--- 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](https://mintlify.com/docs) for components, configuration, and latest features.** 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. Mintlify is a documentation platform that transforms MDX files into documentation sites. Configure site-wide settings in the `docs.json` file, write content in MDX with YAML frontmatter, and favor built-in components over custom components. Full schema at [mintlify.com/docs.json](https://mintlify.com/docs.json). ## 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 rename` - Rename/move files and update references - `mint validate` - Validate documentation builds ### Required files - `docs.json` - Site configuration (navigation, theme, integrations, etc.). See [global settings](https://mintlify.com/docs/settings/global) for all options. - `*.mdx` files - Documentation pages with YAML frontmatter ### Example file structure ``` project/ ├── docs.json # Site configuration ├── introduction.mdx ├── quickstart.mdx ├── guides/ │ └── example.mdx ├── openapi.yml # API specification ├── images/ # Static assets │ └── example.png └── snippets/ # Reusable components └── component.jsx ``` ## Organize content When a user asks about anything related to site-wide configurations, start by understanding the [global settings](https://www.mintlify.com/docs/organize/settings). See if a setting in the `docs.json` file can be updated to achieve what the user wants. ### Navigation The `navigation` property in `docs.json` 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** → `docs.json`. See [global settings](https://mintlify.com/docs/settings/global) - **Component styling, layout tweaks** → `custom.css` at project root - **Dark mode** → Enabled by default. Only disable with `"appearance": "light"` in `docs.json` if brand requires it Start with `docs.json`. Only add `custom.css` when you need styling that config doesn't support. ## Write content ### Components The [components overview](https://mintlify.com/docs/components) 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 | `` | | Long code examples | `` | | User chooses one option | `` | | Linked navigation cards | `` in `` | | Sequential instructions | `` | | Code in multiple languages | `` | | API parameters | `` | | API response fields | `` | **Callouts by severity:** - `` - Supplementary info, safe to skip - `` - Helpful context such as permissions - `` - Recommendations or best practices - `` - Potentially destructive actions - `` - 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"`. ## Document APIs **Choose your approach:** - **Have an OpenAPI spec?** → Add to `docs.json` 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 `docs.json` 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](https://mintlify.com/docs/deploy/vercel). ## 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](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@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 the `docs.json` navigation 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 1. **Component imports** - JSX components need explicit import, MDX components don't 2. **Frontmatter required** - Every MDX file needs `title` at minimum 3. **Code block language** - Always specify language identifier 4. **Never use `mint.json`** - `mint.json` is deprecated. Only ever use `docs.json` ## Resources - [Documentation](https://mintlify.com/docs) - [Configuration schema](https://mintlify.com/docs.json) - [Feature requests](https://github.com/orgs/mintlify/discussions/categories/feature-requests) - [Bugs and feedback](https://github.com/orgs/mintlify/discussions/categories/bugs-feedback)

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