Quarto 1.9 Has Been Released

r
quarto
Quarto 1.9 has been released. This article summarizes the features that caught my attention.
Published

2026-03-25

Modified

2026-03-25

Note

Original Japanese version: Quarto 1.9がリリースされました

Quarto 1.9 was released on March 24, 2026. See the official blog post. Several interesting features were added, such as publishing to Posit Connect Cloud and support for Typst.

This article summarizes the points that caught my attention.

How to Update Quarto

Before summarizing the features, here is how to update Quarto. Quarto is not updated with a command; you need to download and run the installer. Download the latest installer from the official download page and run it.

Running the installer updates Quarto to the latest version easily. After updating, run quarto --version on the command line to confirm that it was updated correctly.

quarto --version
# 1.9.36

Adding the llms.txt File

By writing llms-txt: true in _quarto.yml, the configuration file, Quarto generates a file named llms.txt in the project root directory.

The llms.txt file provides guidelines for large language models, or LLMs, and AI tools to understand the project structure. For details, see the official documentation.

I enabled this feature right away. It seems that the setting should be written inside website. I placed it under title.

_quarto.yml
website:
  title: "Maple60's website"
  llms-txt: true

Then run quarto render. The _site/llms.txt file was generated. An excerpt looks like this.

_site/llms.txt
# Maple60's website

## Pages

- [Recommendations](recommendations.llms.md)
- [Quarto 1.9 Has Been Released](posts/2026-03-25-quarto-1.9/index.llms.md)
- [Implementing Otsu's Thresholding in R](posts/2026-03-11-r-otsu-thresholding/index.llms.md)
- [Simulating Color Vision Deficiency in R](posts/2026-03-04-r-color-blind/index.llms.md)
- [Notes on Using r-universe Packages with GitHub Actions and renv](posts/2026-02-24-github-actions-r-universe/index.llms.md)
- [Managing Analysis Projects with Quarto](posts/2026-02-11-quarto-project-management/index.llms.md)

LLMs and AI tools can refer to this llms.txt file to understand the project structure and generate appropriate responses.

For details on llms.txt, see the Quarto official documentation.

List Tables

A feature that looks very useful was added. It was already easy to create tables from Markdown syntax or code, but list tables make it possible to include line breaks and various kinds of content inside table cells.

::: {.list-table}

- - Column A
  - Column B
  - Column C
  - Column D

- - Text
  - `inline code`
  - Code cells can also be included.

    ```{r}
    summary(cars)
    ```
  - Bullet lists can also be included.

    - Item 1
    - Item 2
    - Item 3
:::

The output is as follows.

Column A Column B Column C Column D

Text

inline code

Code cells can also be included.

summary(cars)
     speed           dist       
 Min.   : 4.0   Min.   :  2.00  
 1st Qu.:12.0   1st Qu.: 26.00  
 Median :15.0   Median : 36.00  
 Mean   :15.4   Mean   : 42.98  
 3rd Qu.:19.0   3rd Qu.: 56.00  
 Max.   :25.0   Max.   :120.00

Bullet lists can also be included.

  • Item 1
  • Item 2
  • Item 3

The syntax takes a little effort to learn, but once you get used to it, it seems very convenient.

For detailed usage, see the official documentation.

Other Features

I may not use the other features immediately, but I summarize them briefly.

Publishing to Posit Connect Cloud

Quarto projects can now be published to Posit Connect Cloud with a single command.

Support for Typst

Quarto added support for Typst, a new document creation tool. Typst is a tool for creating high-quality documents like LaTeX, with usability closer to Word or Google Docs. I have also been interested in it and wanted to try it.

Improved PDF Accessibility

This is described as an experimental feature, but when outputting PDF with LaTeX or Typst, Quarto can now output formats such as PDF/A, which is suitable for long-term preservation, and PDF/UA, a structured and accessible format that is easier for screen readers to read.

For details, see the official blog post.

Brand Feature Available from the Command Line

With the quarto use brand command, the brand feature can now be used from the command line. The brand feature is used to unify colors, styles, and other themes across a project. For detailed usage, see the official documentation.

Closing Note

Quarto keeps evolving, and this update added very attractive features. I am deeply grateful to the contributors.

I also hope to contribute to Quarto someday.

References

All references were accessed on March 25, 2026.