generate_documentation

Create comprehensive markdown documentation for codebases or files, detailing code elements and existing documentation to improve project understanding.

Instructions

Generate comprehensive markdown documentation for a codebase or file, including all code elements and their existing documentation.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`path`	No	Path to file or directory to document
`format`	No	Output format for documentation

Implementation Reference

src/tools/generate-documentation.ts:12-42 (handler)

Main tool handler function that analyzes the specified path, generates analysis results, uses MarkdownGenerator to create documentation, and returns success/error with stats.

export async function generateDocumentation(input: GenerateDocumentationInput) {
  try {
    const analyzer = new CodebaseAnalyzer();
    const results = await analyzer.analyzePath(input.path);

    if (results.length === 0) {
      return {
        success: false,
        error: 'No supported source files found in the specified path'
      };
    }

    const generator = new MarkdownGenerator();
    const documentation = generator.generateDocumentation(results);

    return {
      success: true,
      documentation,
      stats: {
        filesProcessed: results.length,
        totalElements: results.reduce((sum, r) => sum + r.totalElements, 0),
        documentationCoverage: (results.reduce((sum, r) => sum + r.documentationCoverage, 0) / results.length).toFixed(2) + '%'
      }
    };
  } catch (error) {
    return {
      success: false,
      error: (error as Error).message
    };
  }
}

src/tools/generate-documentation.ts:5-8 (schema)

Zod schema defining the input for the generate_documentation tool: path (required) and format (markdown default).

export const GenerateDocumentationSchema = z.object({
  path: z.string().describe('Path to file or directory to document'),
  format: z.enum(['markdown']).default('markdown').describe('Output format for documentation')
});

src/index.ts:52-56 (registration)

Tool registration in the TOOLS array, specifying name, description, and input schema.

{
  name: 'generate_documentation',
  description: 'Generate comprehensive markdown documentation for a codebase or file, including all code elements and their existing documentation.',
  inputSchema: GenerateDocumentationSchema
},

src/index.ts:108-119 (registration)

Dispatch handler in the MCP server that validates input, calls the generateDocumentation function, and formats the response as MCP content.

case 'generate_documentation': {
  const validated = GenerateDocumentationSchema.parse(args);
  const result = await generateDocumentation(validated);
  return {
    content: [
      {
        type: 'text',
        text: result.success ? result.documentation : JSON.stringify(result, null, 2)
      }
    ]
  };
}

src/generators/markdown-generator.ts:4-15 (helper)

Core helper method in MarkdownGenerator that orchestrates the creation of markdown documentation from analysis results, including summary and per-file sections.

generateDocumentation(results: AnalysisResult[]): string {
  const sections: string[] = [];

  sections.push('# Codebase Documentation\n');
  sections.push(this.generateSummary(results));
  
  for (const result of results) {
    sections.push(this.generateFileDocumentation(result));
  }

  return sections.join('\n\n');
}

Smart Docs MCP Server