Smarter Week

How to automate it

How to automate “write and update API reference docs”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

90 min
typically, once a week
70%
of the time can be automated
Some setup
to set up

Fix 1 of 2

AutomationBest fix

Generate the API reference from the OpenAPI spec on every merge

Docs platforms build the API reference straight from the spec, with examples and SDK snippets, so the reference is never out of date and you write only the guides.

Typically saves about 60% of the time4 h to set up
  1. 1Make sure the API has an OpenAPI or similar spec generated from code.
  2. 2Connect it to Mintlify, ReadMe, Redocly, Fern or Scalar.
  3. 3Rebuild the reference automatically in CI when the spec changes.
  4. 4Spend your time on descriptions, guides and examples.

Tools: Mintlify · ReadMe · Redocly · Fern · Scalar

Fix 2 of 2

AI

Point a coding agent at the release diff to draft doc updates

Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or the AI in Mintlify and GitBook can read what changed in the code and draft the matching doc updates, which cuts both writing time and SME chasing.

Typically saves about 40% of the time30 min to set up
  1. 1Get read access to the product repo and keep docs in a repo (docs as code) if you can.
  2. 2Run a coding agent with the prompt below against the release branch or list of merged PRs.
  3. 3Review the drafted changes; send only the remaining questions to engineers.
  4. 4Open one docs PR per release.
Prompt to copy
Compare [RELEASE TAG OR BRANCH] with [PREVIOUS TAG]. List every user-facing change (new settings, changed behavior, new or changed API fields, removed features). For each, find the doc pages in [DOCS FOLDER] that need updating and draft the change in our existing style. List any change where the intended behavior is unclear as a question for the engineer, with the PR link. Do not publish anything.

Tools: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor or GitHub Copilot · Mintlify · GitBook

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

Technical writer

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