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Clay Pask
Clay Pask

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I automated README writing — here's what it generates

#opensource

Every developer has done it. You finish a project, push it to GitHub, and then stare at the empty README.md for 20 minutes before writing "# my-project" and calling it a day.

A bad README costs you stars, contributors, and credibility. A good one takes forever to write. So I automated it.

What ReadmeGen does

ReadmeGen scans your project and generates a complete, structured README in seconds.

npm install -g readmegen
readmegen generate
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It detects your stack automatically:

  • Node.js ‚Äî reads package.json, detects React/Vue/Next.js/Express, finds your scripts
  • Python ‚Äî detects requirements.txt or pyproject.toml
  • Go ‚Äî reads go.mod
  • Rust ‚Äî reads Cargo.toml

And generates:

  • Title with version and license badges
  • Description (pulled from package.json or existing README)
  • Table of contents
  • Features section (with placeholders to fill in)
  • Requirements with correct versions
  • Installation instructions (correct for your package manager)
  • Usage examples
  • Configuration table for environment variables
  • Docker setup (if you have a Dockerfile)
  • Test instructions (if you have a test script)
  • Contributing guide
  • License section

Example

Running it on a Node.js CLI tool:

$ readmegen generate

  üîç Detecting project type...
  📦 Detected: JavaScript / Express
  üìù Generating README...
  ‚úÖ README.md generated

  Tip: Fill in the Features section and add real usage examples.
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Output:

# my-api

![Node.js](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%3E%3D16-green) 
![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.2.0-blue)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](...)

> A fast REST API built with Express

## Table of Contents
- [Features](#features)
- [Installation](#installation)
...

## Installation
git clone https://github.com/you/my-api.git
cd my-api
npm install

## Usage
npm start
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Needs some filling-in for the features section, but the structure and boilerplate is done.

The 80/20 of README writing

A good README needs:

  1. What it does — one sentence, immediately
  2. How to install it — exact commands that work
  3. How to use it — a real example, not pseudocode
  4. How to configure it — env vars, config files
  5. How to contribute — if it's open source

ReadmeGen handles the structure and all the repetitive parts. You just fill in what only you know — the actual features and examples.

Get it

→ ReadmeGen on Gumroad — €9, one-time purchase

If you're building multiple projects, it pays for itself on the first README.

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