AI-powered repository intelligence

Your codebase,
instantly understood.

DocSmith reads your repository with AI — detects architecture patterns, maps dependencies, and generates accurate documentation in seconds. Not hours.

View on GitHub
2,400+ developers
4.9 on ProductHunt
Open source
~/my-projectzsh
$
Try also:
Why DocSmith

Every team fights the same doc battles. DocSmith ends them.

Not because developers are careless — because manually maintaining docs is a problem that compounds in the wrong direction as codebases grow.

01

READMEs go stale overnight

You write accurate docs on day one. Three sprints later, half of it describes code that was refactored away. Nobody owns it, so nobody fixes it.

02

Onboarding takes days, not hours

Every new engineer asks the same questions: "How do I run this?" "What goes in .env?" The answers live in Slack DMs, not in the repo.

03

Architecture lives in one person's head

The engineer who designed the system left six months ago. Everyone else is reverse-engineering by reading 3000-line files and guessing intent.

04

Mystery files multiply silently

`src/utils/helpers/misc.ts` — what does it do? You read 300 lines to find out, then forget next month. Repeated across hundreds of files.

05

Docs written under deadline pressure

Documentation is always the last task before ship. Written in 20 minutes, incomplete by birth, immediately wrong as the next PR lands.

DocSmith reads your code. It writes the docs.

One command. Zero manual effort. Always accurate.

docsmith watch

Docs that stay current automatically

`docsmith watch` regenerates documentation on every file change. Your code can't drift ahead of the docs when docs are generated, not written.

docsmith generate

Setup guide from your actual config

DocSmith reads package.json, CI config, and env templates to generate a setup guide that reflects the project as it exists right now — not last quarter.

docsmith generate

Architecture map generated from code

Detects MVC, DDD, and microservice patterns automatically. Generates ARCHITECTURE.md from what's actually in your repo — not from memory.

docsmith explain

Explain any file in under a second

Point DocSmith at any file and get a plain-English explanation with full dependency context — imports, callers, purpose, and side effects.

docsmith api-docs

API docs extracted from your routes

DocSmith reads your routes, schemas, middleware, and auth flows to generate accurate API documentation. No templates. No manual effort.

Features

Everything your docs need, nothing they don't

DocSmith understands your codebase the way a senior engineer would — then writes better docs than most engineers ever will.

Core

Intelligent README generation

Analyzes codebase structure, dependencies, and patterns to produce accurate, comprehensive READMEs — not templates filled with placeholders.

README.md2.1KB
# MyApp
> Auto-generated by DocSmith ✦
Next.jsTypeScriptPrismaMIT
## Overview · ## Quick Start · ## API Reference · ## Contributing
DX

Repository explanation

Maps every folder, module, and component to human-readable purpose descriptions. Turn any repo into a navigable knowledge base.

folder mapmodule purposesonboarding guide
Smart

Architecture analysis

Detects MVC, DDD, feature-based patterns and zone/layer boundaries. Explains your architecture in clear prose.

Presentation Layer
Domain Layer
Infrastructure Layer
API

API documentation

Extracts routes, auth guards, and validation schemas from Next.js, Express, Hono, and Fastify automatically.

GET
12
POST
8
PUT
6
DELETE
4
Visual

Diagram generation

PageRank-scored dependency graphs in Mermaid, D3, and DOT. Cycle detection and critical path highlighting included.

MermaidD3 JSONDOTSVG
Auto

Framework detection

Auto-identifies Next.js, Express, Prisma, auth providers, and test frameworks from your package.json and source patterns.

Next.jsExpressPrismaHonoFastify
CI/CD

Auto-updating docs

Drop into any CI/CD pipeline. Your documentation stays in sync with your codebase on every push — zero manual effort.

git push
● CI
✓ Docs synced
PR opened
847+
Files analyzed per run
3.2s
Avg. generation time
18
Languages supported
6
Output doc formats
How it works

From repo to docs, in six intelligent steps

DocSmith doesn't just scan files — it understands your codebase the way a senior engineer would, then writes better docs than most engineers do.

Step 01File system traversal

Scan repository

DocSmith recursively walks your entire repo, identifying TypeScript, JavaScript, and config files while building a complete in-memory dependency graph.

847
Files
203
Modules
0.8s
Time
Running...0%
docsmith — bash
docsmith scan ./
Scanning project root...
Found 847 source files
TypeScript: 612 files
JavaScript: 235 files
Config files: 14 detected
Building module graph...
✓ Scan complete in 0.8s
RUNNING
step 01/6

Output artifacts

README.md
CONTRIBUTING.md
API.md
ARCHITECTURE.md
dependency-graph.mmd
STRUCTURE.md
Live demo

Watch it run in real time

One command. DocSmith scans your repo, understands your stack, and ships complete documentation automatically.

~/my-nextjs-app
READY
TRY:
README.md
AUTO-GENERATED
AI explanations

Ask anything about your codebase

DocSmith reads your entire repository and explains it like a senior engineer who's been working on it for years.

Explain

Click any question — DocSmith scans your repo and explains it in plain language.

