Quickstart

Get started with Mintlify by deploying your documentation site in minutes and making your first content change with the web editor or Git.

After you complete this guide, you’ll have a live documentation site ready to customize and update.

Before you begin

Mintlify uses a docs-as-code approach to manage your documentation. Every page on your site has a corresponding file stored in your documentation repository.

When you connect your documentation repository to your project, you can work on your documentation locally or in the web editor and sync any changes to your remote repository.

Using an AI coding tool?

Copy the following prompt to add the Mintlify skill and MCP server for better results when updating your documentation.

Install the Mintlify skill to get context on Mintlify project structure, components, and documentation best practices:

npx skills add https://mintlify.com/docs

Then add the Mintlify MCP server for access to documentation search. Follow the setup instructions at https://www.mintlify.com/docs/ai/model-context-protocol.md

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Deploy your documentation site

Go to mintlify.com/start and complete the onboarding process. During onboarding, you’ll connect your GitHub account, create or select a repository for your documentation, and install the GitHub App to enable automatic deployments.

After onboarding, your documentation site deploys and is accessible at your .mintlify.app URL.

Optional: Skip connecting a Git provider during onboarding

If you want to get started quickly without connecting your own repository, you can skip the Git provider connection during onboarding. Mintlify creates a private repository in a private organization and automatically configures the GitHub App for you.

This lets you use the web editor immediately. If you want to use your own repository later, go to Git Settings in your dashboard to migrate your content using the Git setup wizard. See Clone to your own repository for details.

View your deployed site

Your documentation site is now deployed at https://<your-project-name>.mintlify.app.

Find your exact URL on the Overview page of your dashboard.

Your site is ready to view immediately. Use this URL for testing and sharing with your team. Before sharing with your users, you may want to add a custom domain.

Make your first change

CLI

1. Install the CLI

   The CLI requires Node.js v20.17.0 or higher. Use an LTS version for stability.

   npm

   npm i -g mint
   

   See Install the CLI for full details and troubleshooting.

2. Clone your repository

   If you haven’t already cloned your repository locally, follow the instructions in Clone your repository.

3. Edit a page

   Open index.mdx in your preferred editor and update the description in the frontmatter:

   ---
   title: "Introduction"
   description: "Your custom description here"
   ---
   
4. Preview locally

   Run the following command from your documentation directory:

   mint dev
   

   View your preview at http://localhost:3000.

5. Push your changes

   Commit and push your changes to trigger a deployment:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Update description"
   git push
   

   Mintlify automatically deploys your changes. View your deployment status on the Overview page of your dashboard.

Web editor

1. Open the web editor

   Navigate to the web editor in your dashboard.

2. Edit a page

   Open the Introduction page and update the description.

   
3. Publish

   Click the Publish button in the top-right of the web editor toolbar.

4. View live

   On the Overview page of your dashboard, you can see your site’s deployment status. When it finishes deploying, refresh your documentation site to see your changes live.

Next steps

Use the web editor

Edit documentation in your browser and preview how your pages look when published.

Explore CLI commands

Find broken links, check accessibility, validate OpenAPI specs, and more.

Add a custom domain

Use your own domain for your documentation site.