<!--IssueSummary start--> <details> <summary> Everyone can contribute. [Help move this issue forward](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/contributor-success/community-contributors-workflows/#contributor-links) while earning points, leveling up and collecting rewards. </summary> - [Close this issue](https://contributors.gitlab.com/manage-issue?action=close&projectId=278964&issueIid=214066) </details> <!--IssueSummary end--> ### Summary When `README.md` is a symlink to another file (say `README`), Gitlab web UI should render the contents of the linked file, not just the name of the linked file. ### Steps to reproduce * Create a file `README` in markdown format. * Create `README.md` as a symlink to `README` so that Gitlab picks it up for pretty rendering: `ln -s README README.md` * Push the 2 files to the remote. ### Example Project Someone is proposing a MR to GIMP to have its README as markdown: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/merge_requests/193 I still consider the README as the main first file to be read in a project, because pure text is what matters when one develops (you usually develop in some terminal or code editor, not on the web). Still considering that Markdown is pretty-much text-like, it's ok to use it as the README format if people really care about reading this file in a web browser (why not). Yet we still need README because it's a GNU project (having a README is a GNU base concept and it makes sense). I know we could make the opposite symlink (`README` could be a symlink to `README.md`) but it would be really nice is Gitlab could properly support symbolic links, which are like a base feature of our systems since forever. ;-) Also as said, I really prefer `README` to be conceptually the source, not the other way around. ### What is the current *bug* behavior? The name of the target file is displayed only, i.e. "README" ### What is the expected *correct* behavior? The contents of `README` should be pretty-rendered on the Gitlab page. ### Relevant logs and/or screenshots How the README.md is rendered when it's a symlink to README:  ### Output of checks This bug happens on gitlab.gnome.org, I have not tested on other instances. #### Results of GitLab environment info … #### Results of GitLab application Check … ### Possible fixes …