pydoc2markdown 0.5.6

Convert Python docstrings to Markdown documentation.

PyDoc2Markdown

Convert Python docstrings into clean, structured Markdown documentation.

PyDoc2Markdown is a lightweight documentation tool for Python projects that want plain Markdown output without adopting a full documentation framework. It works as both a CLI and a library: point it at your source code, and it generates module docs, a navigation-ready docs directory, or an API section inside your README.

It is built for projects that want documentation to stay close to the code while remaining easy to publish on GitHub, GitLab, MkDocs, or any Markdown renderer.

Table of Contents

• Why PyDoc2Markdown?
• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Try It In 30 Seconds
• Sample Project
• Before And After
• Common Commands
• Quick Start
  • CLI Usage
  • Library Usage
• CLI Reference
• Configuration
• README API Sections
• Navigation Docs Layout
• CI Checks
• Library API
• Supported Docstring Formats
• Example Output
• Documentation
• License

Why PyDoc2Markdown?

Documentation generators like Sphinx are powerful but require significant configuration — themes, conf.py, extensions, and often custom builders to get clean output. pdoc and mkdocstrings are easier but still depend on a full documentation framework.

PyDoc2Markdown takes a different approach: zero configuration, zero framework dependencies, pure Markdown output. Point it at your Python project and get structured Markdown files that work anywhere — GitHub, GitLab, MkDocs, or any Markdown renderer.

• No conf.py — works out of the box
• No framework lock-in — generates plain .md files
• Minimal dependencies — Jinja2 + docstring-parser
• Practical defaults — useful CLI output before you write any config

Features

• Docstring parsing — Extract Google and NumPy style docstrings, with basic reStructuredText field support via docstring-parser.
• Markdown generation — Produce beautiful Markdown files with customizable Jinja2 templates.
• README API sections — Create or update a generated API reference block in README files.
• Auto-generated index & TOC — Each module gets a Table of Contents; an index.md with package grouping is created automatically.
• Navigation layout — Generate a docs entrypoint with package pages and API files under api/.
• CI-friendly checks — Verify generated docs are up to date with --check.
• Package grouping — Output files are organized into subdirectories matching the package structure.
• Built-in themes — Choose between default (detailed) and minimal themes, or supply your own template.
• CLI & API — Use via command line or import as a Python library.
• Recursive processing — Scan entire packages in one command.
• Type-aware — Respects type hints and annotations.
• Advanced constructs — Supports property, classmethod, staticmethod, dataclass, Enum, TypedDict, Protocol, ABC, Pydantic, and __all__.

Requirements

• Python >= 3.10
• Dependencies: Jinja2, docstring-parser
• Optional: watchdog (for --watch mode)

Installation

# Base installation
pip install pydoc2markdown

# With file watcher support
pip install pydoc2markdown[watch]

Try It In 30 Seconds

Clone the repository and run PyDoc2Markdown against the included sample project:

pydoc2markdown examples/sample_project/src --recursive --nav --readme \
  --readme-path examples/sample_project/README.md \
  -o examples/sample_project/docs

That command updates the sample project's README API block and creates a navigation-first docs layout:

examples/sample_project/
├── README.md
├── src/shop_demo/
└── docs/
    ├── index.md
    ├── shop_demo.md
    └── api/shop_demo/
        ├── inventory.md
        └── orders.md

Sample Project

The sample project is a tiny shop package with dataclasses, an enum, typed functions, properties, and Google-style docstrings. It exists so you can inspect both sides of the workflow:

• source code
• generated docs index
• README API section

You can also create a local copy of the same style of demo project:

pydoc2markdown --demo

By default this writes to pydoc2markdown-demo/. Use --demo-output to choose another directory. Existing non-empty directories are not overwritten.

Before And After

Start with normal Python code and docstrings:

def calculate_total(items: list[Product], discount: float = 0.0) -> float:
    """Calculate the discounted order total.

