Generate SDK reference pages from doc-tool output

Use the sdk navigation property to generate reference pages for your SDK libraries from the documentation tools you already run. Mintlify reads each tool’s build artifact. It creates a page for every class, interface, module, and function. It also includes navigation groups, cross-page links, and search indexing.

Supported formats

Generate an artifact

Run your documentation tool with a machine-readable output format. If you already publish generated docs from CI, this is usually a one-flag change to the same command.

npx typedoc --json typedoc.json src/index.ts

Auto-populate SDK pages

Add an sdk property to a tab or group in your docs.json. Mintlify parses the artifact. It creates navigation groups and pages for the library.

"navigation": {
  "tabs": [
    {
      "tab": "SDK Reference",
      "sdk": {
        "format": "typedoc",
        "source": "sdk-artifacts/typedoc.json",
        "directory": "sdk/typescript"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Add sdk to a group to generate pages inside one section of a tab instead of an entire tab. Groups and pages inherit the sdk settings of the parent tab or group. If a nested group sets its own sdk, Mintlify uses those settings instead of the inherited ones.

{
  "group": "TypeScript SDK",
  "sdk": {
    "format": "typedoc",
    "source": "sdk-artifacts/typedoc.json",
    "directory": "sdk/typescript"
  },
  "pages": ["sdk/typescript/overview"]
}

A group with sdk can also list pages that you write yourself. Your pages appear first, followed by the generated reference groups.

Add multiple tabs or groups to document multiple libraries. For example, use two groups in the same tab for the stable and beta versions of an SDK. Use a unique directory for each library to avoid route collisions.

Generated pages

Mintlify adds the generated navigation groups after any groups on the tab. If you add sdk to a group, the generated groups appear after that group’s pages. The groups vary by format and may represent modules, packages, namespaces, or symbol types.

Each generated page documents a class, interface, function, type, or other symbol from the artifact and links to related generated pages. If a converter produces pages that do not belong to a group, Mintlify collects them under a Reference group.

Customize a page for a single symbol

Use the sdk frontmatter on an MDX page to target one symbol from the artifact. Mintlify renders any body content you write, then appends the generated reference for that symbol below it. Use this when you want to add examples, migration notes, or context above a specific class, interface, or method.

Add the page to your docs.json navigation like any other page. Mintlify only builds SDK content for pages that appear in your navigation.

Once a tab or group with sdk contains a page with sdk frontmatter, Mintlify stops auto-populating that tab or group and shows only the pages you wrote. Move the page out of the tab or group if you want the rest of the library to auto-populate.

Point sdk at a symbol:

---
title: "Client"
sdk: "class Client"
---

Create a `Client` to call the API.

The string form follows the pattern [source] kind name. If you leave out source, the page inherits it from the tab or group sdk config. The string form always inherits format, so it only works on pages under a tab or group with sdk. Everywhere else, set sdk to an object with the fields below. For methods and properties, include the parent name, such as method Client.getUser.

If you leave out title or description, Mintlify uses the title and description generated for the symbol.

Use remote sources

Set source to an HTTPS URL to fetch the artifact at build time instead of committing it to your docs repository.

Single-file formats (typedoc, phpdoc) accept a direct file URL. Directory formats (docfx, javadoc, sphinx) accept a zip archive. Javadoc jars published to Maven Central work without repackaging:

{
  "tab": "Java SDK",
  "sdk": {
    "format": "javadoc",
    "source": "https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/com/example/my-library/1.0.0/my-library-1.0.0-javadoc.jar",
    "directory": "sdk/java"
  }
}

Remote artifacts have a 50 MB download limit and a 200 MB extracted size limit.

Keep references up to date

Regenerate the artifact whenever your SDK changes. A common pattern is a CI job in each SDK repository that runs the documentation tool on release. The job either commits the artifact to your docs repository or uploads it to a stable URL that source points to.

Repository setup

Store your SDK code and documentation in the same repository or separate repositories. Pick the pattern that matches your setup. Both options support the same capabilities.

SDK and documentation in the same repository

Generate your SDK artifact in the same repository as your documentation and point source at its relative path. An existing workflow that produces the artifact on push or release can commit it back to the repository. The next documentation site deployment publishes the update.

docs-repo/
  docs.json
  content/
  sdk-artifacts/
    typedoc.json

SDK in a separate repository

When the SDK is in its own repository, you have two options.

1. Commit the artifact to your documentation repository. In the SDK repository, run a CI job at release time. The job generates the artifact and opens a pull request or pushes a commit with the updated file to your documentation repository. Merge the change into your deployment branch to trigger a site deployment. Point source at the committed path, as in the single-repository setup.

2. Host the artifact and fetch it at build time. Upload the artifact to a stable HTTPS URL. For example, an S3 bucket, GitHub Releases asset, or Maven Central for Javadoc jars. Set source to the URL. Trigger a documentation site deployment to fetch the new artifact whenever you update it. Call the Trigger deployment endpoint from your SDK release pipeline after you publish the artifact.