Documentation Generator

Generate software documentation with our free documentation generator

Clear and effective documentation is essential for training, answering questions, and getting things done right. Try Scribe's documentation generator so you never have to build manual documentation again.

Scribe's AI-powered open source documentation generator tool turns any process into a step-by-step guide, complete with text, code snippets, internal links and annotated screenshots.

Scribe captures your screen to auto-generate documentation for any team, workflow or tool — in seconds.

What is a Documentation Generator?

Documentation generators are open source tools that auto-generate documentation for a given codebase, project, or software application. It analyzes the source code and other information to build documentation automatically.

This useful plugin API usually creates documentation from source code or other files to generate the text.

Scribe's AI document generator transforms how you develop and share documentation. Instead of creating documentation yourself, let Scribe's documentation generator transform how you develop and share how-to guides with just a few clicks.

Whether you're looking to create project documentation, detail a complex parameter type, or simply answer a quick question, Scribe is the best documentation generator on the market.

Why Use Scribe's Documentation Generator?

1. Create documentation for any process

Scribe creates documentation by pulling source code and capturing your screen as you go through a process.

In seconds, the software documentation generator translates your mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes into a visual guide.

The documentation generator made this document on how to search in github — This Scribe on "How to Search in Github" includes text, links and annotated screenshots.

‎Scribe's desktop app allows users to easily navigate different websites, applications, and screens.

2. Use a standard structure and theme

Scribe standardizes your process documentation so that output formats, titles, languages, and visuals are consistent with each document.

Each Scribe is auto-generated with a standard layout that you can customize to fit your needs.

To make your documents searchable and shareable, Scribe uses ChatGPT to generate a unique title for each document based on your clicks and key presses.

Scribe integrates with thousands of third-party extensions and can adapt to various formats and page themes.

3. Easy to share and maintain

There are several secure ways to share a generated document, including:

Quick extract and link share.
Easy-embed in any third-party extension, knowledge base or OS support platform.
Export via the HTML output option, Markdown or PDF (Pro).

These visually appealing documents are as easy to use as they are to create: no expertise required.

When you share a document with a team member, they can access it anytime through an internal link or the Scribe Sidekick, which opens a side-by-side walkthrough of each process step.

They're also easy to maintain. At any time, a user with appropriate permissions can:

Add new steps or delete outdated ones.
Add additional details, tips or alerts.
Import a new screenshot.
Change text — for example, updating class inheritance information.

This is a good practice to ensure you always have the most up-to-date information.

How to Use Scribe's AI-Powered Documentation Generator

Step 1: Capture Your Process

Once you've installed Scribe, navigate to the process you want to document and click the Scribe icon in your Chrome toolbar.‍

Click the Scribe Chrome extension to start - documentation generator — Install Scribe's browser extension to start

To quick start, click "Start Capture" and go through your process as usual.

Click Start Capture to capture your process - documentation generator — Capture your documentation

Scribe will follow the source code and capture screenshots as you work to automatically generate a document.

Step 2: Click Stop Capture

Once you're done with your process, click "Stop Capture" at the top or "Complete Capture" on the left of your screen.

Stop capture to generate your guide - documentation generator — Click Complete Capture to generate docs

In seconds, Scribe will auto-generate documentation that includes:

An automatic link to any tool you access.
Text outlining each mouse movement and keystroke.
Annotated screenshots to demonstrate each click.

Example of a guide made with Scribe's Documentation Generator

Step 3: Edit & Customize Your Document

Easily edit the output format with the personalization feature.

Edit your documentation in the Scribe dashboard - documentation generator — Customize your documentation

This section lets you:

Use AI to auto-generate a summary of your process document.
Combine steps to create a visual GIF.
Add additional steps, tips and alerts.
Invite teammates for review, feedback or approvals.

Review the guide to ensure it accurately reflects the process, and edit it as needed to add information or clarify any steps.

Step 4: Combine Several Documents

Create and combine guides to create project documentation, manuals and more.

Ask Scribe's AI to add titles, descriptions and additional information — or ask AI to write the documentation for you.

With just a few prompts, you can quickly transform a blank page into comprehensive and contextual process documents on any theme, including:

Standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Training manuals.
Process overviews.
How-to guides.
User manuals.
Internal documentation.
External documentation.
Technical and software documentation.
Internal developer documentation.

Step 5: Share With Your Team

There are several ways to share your auto-generated documentation.

Share your documentation with your team - documentation generator

You can:

Add teammates to your workspace in the build-in extension.
Create and share an automatic link.
Use the HTML output option to create an HTML file.
Export as a markdown file.
Click "Embed file" to generate a code you can embed in almost any knowledge base or third-party extension.

Share your documentation with one click - documentation generator — Share your documentation with one click

Encouraging feedback from team members and making adjustments based on their experiences will return relevant and accurate documentation.

Scribe's built-in feedback features allow your teammates to add a special comment and collaborate.

Documentation Generator FAQs

Are There Different Types of Documentation Generators?

There are different types of documentation generators available for other purposes.

For example, you might work with software documentation generators to focus on internal documentation. This lets developers or OS Support navigate intricate systems and return an output format that supports complex processes like:

Static analysis.
React component testing.
Syntax highlighting.
Managing class inheritance and hierarchy.

... and more.

Other online document generators are great for external documentation like:

User manuals.
FAQ pages and help centers.
Product documentation.
How-to guides.

What Are the Benefits of AI Document Makers?

Automating documentation has many benefits, including:

Reduce time and cost: Automating documentation generation frees your team to focus on more critical tasks, improve productivity, and save time and money.
Up-to-date documentation: AI document generator tools like Scribe offer universal updates, ensuring changes to your documentation will be made wherever it's stored.
Improved collaboration: AI document creator tools facilitate collaboration among developers and stakeholders, ensuring complete and valuable documentation. Scribe has a collaboration diagram that allows users to add special comments, verify approvals and more.
Enhanced usability: Documentation generation tools allow you to extract and link in a variety of formats, including internal links, HTML, PDF, and Markdown, making it accessible to a wider audience and easier to integrate into other systems.

Where Can I Use Scribe's Documentation Generator?

Scribe offers both a browser extension and a desktop application. While the extension is limited to browser sites and tools, the desktop application can create documentation for any process or source file, including:

Sphinx.
Latex.
MKdoc.
MIT licenserepository.
Github pages.
Docute.
Vuepress.
Build-in extensions.

Is Scribe Secure?

We use the OpenAI LLM APIs, which have a strict set of limitations on how data can be used.

We do not allow OpenAI to use your data to train our or their models. All data is discarded after 30 days, so it is processed but not stored by OpenAI and is only used for purposes of service provision.

Finally, OpenAI has a signed data protection agreement with Scribe that binds the vendor to the same or more rigorous security controls that Scribe implements (e.g., data encryption, backups and retention measures, etc.).

Learn more about what you can do with Scribe:

Looking for free templates to get you started? We've got you covered!

Or check out these related resources that we think you'll love!

Ready to build powerful software documentation? Try the best documentation generator for free — sign up for Scribe today!