DotNetDocs

DotNetDocs CLI

The command-line tool that helps you manage your .NET Documentation Projects (.docsproj) and generate beautiful documentation from your XML Doc Comments.

Installation

Install as a global tool:

dotnet tool install --global DotNetDocs

Or update an existing installation:

dotnet tool update --global DotNetDocs

Commands

dotnet docs add

Create and add a documentation project (.docsproj) to your solution.

Usage:

dotnet docs add [options]

Options:

• --solution|-s <PATH> - Path to solution file (.sln or .slnx). If not specified, searches current directory
• --name <NAME> - Name for the docs project. Defaults to {SolutionName}.Docs
• --output|-o <PATH> - Output directory for the docs project. Defaults to project folder

Examples:

# Create docs project in current directory's solution
dotnet docs add

# Specify solution file
dotnet docs add --solution ../MyApp.sln

# Custom project name
dotnet docs add --name MyCustomDocs

# Custom output directory
dotnet docs add --output ./documentation

What it does:

1. Creates a new .docsproj file with Mintlify configuration
2. Adds the project to your solution in a "Docs" solution folder
3. Configures default Mintlify theme and settings

dotnet docs build

Build documentation from .NET assemblies.

Usage:

dotnet docs build [options]

Options:

• --assembly-list|-a <PATH> - (Required) Path to file containing list of assemblies to document (one per line)
• --output|-o <PATH> - (Required) Output path for generated documentation
• --type|-t <TYPE> - Documentation type: Default, Mintlify, Json, or Yaml. Default is Default (Markdown)
• --namespace-mode|-n <MODE> - Namespace organization: File or Folder. Default is File
• --api-reference-path <PATH> - API reference subfolder path. Default is api-reference

Examples:

# Basic build with assembly list
dotnet docs build --assembly-list assemblies.txt --output ./docs

# Build Mintlify documentation
dotnet docs build -a assemblies.txt -o ./docs --type Mintlify

# Use folder mode for namespaces
dotnet docs build -a assemblies.txt -o ./docs --namespace-mode Folder

# Build JSON format
dotnet docs build -a assemblies.txt -o ./docs --type Json

Assembly List File Format:

Create a text file with one assembly path per line:

bin/Release/net8.0/MyProject.Core.dll
bin/Release/net8.0/MyProject.Extensions.dll
bin/Release/net8.0/MyProject.Utilities.dll

Note: Only assemblies with corresponding XML documentation files (.xml) will be processed.

Documentation Types

• Default/Markdown: Clean Markdown files with frontmatter
• Mintlify: MDX files with enhanced frontmatter, icons, and docs.json navigation
• Json: JSON representation of the documentation model
• Yaml: YAML representation of the documentation model

Namespace Modes

• File Mode: Each namespace gets a single file (e.g., MyNamespace.SubNamespace.md)
• Folder Mode: Each namespace becomes a folder with separate files per type (e.g., MyNamespace/SubNamespace/MyClass.md)

Workflow Example

# 1. Add a docs project to your solution
dotnet docs add

# 2. Build your projects to generate assemblies and XML docs
dotnet build --configuration Release

# 3. Create an assembly list file
echo "bin/Release/net8.0/MyProject.dll" > assemblies.txt

# 4. Generate documentation
dotnet docs build -a assemblies.txt -o ./docs --type Mintlify

# 5. Preview with Mintlify CLI
npm i mint -g
cd docs
mint dev

See Also

• Full Documentation - Complete CLI reference and examples
• DotNetDocs.Sdk - MSBuild SDK for .docsproj projects
• DotNetDocs.Core - Core documentation engine
• DotNetDocs.Mintlify - Enhanced Mintlify.com support

Requirements

• .NET 8.0+, .NET 9.0+, or .NET 10.0+

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.