    Args:
        items: Products to include in the total.
        discount: Discount ratio between 0 and 1.

    Returns:
        Total price after discount.

    Raises:
        ValueError: If discount is outside the accepted range.
    """

PyDoc2Markdown turns it into Markdown with headings, parameter tables, return types, and raised exceptions:

### `calculate_total`

Calculate the discounted order total.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| `items` | `list[Product]` | Products to include in the total. |
| `discount` | `float` | Discount ratio between 0 and 1. |

**Returns:** `float`
Total price after discount.

**Raises:**
- `ValueError`: If discount is outside the accepted range.

Common Commands

Start with the command that matches how you want to publish docs:

Goal	Command
Generate module docs	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive -o docs
Generate a docs index and API pages	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav -o docs
Update the API section in README.md	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --readme
Check generated docs in CI	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav --readme --check -o docs
Generate one combined Markdown file	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --single-file -o docs/api.md
Watch source files while editing	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --watch -o docs
Create default pyproject config	pydoc2markdown --init
Create a local demo project	pydoc2markdown --demo

Use --theme minimal for shorter output, or --template path/to/template.md.j2 when a project needs custom Markdown.

Quick Start

CLI Usage

# Generate docs for a single file
pydoc2markdown my_module.py -o docs

# Recursively process a package
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive -o docs

# Generate a navigation-first docs layout
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav -o docs

# Check whether generated docs are current without writing files
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav --check -o docs

# Initialize default configuration in pyproject.toml
pydoc2markdown --init

Library Usage

from pathlib import Path
from pydoc2markdown import DocstringParser, MarkdownGenerator

parser = DocstringParser()
modules = parser.parse(Path("src/my_package"), recursive=True)

generator = MarkdownGenerator(theme="default")
generator.generate(modules, output_dir=Path("docs"))

CLI Reference

Flag	Default	Description
source	(required unless --init is used)	Path to a Python file or directory to process
--init	False	Create or update [tool.pydoc2markdown] in pyproject.toml
-o, --output	docs / value from pyproject.toml	Output directory (or file path when --single-file is used)
--recursive	False / value from pyproject.toml	Recursively process subdirectories
--theme	default / value from pyproject.toml	Built-in theme: default (detailed) or minimal
--template	None	Path to a custom Jinja2 template for Markdown generation
--single-file	False	Generate a single combined Markdown file; --output must be a .md or .markdown file path
--check	False	Check whether generated docs are up to date without writing files
--readme	False	Create or update an API reference section in README.md
--readme-path	README.md	Path to the README file updated by --readme
--nav	False	Generate a navigation-first docs layout with API pages under api/
--api-dir	api	Directory for API pages when --nav is used
--watch	False	Watch source files and regenerate docs on change
--demo	False	Create a small demo project and generate docs for it
--demo-output	pydoc2markdown-demo	Directory created by --demo
-v, --verbose	0	Increase verbosity (-v = INFO, -vv = DEBUG)
--version	—	Show version and exit

Configuration priority: CLI flags > [tool.pydoc2markdown] in pyproject.toml > built-in defaults.

Configuration

You can initialize default configuration with:

pydoc2markdown --init

This creates or appends a [tool.pydoc2markdown] section in pyproject.toml. If the section already exists, it is left unchanged.

You can also set default values manually in your pyproject.toml:

[tool.pydoc2markdown]
output = "docs"
theme = "default"
recursive = true

Any values set here serve as defaults and can be overridden by CLI flags.

README API Sections

Use --readme to create or update a compact API reference in your README:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --readme

By default, PyDoc2Markdown updates README.md. Use --readme-path to target a different file:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --readme --readme-path docs/index.md

When the file already contains PyDoc2Markdown markers, only the generated block between the markers is replaced:

## API Reference

<!-- pydoc2markdown:start -->
<!-- pydoc2markdown:end -->

If the markers are missing, a new ## API Reference section is appended. If the README does not exist, it is created.

