diff --git a/cmd/lit/lit.go b/cmd/lit/lit.go
index cda7c19..8bf092a 100644
--- a/cmd/lit/lit.go
+++ b/cmd/lit/lit.go
@@ -5,21 +5,25 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"io/fs"
 	"log"
 	"os"
 	"path"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
+	"strings"
 	"text/template"
 
 	"github.com/nlandolfi/lit"
 )
 
-var inmode = flag.String("i", "", "the type of the input file")
-var in = flag.String("in", "", "in file, required")
-var outmode = flag.String("o", "", "the type of the output file {debug|lit|tex|html|slides|tmpl}")
-var out = flag.String("out", "", "out file, if unset writes to stdout")
-var tmpl = flag.String("tmpl", "text.tmpl", "in case -o tmpl, the template file to execute")
-var v = flag.Bool("v", false, "whether to print the version; exits after printing info")
+var inmode = flag.String("i", "", "input format {lit|tex|html|csv}, auto-detected from extension")
+var in = flag.String("in", "", "input file or directory (required)")
+var outmode = flag.String("o", "", "output format {debug|lit|tex|html|slides|tmpl}")
+var out = flag.String("out", "", "output file or directory; if dir input, -out dir is required")
+var tmpl = flag.String("tmpl", "text.tmpl", "template file for -o tmpl mode")
+var v = flag.Bool("v", false, "print version and exit")
+var verbose = flag.Bool("verbose", false, "print file processing info")
 
 // Set using link flags; e.g., -X main.Version=...
 var (
@@ -38,7 +42,37 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	if *in == "" {
-		fmt.Printf("lit -in <filename>\n")
+		fmt.Println("usage: lit -in <file|dir> [-out <file|dir>] [-o format]")
+		fmt.Println()
+		fmt.Println("single file:")
+		fmt.Println("  lit -in foo.lit -o html          # output to stdout")
+		fmt.Println("  lit -in foo.lit -out foo.html    # output to file")
+		fmt.Println()
+		fmt.Println("directory (batch):")
+		fmt.Println("  lit -in src/ -out dist/ -o html  # compile all .lit files")
+		fmt.Println()
+		fmt.Println("in directory mode, each .lit file can specify a template via yaml frontmatter:")
+		fmt.Println("  <!--yaml")
+		fmt.Println("  template: page.tmpl")
+		fmt.Println("  title: My Page")
+		fmt.Println("  -->")
+		fmt.Println()
+		fmt.Println("falls back to default.tmpl in input dir, or raw output if no template found.")
+		fmt.Println()
+		flag.PrintDefaults()
+		return
+	}
+
+	// check if input is a directory
+	fi, err := os.Stat(*in)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("stat %q: %v", *in, err)
+	}
+	if fi.IsDir() {
+		if *out == "" {
+			log.Fatalf("directory mode requires -out <dir>")
+		}
+		processDirectory(*in, *out)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -128,34 +162,160 @@ func main() {
 	}
 }
 
