diff --git a/doc/preview.txt b/doc/preview.txt
index f16b1ae..3912a41 100644
--- a/doc/preview.txt
+++ b/doc/preview.txt
@@ -183,8 +183,8 @@ override individual fields by passing a table instead: >lua
   `latex`              latexmk -pdf → PDF (with clean support)
   `pdflatex`           pdflatex → PDF (single pass, no latexmk)
   `tectonic`           tectonic → PDF (Rust-based LaTeX engine)
-  `markdown`           pandoc → HTML (standalone, KaTeX math)
-  `github`             pandoc → HTML (GitHub-styled, `-f gfm`, KaTeX math)
+  `markdown`           pandoc → HTML (standalone, embedded)
+  `github`             pandoc → HTML (GitHub-styled, `-f gfm` input)
   `asciidoctor`        asciidoctor → HTML (AsciiDoc with SSE reload)
   `plantuml`           plantuml → SVG (UML diagrams, `.puml`)
   `mermaid`            mmdc → SVG (Mermaid diagrams, `.mmd`)
@@ -193,36 +193,27 @@ override individual fields by passing a table instead: >lua
 Math rendering (pandoc presets): ~
                                                         *preview-math*
 
-The `markdown` and `github` presets use `--katex` by default, which inserts a
-`<script>` tag that loads KaTeX from a CDN at view time. The browser fetches
-the assets once and caches them, so math renders instantly on subsequent loads.
-Requires internet on first view.
+The `markdown` and `github` presets use `--mathml` by default, which converts
+TeX math to native MathML markup rendered by the browser. This is the only
+math option compatible with `--embed-resources` (self-contained HTML).
 
-For offline use, swap in `--mathml` via `extra_args`. MathML is rendered
-natively by the browser with no external dependencies: >lua
+`--mathjax` and `--katex` insert `<script>` tags that load JavaScript and
+fonts from a CDN at runtime. Pandoc's `--embed-resources` cannot inline these
+dynamic dependencies, so math fails to render in the output.
+
+To use KaTeX or MathJax instead, override `args` to drop `--embed-resources`
+(the output will require internet access): >lua
 
     vim.g.preview = {
-      github = { extra_args = { '--mathml' } },
-    }
-<
-
-Note: pandoc's math flags (`--katex`, `--mathml`, `--mathjax`) are mutually
-exclusive — last flag wins. Adding `--mathml` via `extra_args` (which is
-appended after `args`) overrides `--katex`.
-
-Self-contained output with `--embed-resources`: >lua
-
-    vim.g.preview = {
-      github = { extra_args = { '--embed-resources' } },
-    }
-<
-
-This inlines all external resources into the HTML. With `--katex` this adds
-~15s of compile time per save (pandoc fetches KaTeX from the CDN during
-compilation). Pair with `--mathml` to avoid the penalty: >lua
-
-    vim.g.preview = {
-      github = { extra_args = { '--embed-resources', '--mathml' } },
+      github = {
+        args = function(ctx)
+          return {
+            '-f', 'gfm', ctx.file, '-s', '--katex',
+            '--css', 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/pixelbrackets/gfm-stylesheet@master/dist/gfm.css',
+            '-o', ctx.output,
+          }
+        end,
+      },
     }
 <
 
diff --git a/lua/preview/compiler.lua b/lua/preview/compiler.lua
index 41eacf5..5480d57 100644
--- a/lua/preview/compiler.lua
+++ b/lua/preview/compiler.lua
@@ -329,9 +329,6 @@ function M.compile(bufnr, name, provider, ctx, opts)
     s.provider = name
     s.is_reload = true
 
-    if not opts.silent then
-      vim.notify('[preview.nvim]: compiling...', vim.log.levels.INFO)
-    end
     vim.api.nvim_exec_autocmds('User', {
       pattern = 'PreviewCompileStarted',
       data = { bufnr = bufnr, provider = name },
@@ -363,7 +360,6 @@ function M.compile(bufnr, name, provider, ctx, opts)
       end
       if result.code == 0 then
         log.dbg('compilation succeeded for buffer %d', bufnr)
-        vim.notify('[preview.nvim]: compilation complete', vim.log.levels.INFO)
         clear_errors(bufnr, provider)
         vim.api.nvim_exec_autocmds('User', {
           pattern = 'PreviewCompileSuccess',
@@ -407,9 +403,6 @@ function M.compile(bufnr, name, provider, ctx, opts)
   s.provider = name
   s.is_reload = false
 
