic. The main reasons are to keep things consistent with Markdown/HTML, and to support features like syntax highlighting and keyboard shortcuts that expect code blocks to be standalone blocks, not children of lists.

The flexible List plugin (used in the AI template) lets you indent any block—including code blocks—to create list-like structures, but the DOM stays flat: indented blocks are siblings, not truly nested. Block quotes can be nested because their plugin config is less strict.

This restriction is a Plate design choice, not a Slate limitation. In theory, you could customize Plate’s plugins and normalization rules to allow code blocks inside list items, but it would require significant custom work and careful handling of rendering and editing behaviors to avoid breaking existing features. There’s no built-in option for this, but you can experiment with custom conversion rules in the MarkdownPlugin if you want to try supporting this structure yourself
see discussion
docs: code block
docs: list
docs: exit break

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[dosubot[bot]]

Plate treats code blocks as top-level blocks because of how its plugins and schema are designed. The Code Block plugin marks code blocks with isStrictSiblings: true, which means they can't be nested inside other block types like list items, and normalization logic enforces this structure. This setup is partly for consistency with Markdown/HTML and to support features like syntax highlighting and keyboard shortcuts, which expect code blocks to be independent blocks, not children of lists. The List plugin uses a flat structure where each indented block (including code blocks) is independent, not truly nested inside a list item, which is different from how block quotes are handled.

This restriction isn't from Slate itself—it's a Plate design choice. In theory, you could customize Plate's plugins and normalization rules to allow code blocks inside list items, but it would require significant custom plugin work and careful handling of rendering and editing behaviors to avoid breaking existing features.
More details | List plugin | Code block plugin

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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