pydoc2markdown 0.6.3

Convert Python docstrings to Markdown documentation.

PyDoc2Markdown

Convert Python docstrings into clean, structured Markdown documentation.

PyDoc2Markdown turns Python docstrings into plain Markdown that is easy to read, easy to commit, and easy to publish anywhere. Point it at your source tree and it can generate module docs, a navigation-ready docs directory, or a maintained API section inside your README.

It is built for projects that want documentation to stay close to the code without taking on a full documentation framework. The output works well on GitHub, GitLab, MkDocs, and any other Markdown renderer.

What you get:

• Plain .md files instead of a custom docs runtime
• Useful output with almost no setup
• A CLI for day-to-day use and a small library API for automation
• Features that help docs stay current: --check, --prune, README sync, and navigation pages

A good fit for:

• Python libraries that want lightweight API docs in the repo
• Internal tools and services that keep docs next to the code
• Projects that want README API sections without manual copy-paste
• Teams that prefer Markdown files over framework-specific documentation stacks

Table of Contents

• Why PyDoc2Markdown?
• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Visual Tour
• Try It In 30 Seconds
• Sample Project
• Before And After
• Common Commands
• Recipes
• Quick Start
  • CLI Usage
  • Library Usage
• CLI Reference
• Configuration
• Module Filtering
• Source Links
• 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 often come with noticeable setup: themes, conf.py, extensions, and custom builders to get the exact output you want. pdoc and mkdocstrings are lighter, but they still pull you toward a broader documentation stack.

PyDoc2Markdown takes a different approach: minimal setup, no framework lock-in, plain Markdown output. Point it at a Python project and get structured docs 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 clean 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.
• Managed cleanup - Preview or remove stale generated Markdown with --prune and --dry-run.
• Module filtering - Include or exclude source files with glob patterns.
• Parameter defaults - Show which function arguments are required or optional.
• Source links - Link generated classes, functions, and methods back to source code.
• 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]

Visual Tour

Here is the kind of navigation-first Markdown output the project generates from the included sample package:

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 one command updates the sample project's README API block and creates a navigation-first docs layout you can inspect immediately:

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 is the fastest way to understand what PyDoc2Markdown actually produces in a real repo layout.

You can inspect the whole workflow side by side:

• source code
• generated docs index
• README API section

You can also create the same kind of demo project locally:

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

This is the same idea in a tighter input -> output view:

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
Skip private/internal modules	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --exclude "tests/*,*/internal/*,*_private.py"
Add GitHub source links	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --source-repo user/repo -o docs
Check generated docs in CI	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --nav --readme --check -o docs
Preview stale generated docs cleanup	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --prune --dry-run -o docs
Remove stale generated docs	pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --prune -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.

Recipes

Here are a few practical ways teams tend to use PyDoc2Markdown.

Keep API docs in docs/

Generate a navigation-ready docs tree for a package:

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

This works well when you want browsable Markdown pages in the repository, MkDocs, or another lightweight docs site.

Keep a README API block in sync

Update a generated API section without touching the rest of the README:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --readme --readme-path README.md

This is a good fit for small libraries that want usage notes and API reference in one file.

Gate docs in CI

Fail CI when generated docs are missing, stale, or no longer match the source tree:

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

Pair this with --prune in local development to keep generated docs tidy after renames and deletions.

Generate docs only for the public surface

Focus on selected packages and skip internal modules:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive \
  --include "api/*,models/*" \
  --exclude "*/internal/*,*_test.py" \
  -o docs

This is useful when your source tree is larger than the documentation surface you actually want to publish.

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

# Skip internal and test modules
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --exclude "tests/*,*/internal/*,*_test.py" -o docs

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

# Add GitHub source links next to documented objects
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --source-repo user/repo -o docs

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

# Preview stale generated Markdown files before removing them
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --prune --dry-run -o docs

# Remove stale generated Markdown files tracked by PyDoc2Markdown
pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --prune -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
--include	None	Comma-separated glob patterns for files to include
--exclude	None	Comma-separated glob patterns for files to exclude
--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
--prune	False	Remove stale generated Markdown files tracked by PyDoc2Markdown
--dry-run	False	Preview --prune results without deleting 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
--source-link	None	URL template for source links, using {path}, {file}, and {line}
--source-repo	None	GitHub repository shorthand for source links, for example user/repo
--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.

Module Filtering

Use --include and --exclude with --recursive to control which Python files are documented:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --exclude "tests/*,*/internal/*,*_private.py"

Patterns use standard shell-style globs and are matched against paths relative to the scanned source root. Patterns without a directory separator also match file names in any package directory, so conftest.py or *_test.py work as convenient basename filters.

When both flags are used, PyDoc2Markdown applies --include first and then removes anything matched by --exclude:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --include "api/*,core/*" --exclude "*/generated.py"

Source Links

Use --source-repo to add GitHub source links next to generated class, function, and method headings:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --source-repo user/repo -o docs

This expands to a GitHub URL template using the main branch:

https://github.com/user/repo/blob/main/{path}#L{line}

For GitLab, another branch, or a custom host, pass the full template with --source-link:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive \
  --source-link "https://gitlab.com/user/repo/-/blob/develop/{path}#L{line}" \
  -o docs

Available template variables are {path} for the source-root-relative Python file path, {file} for the filename, and {line} for the 1-indexed definition line.

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.

Prune Stale Docs

Use --prune to remove stale generated Markdown files that were tracked by PyDoc2Markdown in a previous run but are no longer expected for the current source tree:

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

To preview the cleanup first, add --dry-run:

pydoc2markdown src/my_package --recursive --prune --dry-run -o docs

--prune only affects generated Markdown files recorded in the PyDoc2Markdown manifest. It does not try to delete unrelated hand-written Markdown files that may live in the same docs directory.

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.