-  if not opts.silent then
-    vim.notify('[preview.nvim]: compiling...', vim.log.levels.INFO)
-  end
   vim.api.nvim_exec_autocmds('User', {
     pattern = 'PreviewCompileStarted',
     data = { bufnr = bufnr, provider = name },
@@ -519,8 +512,8 @@ function M.toggle(bufnr, name, provider, ctx_builder)
     log.dbg('watching buffer %d with provider "%s"', bufnr, name)
   end
 
-  vim.notify('[preview.nvim]: compiling with "' .. name .. '"...', vim.log.levels.INFO)
-  M.compile(bufnr, name, provider, ctx_builder(bufnr), { silent = true })
+  vim.notify('[preview.nvim]: watching with "' .. name .. '"', vim.log.levels.INFO)
+  M.compile(bufnr, name, provider, ctx_builder(bufnr))
 end
 
 ---@param bufnr integer
diff --git a/lua/preview/presets.lua b/lua/preview/presets.lua
index 6a3a000..1f333bf 100644
--- a/lua/preview/presets.lua
+++ b/lua/preview/presets.lua
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ M.markdown = {
   ft = 'markdown',
   cmd = { 'pandoc' },
   args = function(ctx)
-    return { ctx.file, '-s', '--katex', '-o', ctx.output }
+    return { ctx.file, '-s', '--embed-resources', '--mathml', '-o', ctx.output }
   end,
   output = function(ctx)
     return (ctx.file:gsub('%.md$', '.html'))
@@ -249,7 +249,8 @@ M.github = {
       'gfm',
       ctx.file,
       '-s',
-      '--katex',
+      '--embed-resources',
+      '--mathml',
       '--css',
       'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/pixelbrackets/gfm-stylesheet@master/dist/gfm.css',
       '-o',
diff --git a/spec/compiler_spec.lua b/spec/compiler_spec.lua
index b1fe0ee..5b12cfb 100644
--- a/spec/compiler_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/compiler_spec.lua
@@ -55,14 +55,6 @@ describe('compiler', function()
         end,
       })
 
-      local notified = false
-      local orig = vim.notify
-      vim.notify = function(msg)
-        if msg:find('compiling') then
-          notified = true
-        end
-      end
-
       local provider = { cmd = { 'echo', 'ok' } }
       local ctx = {
         bufnr = bufnr,
@@ -72,9 +64,7 @@ describe('compiler', function()
       }
 
       compiler.compile(bufnr, 'echo', provider, ctx)
-      vim.notify = orig
       assert.is_true(fired)
-      assert.is_true(notified)
 
       vim.wait(2000, function()
         return process_done(bufnr)
diff --git a/spec/presets_spec.lua b/spec/presets_spec.lua
index c58102e..573b1ef 100644
--- a/spec/presets_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/presets_spec.lua
@@ -294,11 +294,11 @@ describe('presets', function()
       assert.are.same({ 'pandoc' }, presets.markdown.cmd)
     end)
 
-    it('returns args with standalone and katex flags', function()
+    it('returns args with standalone, embed-resources, and mathml flags', function()
       local args = presets.markdown.args(md_ctx)
       assert.is_table(args)
       assert.are.same(
-        { '/tmp/document.md', '-s', '--katex', '-o', '/tmp/document.html' },
+        { '/tmp/document.md', '-s', '--embed-resources', '--mathml', '-o', '/tmp/document.html' },
         args
       )
     end)
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ describe('presets', function()
       assert.are.same({ 'pandoc' }, presets.github.cmd)
     end)
 
-    it('returns args with standalone, katex, and css flags', function()
+    it('returns args with standalone, embed-resources, mathml, and css flags', function()
       local args = presets.github.args(md_ctx)
       assert.is_table(args)
       assert.are.same({
@@ -390,7 +390,8 @@ describe('presets', function()
         'gfm',
         '/tmp/document.md',
         '-s',
-        '--katex',
+        '--embed-resources',
+        '--mathml',
         '--css',
         'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/pixelbrackets/gfm-stylesheet@master/dist/gfm.css',
         '-o',