-func execute(w io.Writer, t string, n *lit.Node) {
-	// Create a template, add the function map, and parse the text.
-	tmpl, err := template.New("").Funcs(
-		template.FuncMap{
-			"tex": func(n *lit.Node) string {
-				var b bytes.Buffer
-				lit.WriteTex(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: "    ", Indent: ""})
-				return b.String()
-			},
-			"texpi": func(n *lit.Node, pr, in string) string {
-				var b bytes.Buffer
-				lit.WriteTex(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: pr, Indent: in})
-				return b.String()
-			},
-			"lit": func(n *lit.Node) string {
-				var b bytes.Buffer
-				lit.WriteLit(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: "", Indent: "  "})
-				return b.String()
-			},
-		},
-	).Parse(t)
+func processDirectory(inDir, outDir string) {
+	// determine output extension based on -o flag
+	outExt := ".html"
+	switch *outmode {
+	case "tex":
+		outExt = ".tex"
+	case "lit":
+		outExt = ".lit"
+	}
+
+	// check for default template
+	defaultTmplPath := filepath.Join(inDir, "default.tmpl")
+	var defaultTmpl string
+	if bs, err := os.ReadFile(defaultTmplPath); err == nil {
+		defaultTmpl = string(bs)
+	}
+
+	err := filepath.WalkDir(inDir, func(p string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		// skip hidden files and directories
+		if strings.HasPrefix(d.Name(), ".") || strings.HasPrefix(d.Name(), "_") {
+			if d.IsDir() {
+				return filepath.SkipDir
+			}
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		// skip template files and non-.lit files
+		if d.IsDir() || filepath.Ext(p) == ".tmpl" || filepath.Ext(p) != ".lit" {
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		// compute relative path and output path
+		rel, err := filepath.Rel(inDir, p)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		outPath := filepath.Join(outDir, strings.TrimSuffix(rel, ".lit")+outExt)
+
+		// ensure output directory exists
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(outPath), 0755); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		// read and parse input file
+		bs, err := os.ReadFile(p)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("reading %s: %w", p, err)
+		}
+
+		n, err := lit.ParseLit(string(bs))
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("parsing %s: %w", p, err)
+		}
+
+		// check for yaml frontmatter to find template
+		var tmplContent string
+		if n.FirstChild != nil && n.FirstChild.Type == lit.YAMLNode {
+			if t, ok := n.FirstChild.YAML["template"].(string); ok {
+				tmplPath := filepath.Join(inDir, t)
+				if bs, err := os.ReadFile(tmplPath); err == nil {
+					tmplContent = string(bs)
+				} else {
+					return fmt.Errorf("reading template %s: %w", tmplPath, err)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		if tmplContent == "" {
+			tmplContent = defaultTmpl
+		}
+
+		// create output file
+		f, err := os.Create(outPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("creating %s: %w", outPath, err)
+		}
+		defer f.Close()
+
+		// write output
+		if tmplContent != "" {
+			// use template, pass node directly like single-file mode
+			t, err := template.New("").Funcs(templateFuncs).Parse(tmplContent)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("parsing template for %s: %w", p, err)
+			}
+			if err := t.Execute(f, n); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("executing template for %s: %w", p, err)
+			}
+		} else {
+			// no template, output raw
+			switch *outmode {
+			case "tex":
+				lit.WriteTex(f, n, lit.DefaultWriteOpts)
+			case "lit":
+				lit.WriteLit(f, n, lit.DefaultWriteOpts)
+			default:
+				lit.WriteHTMLInBody(f, n, lit.DefaultWriteOpts)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if *verbose {
+			log.Printf("%s -> %s", p, outPath)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatalf("template parsing: %s", err)
+		log.Fatalf("processing directory: %v", err)
 	}
+}
 
