Table of Contents
Quick Answer
Use AI to generate JSDoc/TSDoc inline, OpenAPI specs from your routes, and READMEs from your package.json plus directory tree. Cursor and Claude Code are best for repo-scale docs; Copilot is best for inline comments.
- TSDoc generation is near-perfect for typed code
- Never publish AI-generated docs without reading them once
- Auto-regenerate docs on CI to prevent drift
What You'll Need
- TypeScript/JavaScript project (docs workflows adapt to Python, Go, Rust)
- An AI IDE or CLI
- typedoc or jsdoc for generated output
- Optional: Fumadocs, Mintlify, or Docusaurus for publishing
Steps
- Generate JSDoc for a function. In Copilot: type /** above a function and press Tab. In Cursor: Add TSDoc to all exports in this file.
- Include examples. Prompt: Add an @example block showing typical usage.
- Generate README from scratch. Attach package.json, top-level folders, and prompt: Write a README with install, usage, API, and contributing sections.
- Generate OpenAPI from Express/Fastify routes. Prompt: Read these route handlers and produce an OpenAPI 3.1 spec.
- Run doc CI. Add typedoc --out docs to your build step.
- Publish with Fumadocs. Self-hosted, free, MDX-powered.
- Keep docs fresh. Run scripts/update-docs.ts via Husky pre-push: if source changed without doc changes, fail.
Common Mistakes
- Letting AI invent function behavior. Always verify @returns and @throws match the code.
- Generic examples. AI loves foo/bar/baz. Ask for real examples from your domain.
- Outdated code blocks. Snippets in docs rot fast — test them in CI.
- No ownership. Someone on the team must own docs or they die.
Top Tools
Tool
Best For
Mintlify Writer
Inline JSDoc/TSDoc
GitHub Copilot
Comment autocompletion
Cursor
Repo-wide README generation
TypeDoc
Publishing TS API reference
Fumadocs
Self-hosted docs site
FAQs
Can AI write an accurate API reference? Yes, if types are strict. Loose TypeScript produces weaker docs.
Will AI document private functions? Only if you ask. Default is exports only — which is correct.
Does AI generate diagrams? Mermaid diagrams yes, via prompts like: Create a Mermaid flowchart for this data flow.
Can I publish AI docs on GitHub Pages? Yes. TypeDoc emits static HTML that deploys to any static host.
How do I prevent docs from drifting? CI check: if source modified, doc file timestamp must also change.
What about multi-language projects? AI handles Python docstrings, Go comments, and Rust doc comments equally well.
Conclusion
Docs are the cheapest quality multiplier in software. With AI, the excuse "I don't have time to document" is gone. Set up TypeDoc + Copilot today; publish with Fumadocs. Misar Blog↗ has templates for API docs in five frameworks.