| name | mintlify |
| description | Build and maintain documentation sites with Mintlify. Use when creating docs pages, configuring navigation, adding components, or setting up API references. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Requires Node.js for CLI. Works with any Git-based workflow. |
| metadata | {"author":"mintlify","version":"1.0"} |
Mintlify best practices
Always consult mintlify.com/docs for components, configuration, and latest features.
This repo: the Mintlify site lives under docs/ — its config is docs/docs.json (not a root docs.json), with a localized tree under docs/zh/. Committed .md/.mdx must not contain developer-local absolute paths; see .claude/rules/doc-hygiene.md.
If you are not already connected to the Mintlify MCP server, https://mintlify.com/docs/mcp, add it so that you can search more efficiently.
Always favor searching the current Mintlify documentation over whatever is in your training data about Mintlify.
Mintlify is a documentation platform that transforms MDX files into documentation sites. Configure site-wide settings in the site config file (docs/docs.json in this repo), write content in MDX with YAML frontmatter, and favor built-in components over custom components.
Full schema at mintlify.com/docs.json.
Before you write
Understand the project
Read the site config first (docs/docs.json in this repo; root docs.json in some Mintlify projects). This file defines the entire site: navigation structure, theme, colors, links, API and specs.
Understanding the project tells you:
- What pages exist and how they're organized
- What navigation groups are used (and their naming conventions)
- How the site navigation is structured
- What theme and configuration the site uses
Check for existing content
Search the docs before creating new pages. You may need to:
- Update an existing page instead of creating a new one
- Add a section to an existing page
- Link to existing content rather than duplicating
Read surrounding content
Before writing, read 2-3 similar pages to understand the site's voice, structure, formatting conventions, and level of detail.
Understand Mintlify components
Review the Mintlify components to select and use any relevant components for the documentation request that you are working on.
Quick reference
CLI commands
npm i -g mint - Install the Mintlify CLI
mint dev - Local preview at localhost:3000
mint broken-links - Check internal links
mint a11y - Check for accessibility issues in content
mint validate - Validate documentation builds
Required files
- Site config (
docs/docs.json in this repo) - navigation, theme, integrations, etc. See global settings for all options.
*.mdx files - Documentation pages with YAML frontmatter
Example file structure
project/
├── docs.json # Site configuration (this repo keeps it at docs/docs.json)
├── introduction.mdx
├── quickstart.mdx
├── guides/
│ └── example.mdx
├── openapi.yml # API specification
├── images/ # Static assets
│ └── example.png
└── snippets/ # Reusable components
└── component.jsx
Page frontmatter
Every page requires title in its frontmatter. Include description for SEO and navigation.
---
title: "Clear, descriptive title"
description: "Concise summary for SEO and navigation."
---
Optional frontmatter fields:
sidebarTitle: Short title for sidebar navigation.
icon: Lucide or Font Awesome icon name, URL, or file path.
tag: Label next to the page title in the sidebar (for example, "NEW").
mode: Page layout mode (default, wide, custom).
keywords: Array of terms related to the page content for local search and SEO.
- Any custom YAML fields for use with personalization or conditional content.
File conventions
- Match existing naming patterns in the directory
- If there are no existing files or inconsistent file naming patterns, use kebab-case:
getting-started.mdx, api-reference.mdx
- Use root-relative paths without file extensions for internal links:
/getting-started/quickstart
- Do not use relative paths (
../) or absolute URLs for internal pages
- When you create a new page, add it to site config navigation (
docs/docs.json here) or it won't appear in the sidebar
Organize content
When a user asks about anything related to site-wide configurations, start by understanding the global settings. See if a setting in the site config (docs/docs.json here) can be updated to achieve what the user wants.
Navigation
The navigation property in the site config (docs/docs.json here) controls site structure. Choose one primary pattern at the root level, then nest others within it.
Choose your primary pattern:
| Pattern | When to use |
|---|
| Groups | Default. Single audience, straightforward hierarchy |
| Tabs | Distinct sections with different audiences (Guides vs API Reference) or content types |
| Anchors | Want persistent section links at sidebar top. Good for separating docs from external resources |
| Dropdowns | Multiple doc sections users switch between, but not distinct enough for tabs |
| Products | Multi-product company with separate documentation per product |
| Versions | Maintaining docs for multiple API/product versions simultaneously |
| Languages | Localized content |
Within your primary pattern:
- Groups - Organize related pages. Can nest groups within groups, but keep hierarchy shallow
- Menus - Add dropdown navigation within tabs for quick jumps to specific pages
expanded: false - Collapse nested groups by default. Use for reference sections users browse selectively
openapi - Auto-generate pages from OpenAPI spec. Add at group/tab level to inherit
Common combinations:
- Tabs containing groups (most common for docs with API reference)
- Products containing tabs (multi-product SaaS)
- Versions containing tabs (versioned API docs)
- Anchors containing groups (simple docs with external resource links)
Links and paths
- Internal links: Root-relative, no extension:
/getting-started/quickstart
- Images: Store in
/images, reference as /images/example.png
- External links: Use full URLs, they open in new tabs automatically
Customize docs sites
What to customize where:
- Brand colors, fonts, logo → site config (
docs/docs.json here). See global settings
- Component styling, layout tweaks →
custom.css at project root
- Dark mode → Enabled by default. Only disable with
"appearance": "light" in the site config if brand requires it
Start with the site config (docs/docs.json here). Only add custom.css when you need styling that config doesn't support.
