The Problem
Three years of freelancing taught me one harsh truth: good code doesn't matter if no one knows how to use it.
I'd spend weeks building a feature, then another week writing documentation that would be outdated in the next sprint. README files became novels. Inline comments became essays. Clients still asked the same questions.
The worst part? I'd return to my own code 6 months later and have no idea how it worked.
The Breaking Point
Last month, a client asked me to hand off a project to their in-house team. The codebase was clean. The architecture was solid. The docs? Non-existent.
I spent 3 days writing documentation for code I built in 2 weeks.
That's when I snapped.
What I Built
Repodocs - an AI-powered documentation generator that turns your GitHub repository into readable, structured documentation in minutes.
Not "better comments." Not "auto-generated JSDoc." Actual documentation that explains:
- What your project does
- How to set it up
- How the architecture works
- How to contribute
How It Works
1. Paste Your GitHub URL
https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo
2. AI Analyzes Your Codebase
- Scans the file structure
- Reads package.json/requirements.txt
- Identifies patterns and frameworks
- Understands relationships between files
3. Generates Structured Docs
- Overview and purpose
- Installation steps
- Architecture breakdown
- API/component documentation
- Contributing guidelines
Tech Stack
- Full-stack: Next.js (API routes for backend)
- AI: OpenAI API
- Styling: TailwindCSS
- Code Analysis: Tree-sitter for parsing
- Deployment: Vercel
Why This Actually Helps
Before Repodocs:
- 3-5 hours writing docs per project
- Docs get outdated immediately
- New contributors are lost
After Repodocs:
- 2 minutes to generate base documentation
- Edit/customize as needed
- Consistent structure across projects
I'm not saying AI replaces good documentation. I'm saying it gets you 80% there, so you can focus on the 20% that matters (the nuanced stuff AI can't know).
Try It Yourself
I made it free to use because I know the pain.
🔗 Demo: https://repodoc.parbhat.dev/
🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/parbhatkapila4/RepoDocs
Try it on one of your repos and let me know what breaks. I'm actively iterating based on feedback.
What I Learned Building This
1. Code parsing is harder than I thought. Different languages, different structures, different conventions. Tree-sitter saved me.
2. Context windows matter. Large repos need smart chunking. I chunk by directory structure and analyze in parallel.
3. Developers hate fluff. Early versions were too verbose. Now it's concise and scannable.
4. Installation steps are the hardest to get right. Still working on better detection for dependency management.
Roadmap
Working on:
- Multi-language support (currently best with JS/TS/Python)
- Custom documentation templates
- Integration with existing docs (update, don't replace)
- CLI tool for local generation
Your Feedback Wanted
If you try Repodocs, I'd love to know:
- What worked?
- What's missing?
- What would make this actually useful for your workflow?
Drop a comment or open an issue on GitHub. I'm shipping updates based on real developer feedback, not what I think devs need.
Bottom line: I built this because I was tired of choosing between shipping code and documenting code. Now I do both.
Try it. Break it. Let me know.
Top comments (0)