Generating API Documentation

Generating API Documentation

Overview

Create comprehensive, interactive API documentation from OpenAPI specifications with runnable code examples, authentication guides, error reference tables, and SDK quick-start tutorials. Generate documentation sites using Redoc, Stoplight Elements, or Swagger UI with custom branding, versioned navigation, and full-text search.

Prerequisites

• OpenAPI 3.0+ specification with descriptions, examples, and complete schema definitions
• Documentation generator: Redoc, Stoplight Elements, Swagger UI, or Docusaurus with OpenAPI plugin
• Code example generator for multiple languages (curl, JavaScript, Python, Go)
• Static site hosting for documentation deployment (GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel)
• Custom branding assets (logo, color scheme) for white-labeled documentation

Instructions

1. Read the OpenAPI specification using Read and audit documentation completeness: verify all operations have summary, description, parameter descriptions, and at least one example per request/response.
2. Enrich the specification with long-form descriptions using Markdown: add getting-started guides, authentication flow explanations, and rate limiting documentation in the info.description or x-documentation extensions.
3. Generate interactive documentation using Redoc or Stoplight Elements with "Try It" functionality that allows consumers to execute requests directly from the documentation page.
4. Create runnable code examples for every endpoint in curl, JavaScript (fetch/axios), Python (requests/httpx), and Go (net/http), with proper authentication header injection.
5. Build an authentication guide covering all supported auth schemes: API key setup, OAuth2 authorization code flow walkthrough, JWT token lifecycle, and credential rotation procedures.
6. Add an error reference section that documents every error code, its meaning, common causes, and resolution steps -- organized by HTTP status code with searchable error code index.
7. Configure documentation versioning so consumers can switch between API versions (v1, v2) with visual diff highlighting showing changes between versions.
8. Set up automated documentation deployment: on OpenAPI spec changes, regenerate the documentation site and deploy to hosting with cache invalidation.

See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation.md for the full implementation guide.

Output

• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/site/ - Generated documentation website (HTML/CSS/JS)
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/guides/authentication.md - Authentication flow guide with code examples
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/guides/getting-started.md - Quick-start tutorial for first API call
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/reference/errors.md - Complete error code reference with resolution steps
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/examples/ - Per-endpoint code examples in multiple languages
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/docs/config/redoc.yaml - Documentation generator configuration with branding

Error Handling