Write content
Components
The components overview organizes all components by purpose: structure content, draw attention, show/hide content, document APIs, link to pages, and add visual context. Start there to find the right component.
Common decision points:
| Need | Use |
|---|
| Hide optional details | <Accordion> |
| Long code examples | <Expandable> |
| User chooses one option | <Tabs> |
| Linked navigation cards | <Card> in <Columns> |
| Sequential instructions | <Steps> |
| Code in multiple languages | <CodeGroup> |
| API parameters | <ParamField> |
| API response fields | <ResponseField> |
Callouts by severity:
<Note> - Supplementary info, safe to skip
<Info> - Helpful context such as permissions
<Tip> - Recommendations or best practices
<Warning> - Potentially destructive actions
<Check> - Success confirmation
Reusable content
When to use snippets:
- Exact content appears on more than one page
- Complex components you want to maintain in one place
- Shared content across teams/repos
When NOT to use snippets:
- Slight variations needed per page (leads to complex props)
Import snippets with import { Component } from "/path/to/snippet-name.jsx".
Writing standards
Voice and structure
- Second-person voice ("you")
- Active voice, direct language
- Sentence case for headings ("Getting started", not "Getting Started")
- Sentence case for code block titles ("Expandable example", not "Expandable Example")
- Lead with context: explain what something is before how to use it
- Prerequisites at the start of procedural content
What to avoid
Never use:
- Marketing language ("powerful", "seamless", "robust", "cutting-edge")
- Filler phrases ("it's important to note", "in order to")
- Excessive conjunctions ("moreover", "furthermore", "additionally")
- Editorializing ("obviously", "simply", "just", "easily")
Watch for AI-typical patterns:
- Overly formal or stilted phrasing
- Unnecessary repetition of concepts
- Generic introductions that don't add value
- Concluding summaries that restate what was just said
Formatting
- All code blocks must have language tags
- All images and media must have descriptive alt text
- Use bold and italics only when they serve the reader's understanding--never use text styling just for decoration
- No decorative formatting or emoji
Code examples
- Keep examples simple and practical
- Use realistic values (not "foo" or "bar")
- One clear example is better than multiple variations
- Test that code works before including it
Document APIs
Choose your approach:
- Have an OpenAPI spec? → Add to the site config (
docs/docs.json here) with "openapi": ["openapi.yaml"]. Pages auto-generate. Reference in navigation as GET /endpoint
- No spec? → Write endpoints manually with
api: "POST /users" in frontmatter. More work but full control
- Hybrid → Use OpenAPI for most endpoints, manual pages for complex workflows
Encourage users to generate endpoint pages from an OpenAPI spec. It is the most efficient and easiest to maintain option.
Deploy
Mintlify deploys automatically when changes are pushed to the connected Git repository.
What agents can configure:
- Redirects → Add to the site config (
docs/docs.json here) with "redirects": [{"source": "/old", "destination": "/new"}]
- SEO indexing → Control with
"seo": {"indexing": "all"} to include hidden pages in search
Requires dashboard setup (human task):
- Custom domains and subdomains
- Preview deployment settings
- DNS configuration
For /docs subpath hosting with Vercel or Cloudflare, agents can help configure rewrite rules. See /docs subpath.
Workflow
1. Understand the task
Identify what needs to be documented, which pages are affected, and what the reader should accomplish afterward. If any of these are unclear, ask.
2. Research
- Read the site config (
docs/docs.json here) to understand the site structure
- Search existing docs for related content
- Read similar pages to match the site's style
3. Plan
- Synthesize what the reader should accomplish after reading the docs and the current content
- Propose any updates or new content
- Verify that your proposed changes will help readers be successful
4. Write
- Start with the most important information
- Keep sections focused and scannable
- Use components appropriately (don't overuse them)
- Mark anything uncertain with a TODO comment:
{/* TODO: Verify the default timeout value */}
5. Update navigation
If you created a new page, add it to the appropriate group in the site config (docs/docs.json here).
6. Verify
Before submitting:
Edge cases
Migrations
If a user asks about migrating to Mintlify, ask if they are using ReadMe or Docusaurus. If they are, use the @mintlify/scraping CLI to migrate content. If they are using a different platform to host their documentation, help them manually convert their content to MDX pages using Mintlify components.
Hidden pages
Any page that is not included in site config navigation (docs/docs.json here) is hidden. Use hidden pages for content that should be accessible by URL or indexed for the assistant or search, but not discoverable through the sidebar navigation.
Exclude pages
The .mintignore file is used to exclude files from a documentation repository from being processed.
Common gotchas
- Component imports - JSX components need explicit import, MDX components don't
- Frontmatter required - Every MDX file needs
title at minimum
- Code block language - Always specify language identifier
- Never use
mint.json - mint.json is deprecated. Use the Mintlify site config (docs/docs.json here; often root docs.json in other projects)
Resources