AutoDocTools CLI (autodoctools)

AutoDocTools helps you generate and maintain a README.md from your project files using AI-assisted analysis.

This README is for npm users of the CLI package.

Install / run

Use it directly with npx:

npx autodoctools --help

After install, the executable name is:

autodoc-ai

So these are equivalent patterns:

npx autodoctools generate .
autodoc-ai generate .

Commands you will use

Initialize config in your project:

autodoc-ai init .

Generate README once:

autodoc-ai generate .

Keep README updated while you code:

autodoc-ai watch .

AI setup

AutoDocTools supports:

• Groq (cloud API)
• Ollama (local runtime)

Option A: Groq

1. Create an API key at https://console.groq.com.
2. Export it in your shell:

export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_your_key_here"

3. Run generation:

autodoc-ai generate .

Option B: Ollama

1. Start Ollama locally.
2. Pull a model:

ollama pull codellama:7b

3. (Optional) set host if not default:

export OLLAMA_BASE_URL="http://localhost:11434"

4. Set provider to ollama in .autodoc.json (example below), then generate.

Where to put AI requirements

API keys / endpoints

• Put secrets in environment variables:
  • GROQ_API_KEY
  • OLLAMA_BASE_URL (optional)
• Do not commit keys into .autodoc.json.

AI behavior config

Run:

autodoc-ai init .

This creates .autodoc.json in your project root.

Example AI config:

{
  "version": "1",
  "output": "./README.md",
  "ai": {
    "provider": "groq",
    "model": "llama3-70b-8192",
    "fallback": "ollama",
    "ollamaModel": "codellama:7b"
  }
}

How AI analysis works

You do not paste your code manually.

When you run generate or watch, AutoDocTools:

1. scans the target directory,
2. applies ignore rules,
3. builds a compact project snapshot,
4. sends that snapshot to the configured provider,
5. uses returned insights to build README sections.

So the "input" for AI is simply your project files in the directory you pass:

autodoc-ai generate /path/to/project

Useful options

Generate to custom output:

autodoc-ai generate . --output ./README.md

Disable AI:

autodoc-ai generate . --no-ai

Preview without writing:

autodoc-ai generate . --dry-run

Set watch debounce:

autodoc-ai watch . --debounce 2000

Quick start (copy/paste)

# from your repository root
npx autodoctools init .
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_your_key_here"
npx autodoctools generate .
npx autodoctools watch .

License

MIT