-	// Run the template to verify the output.
-	err = tmpl.Execute(w, n)
+var templateFuncs = template.FuncMap{
+	"tex": func(n *lit.Node) string {
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		lit.WriteTex(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: "    ", Indent: ""})
+		return b.String()
+	},
+	"texpi": func(n *lit.Node, pr, in string) string {
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		lit.WriteTex(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: pr, Indent: in})
+		return b.String()
+	},
+	"lit": func(n *lit.Node) string {
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		lit.WriteLit(&b, n, &lit.WriteOpts{Prefix: "", Indent: "  "})
+		return b.String()
+	},
+	"html": func(n *lit.Node) string {
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		lit.WriteHTML(&b, n, lit.DefaultWriteOpts)
+		return b.String()
+	},
+	"body": func(n *lit.Node) string {
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		// skip yaml frontmatter, render rest
+		for c := n.FirstChild; c != nil; c = c.NextSibling {
+			if c.Type == lit.YAMLNode {
+				continue
+			}
+			lit.WriteHTML(&b, c, lit.DefaultWriteOpts)
+		}
+		return b.String()
+	},
+}
+
+func execute(w io.Writer, t string, n *lit.Node) {
+	tmpl, err := template.New("").Funcs(templateFuncs).Parse(t)
 	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("template parsing: %s", err)
+	}
+	if err = tmpl.Execute(w, n); err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("template execution: %s", err)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/lit/lit_test.go b/cmd/lit/lit_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..744fb90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/lit/lit_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestProcessDirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	// create temp input dir
+	inDir := t.TempDir()
+	outDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// create default template
+	tmpl := `<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html>
+<head><title>test</title></head>
+<body>{{ body . }}</body>
+</html>`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "default.tmpl"), []byte(tmpl), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// create a .lit file with yaml frontmatter
+	lit1 := `<!--yaml
+title: Hello
+-->
+
+¶ ⦊ Hello world ⦉
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "index.lit"), []byte(lit1), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// create nested dir
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(inDir, "posts"), 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// create nested .lit file without frontmatter
+	lit2 := `¶ ⦊ A post ⦉
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "posts", "one.lit"), []byte(lit2), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// set flags and run
+	*in = inDir
+	*out = outDir
+	*outmode = "html"
+	processDirectory(inDir, outDir)
+
+	// check index.html exists and has content
+	indexHTML, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outDir, "index.html"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading index.html: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(indexHTML), "Hello world") {
+		t.Errorf("index.html missing content, got: %s", indexHTML)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(indexHTML), "<!DOCTYPE html>") {
+		t.Errorf("index.html missing doctype from template, got: %s", indexHTML)
+	}
+	// should not contain yaml block
+	if strings.Contains(string(indexHTML), "title: Hello") {
+		t.Errorf("index.html should not contain yaml frontmatter, got: %s", indexHTML)
+	}
+
+	// check posts/one.html exists
+	postHTML, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outDir, "posts", "one.html"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading posts/one.html: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(postHTML), "A post") {
+		t.Errorf("posts/one.html missing content, got: %s", postHTML)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProcessDirectoryCustomTemplate(t *testing.T) {
+	inDir := t.TempDir()
+	outDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// create custom template
+	customTmpl := `<article>{{ body . }}</article>`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "custom.tmpl"), []byte(customTmpl), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// create .lit file specifying custom template
+	lit1 := `<!--yaml
+template: custom.tmpl
+-->
+
+¶ ⦊ Custom content ⦉
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "page.lit"), []byte(lit1), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	*in = inDir
+	*out = outDir
+	*outmode = "html"
+	processDirectory(inDir, outDir)
+
+	pageHTML, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outDir, "page.html"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading page.html: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(pageHTML), "<article>") {
+		t.Errorf("page.html should use custom template, got: %s", pageHTML)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(pageHTML), "Custom content") {
+		t.Errorf("page.html missing content, got: %s", pageHTML)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProcessDirectoryNoTemplate(t *testing.T) {
+	inDir := t.TempDir()
+	outDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// no template files - should output raw html
+	lit1 := `¶ ⦊ Raw content ⦉
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(inDir, "raw.lit"), []byte(lit1), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	*in = inDir
+	*out = outDir
+	*outmode = "html"
+	processDirectory(inDir, outDir)
+
+	rawHTML, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(outDir, "raw.html"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading raw.html: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(rawHTML), "Raw content") {
+		t.Errorf("raw.html missing content, got: %s", rawHTML)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/write.go b/write.go
index 0ead53d..27096e2 100644
--- a/write.go
+++ b/write.go
@@ -1296,8 +1296,7 @@ func writeHTML(val tokenStringer, s *htmlWriteState, w io.Writer, n *Node, opts
 		if opts.InMath {
 			log.Fatal("can't be in a link node in math")
 		}
-		w.Write([]byte(fmt.Sprintf("<a href='%s'", getAttr(n.Attr, "href"))))
-		w.Write([]byte("/>"))
+		w.Write([]byte(fmt.Sprintf("<a href='%s'>", getAttr(n.Attr, "href"))))
 		for c := n.FirstChild; c != nil; c = c.NextSibling {
 			writeHTML(val, s, w, c, NoPrefix(opts))
 		}