Navigation Docs Layout

Use --nav when you want a docs directory that is ready to browse from a single entrypoint:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav -o docs

This creates a layout like:

docs/
├── index.md
├── modules.md
└── api/
    ├── package.md
    └── utils.md

The root index.md links to package landing pages and every generated API page. Use --api-dir to change where module pages are written:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav --api-dir reference -o docs

CI Checks

Use --check in CI to fail when generated documentation is missing or stale:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav --readme --check -o docs

The command compares the files PyDoc2Markdown would generate with the files already on disk. It exits with 0 when docs are current and 1 when any generated output needs to be updated. It does not write files in check mode.

--check works with normal multi-file output, --nav, --single-file, and README API sections. It cannot be combined with --watch.

Library API

DocstringParser

from pathlib import Path
from pydoc2markdown import DocstringParser

parser = DocstringParser()
modules = parser.parse(Path("src/my_package"), recursive=True)

MarkdownGenerator

from pathlib import Path
from pydoc2markdown import DocstringParser, MarkdownGenerator

# Parse modules
parser = DocstringParser()
modules = parser.parse(Path("src/my_package"), recursive=True)

# Default theme, separate files
gen = MarkdownGenerator(theme="default")
gen.generate(modules, output_dir=Path("docs"))

# Minimal theme
gen_min = MarkdownGenerator(theme="minimal")
gen_min.generate(modules, output_dir=Path("docs_minimal"))

# Custom template
gen_tmpl = MarkdownGenerator(template_path=Path("my_template.md.j2"))
gen_tmpl.generate(modules, output_dir=Path("docs_custom"))

# Single combined file
gen.generate_single_file(modules, output_path=Path("docs/README.md"))

# README API section
gen.update_readme(modules, readme_path=Path("README.md"))

# Navigation docs layout
gen.generate_navigation(modules, output_dir=Path("docs"))

# Markdown string for a single module
md_string = gen.generate_string(modules[0])

Supported Docstring Formats

PyDoc2Markdown uses docstring-parser and supports common structured docstring sections:

Style	Support	Notes
Google	✅ Full	Args, Returns, Raises, Attributes, Examples
NumPy	✅ Full	Parameters, Returns, Raises, Attributes, Examples
reStructuredText (reST)	⚠️ Basic	Field-style metadata via docstring-parser, including :param:, :returns:, and :raises:

Example Output

Given this source file:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field


class User(BaseModel):
    """A user in the system."""

    id: int = Field(description="Unique identifier")
    email: str = Field(default="", description="Email address")
    is_active: bool = True


class UserService:
    """Service for managing users."""

    def get_user(self, user_id: int) -> User:
        """Fetch a user by ID.

        Args:
            user_id: The user's unique identifier.

        Returns:
            The requested User instance.

        Raises:
            ValueError: If the user does not exist.
        """
        ...

Running pydoc2markdown src/users.py -o docs produces:

# users

## Table of Contents

- [Classes](#classes)
  - [`User`](#user)
  - [`UserService`](#userservice)

## Classes

### `User` *(Pydantic)*

A user in the system.

#### Pydantic Fields

| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|------|------|---------|-------------|
| `id` | `int` | *required* | Unique identifier |
| `email` | `str` | `""` | Email address |
| `is_active` | `bool` | `True` | - |

### `UserService`

Service for managing users.

#### Methods

##### `get_user`

Fetch a user by ID.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|------|------|---------|-------------|
| `user_id` | `int` | *required* | The user's unique identifier. |

**Returns:** `User`

**Raises:**

- `ValueError` — If the user does not exist.

For a complete small project, see examples/sample_project/. It includes source code, a generated README API section, and a navigation-first docs layout generated by PyDoc2Markdown. You can also see pre-built documentation for this repository in examples/docs/.

Documentation

• Contributing Guide
• Project Structure

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.