diff --git a/docs/baseline.qmd b/docs/baseline.qmd
index ba83040..d603f2e 100644
--- a/docs/baseline.qmd
+++ b/docs/baseline.qmd
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ supported Fedora version, and the playbook stops if any package cannot be
 installed. The `optional` package group describes non-bootstrap workstation
 tools; it does not make installation failures optional. This group includes
 `uv` for Python project, environment, and package management, alongside the
-`python3` and `python3-pip` bootstrap dependencies.
+`python3` and `python3-pip` bootstrap dependencies. It also installs the
+system-level `pandoc` command through Fedora's `pandoc-cli` package,
+independently of Quarto.
 
 Baseline retains Git as a bootstrap dependency, but no longer installs Git LFS,
 Gitk, BorgBackup, Nemo, Dropbox, Vorta, or Thunderbird MCP. Use their focused
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ git config --global user.email
 
 python3 --version
 uv --version
+pandoc --version
 
 docker version
 docker run --rm hello-world
diff --git a/roles/baseline/defaults/main.yml b/roles/baseline/defaults/main.yml
index caf10ab..f4eed08 100644
--- a/roles/baseline/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/baseline/defaults/main.yml
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ baseline_optional_packages:
   - obs-studio
   - openssh-clients
   - openssh-server
+  - pandoc-cli
   - pdfarranger
   - pinentry
   - poppler-utils