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Overview

WhatDoc analyzes your codebase and generates comprehensive documentation using AI models. The generation process is fully automated—simply configure your project settings and deploy.

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Configuration Flow

After importing a repository from GitHub, you’ll configure your documentation project on the /configure page.
1

Repository Selection

The repository you selected is displayed in a read-only field. This is the full GitHub repository name (e.g., expressjs/express).
2

Set URL Slug

Define the public URL path for your documentation:
whatdoc.xyz/p/your-slug-here
Slug requirements:
  • At least 2 characters
  • Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
  • Must be unique across all WhatDoc projects
  • Auto-generated from your repository name (customizable)
If the slug is taken, you’ll receive an error: This URL slug is already taken.
3

Choose Tech Stack

Select the technology stack that best describes your project:
  • MERN: MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js
  • Next.js: Next.js framework
  • Other: All other technologies
This helps the AI tailor the documentation to your stack’s conventions.
4

Select Design Template

Choose from 16 professionally designed documentation templates:Free Templates:
  • Modern
  • Minimal
  • Twilio (default)
  • Django
  • MDN
  • AeroLatex
Premium Templates (Pro users or promo code holders):
  • Fintech
  • DevTools
  • Minimalist
  • OpenSource
  • Wiki
  • ComponentLib
  • ConsumerTech
  • DeepSpace
  • Web3
  • Enterprise
Each template includes a live preview thumbnail.
5

Configure Model & API Key (Optional)

Bring Your Own Key (BYOK): Use your own API key for unlimited generation.Available Models:Gemini (Free with WhatDoc):
  • gemini-2.5-flash-lite (default, fastest)
  • gemini-2.5-flash
  • gemini-2.5-pro (requires API key)
OpenAI (requires API key):
  • gpt-4o
  • gpt-4o-mini
Anthropic (requires API key):
  • claude-3.7-sonnet
  • claude-3.5-haiku
Your API key is never stored in the database. It’s sent directly from your browser to the AI provider via request headers (x-custom-api-key, x-target-model).
Get your API keys:
6

Deploy Documentation

Click Deploy Documentation to queue your generation job.The system checks your tier limits:Free Tier:
  • 2 documentation projects by default
  • 5 projects with promo code FREE5DOCS
  • Additional generations with code WHATDOCFAM (+10 bonus)
Pro Tier ($4.99/mo):
  • Up to 10 repositories
Pro Tier ($9.99/mo):
  • Up to 25 repositories
If you hit your limit, you’ll see: Free tier limit reached! with code UPGRADE_REQUIRED.

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Generation Process

Once deployed, your project enters the generation queue:

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Queue System (BullMQ)

  1. Queued: Your project is added to the generation queue
    • Pro users get priority: priority: 1
    • Free users: priority: 10
  2. Job Data: The following is sent to the worker: 
    {
  "projectId": "...",
  "repoUrl": "https://x-access-token:[email protected]/user/repo.git",
  "commitHash": "7a8f9b...",
  "llmProvider": "gemini",
  "byokOptions": {
    "customKey": "your-api-key",
    "targetModel": "gemini-2.5-flash-lite"
  }
}
  3. Status Tracking: You can monitor progress on /deploy/:projectId
    • queued → scanning → analyzing → generating → ready or failed

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Private Repository Access

For private repositories, WhatDoc injects your GitHub OAuth token into the Git URL: 
const repoUrl = user.githubAccessToken
  ? `https://x-access-token:${user.githubAccessToken}@github.com/${repoName}.git`
  : `https://github.com/${repoName}.git`;
This allows the worker to clone private repositories securely during generation.

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Smart Caching

WhatDoc caches documentation based on the latest commit SHA:
  • The system fetches the latest commit hash from GitHub API before generation
  • If a project with the same repoName and commitHash exists, generation is skipped
  • You’re redirected directly to the cached docs: /p/:slug
This saves generation time and API costs when re-importing unchanged repositories.

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Checking Job Status

You can query job progress via the API: 
GET /api/projects/job/:jobId
Response: 
{
  "jobId": "12345",
  "state": "active",
  "progress": 45,
  "failedReason": null
}
Job States:
  • waiting: In queue, not started
  • active: Currently processing
  • completed: Successfully generated
  • failed: Generation failed (check failedReason)

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What Gets Generated?

The AI analyzes your codebase and produces:
  • Overview: Project purpose and architecture
  • Setup Instructions: Installation and configuration
  • API Reference: Functions, classes, endpoints
  • Usage Examples: Code snippets and workflows
  • Directory Structure: File organization explanation
  • Tech Stack: Dependencies and frameworks identified
The generated markdown is stored in the generatedDocs field of your project.

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Generation Limits

TierProjectsPriorityNotes
Free (default)2Low (10)Can be upgraded to 5 with code
Free + FREE5DOCS5Low (10)One-time code
Free + WHATDOCFAM+10 bonus generationsLow (10)Limited redemptions
Pro ($4.99)10 reposHigh (1)Recurring limit
Pro ($9.99)25 reposHigh (1)Recurring limit
BYOKUnlimitedVariesUses your API quota
Pro users have a recurring limit based on the number of repositories you can have active, not the number of generations. Free users have a lifetime generation count that increments with each project.

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Viewing Your Documentation

After successful generation:
  1. Navigate to /p/:slug to view your live documentation
  2. Access the project from your dashboard at /dashboard
  3. Edit and customize via /editor/:projectId
Your documentation is publicly accessible by default (isPublic: true).

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Regenerating Documentation

To regenerate documentation for a repository:
  1. Delete the existing project from your dashboard
  2. Re-import the repository from /import
  3. Configure and deploy again
If the repository hasn’t changed (same commit hash), WhatDoc will serve the cached version instead of regenerating.

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Troubleshooting

IssueCauseSolution
Slug is already takenAnother project uses this slugChoose a different slug
UPGRADE_REQUIREDTier limit reachedUpgrade to Pro or use a promo code
Failed to create projectServer error or invalid dataCheck your configuration and retry
Job stuck in queuedHigh queue trafficWait for workers to process (Pro users prioritized)
Generation failedCode parsing error or API timeoutCheck failedReason in job status

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What’s Next?

Customizing Docs

Add your logo, branding, and custom navigation

Deploying Docs

Deploy to a custom subdomain or domain

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