Documentation Generator: Code to Docs
Turn your source code into polished documentation with API references, usage examples, and README files that stay up to date as your code evolves.
What You Will Get
After following this guide, your OpenClaw agent will generate documentation directly from your source code. Point it at a module, an API endpoint, or an entire project, and it produces structured documentation with function signatures, parameter descriptions, return types, usage examples, and error handling notes.
The output matches common documentation formats so it integrates with your existing documentation site or can serve as standalone README content. The agent reads your code, understands the intent behind each function and class, and produces human-readable explanations, not just auto-generated type stubs.
You can run the generator on demand when shipping a new feature, or schedule it to run periodically and flag any undocumented code. This keeps documentation debt from accumulating silently.
How to Set It Up
Generate documentation from your codebase
Install the Documentation Generator Skill
Go to Skills and install the doc-generator skill. This skill gives your agent the ability to parse source code, extract function signatures and type information, generate natural-language descriptions, and produce structured documentation output in Markdown or other formats.
Connect Your Repository
Link the repository you want to document through the Connections tab. The agent needs read access to the source code. Select the specific directories or modules you want documented first, or configure it for the entire repo.
Choose the Documentation Format
Configure the output format based on where your docs will live. Options include Markdown for GitHub wikis and README files, JSDoc-style comments for inline documentation, and structured JSON for custom documentation sites. Set the format in the skill configuration along with any custom templates you want applied.
Set Scope and Depth
Define how deep the documentation should go. You can document only public APIs, include internal helpers, or generate comprehensive coverage of every exported symbol. Set the scope per directory or module so that core public APIs get detailed treatment while utility functions get lighter coverage.
Generate Your First Batch
Tell the agent to document a specific module: Generate documentation for src/api/users including all endpoints, request/response schemas, and error codes. Review the output for accuracy, completeness, and tone. The first batch sets the baseline you will refine from.
Review and Customize
The generated docs are a strong starting point, but review them for accuracy. Correct any misinterpretations, add context the agent could not infer from code alone, and adjust the tone to match your project's voice. Save your corrections as examples the agent references in future runs.
Schedule Regular Updates
Set the agent to regenerate documentation on a schedule, such as weekly or after every release. It compares new output against existing docs and highlights what changed. You can also configure it to open a PR with documentation updates whenever the source code changes significantly.
Tips and Best Practices
Start with High-Traffic APIs
Document the APIs your team and users interact with most frequently first. Getting these right provides the highest value and gives you a template for the rest of the codebase.
Include Usage Examples
Configure the generator to include code examples for every function. Real usage examples are the most valuable part of documentation, and the agent can generate them by analyzing how functions are called in your existing codebase.
Track Documentation Coverage
Ask the agent to report on documentation coverage, identifying functions and modules that have no documentation. Use this report to prioritize documentation efforts and track progress over time.
Version Your Documentation
Generate documentation per release tag so users on older versions can find accurate docs. The agent can produce versioned output by checking out specific tags before generating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
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