~/my-nextjs-app
READY

DocSmith AI

Deep AST analysis

Select a question →

Visualization

Your codebase, fully mapped

DocSmith generates live dependency graphs, architecture diagrams, and API flow maps — a complete visual model of any repository.

Dependency Graph
LIVE
authdbroutermiddlewareapiuserconfigpostlogger● ANALYZINGLIVE ●

Switch view

Detected

Feature-based architecture
Next.js App Router
JWT + NextAuth.js
Prisma ORM · 12 models
32 API endpoints
0 circular dependencies
847 files · 0.8s
Developer Workflow

Fits into your stack

DocSmith integrates with the tools your team already uses — no new dashboards, no vendor lock-in, no friction.

CI/CD Pipeline
running
git push
trigger
analyze
AST scan
generate
AI docs
commit docs
auto-PR
$ docsmith generate --watch
✓ Scanning 847 files…
✓ Architecture detected: Next.js App Router
✓ Generating README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md
✓ Committing docs to branch docs/auto-2024-01
CI/CD

GitHub

Auto-generate docs on every push. PR checks ensure docs stay in sync with code.

Automation

CI/CD Pipelines

Drop docsmith generate into any workflow. GitHub Actions, CircleCI, GitLab — all supported.

IDE

VS Code

Extension coming soon. Inline doc previews, hover explanations, and instant README access.

CLI

Terminal Workflows

Single commands. Zero config. Works from any shell — bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell.

Free

Open Source

Free forever for public repos. README, CONTRIBUTING, architecture — all generated automatically.

Teams

Team Onboarding

New engineers ramp up in minutes, not days. Architecture maps and codebase explanations on demand.

Works with any language · Any framework · Any repo size

Open Source

Built in the open

DocSmith is MIT-licensed and community-driven. Inspect the code, contribute detectors, or build your own plugins.

New
star us first
0
clean slate
2
join us
MIT
forever free

How to contribute

Improve Docs

Spot a gap in the documentation? Fix it. Every improvement helps the community.

Submit PRs

Add detectors for new frameworks, improve AI prompts, or fix edge cases.

Build Plugins

DocSmith's architecture is built for extensibility. Ship your own detectors and generators.

Spread the Word

Star the repo, share with your team, write about it. Community growth starts here.

Star DocSmith on GitHub

Help others discover it. Every star matters.

Community pulse

Recent Activity
merged

feat: Hono.js route detector

@chen-l · 2h ago

opened

fix: circular dep false positive

@sarah-k · 4h ago

merged

feat: Bun runtime detection

@marcus-w · 1d ago

comment

improve monorepo workspace support

@priya-n · 1d ago

merged

docs: add plugin authoring guide

@james-o · 2d ago

Plugin API · Coming Soon

A first-class plugin system for custom detectors, generators, and AI providers. Build once, share everywhere.

Future Vision

The future of developer tooling

DocSmith today is just the start. Here is where we are headed — thoughtfully, without hype.

Exploring

Repository Intelligence

An AI that understands your entire codebase as context — answering architecture questions, surfacing risk areas, explaining complex chains of logic.

Planned

Repository Chat

Ask questions about any codebase in plain English. "Where is auth handled?" "What breaks if I remove this service?" Real answers, not grep results.

Exploring

Architecture Understanding

Not just reading files — understanding intent. DocSmith will detect design patterns, identify anti-patterns, and suggest architectural improvements.

In Progress

Automatic Documentation

Docs that update themselves. Every merge updates the relevant sections — zero manual maintenance, always accurate.

Planned

Onboarding Assistants

A personalized guide for every new engineer. Answers questions, walks through architecture, explains patterns — available 24/7, never bored.

Today

AI Provider Agnostic

Bring your own model. OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, local Ollama — or enterprise deployments. DocSmith adapts to your infrastructure.

Built incrementally · Shipped when ready · No roadmap theater

Follow along on GitHub

Testimonials

Loved by engineering teams

From solo devs to infrastructure teams at scale.

DocSmith cut our onboarding docs time from 2 days to 3 minutes. The architecture detection is genuinely magical.

SK
Sarah Kim
Staff Engineer · Vercel

Our CONTRIBUTING.md used to be an afterthought. DocSmith generated one that's better than anything we'd written manually.

MW
Marcus Weber
Open Source Maintainer · OSS / 12k stars

Dropped it into a 200k LOC TypeScript monorepo. 6 seconds. Perfect docs. I genuinely didn't believe it until I saw it.

PN
Priya Nair
Engineering Manager · Stripe

The dependency graph visualization alone is worth it. Finally understand why our bundle is the size it is.

JO
James Okoro
Frontend Architect · Shopify

We run DocSmith in CI on every PR that changes the API surface. Docs stay in sync automatically. Game-changer.

ES
Elena Sokolova
DevOps Lead · Linear

DocSmith understood our DDD layering better than some engineers I've interviewed. Seriously impressive.

CL
Chen Liu
Principal Engineer · Notion

Your docs are one command away

Drop DocSmith into any codebase and get beautiful, accurate documentation in seconds.

Free forever for open-source · No account required · MIT license

npmpnpmyarnbun
DocSmith