DocuMCP User Onboarding Guide

Welcome to DocuMCP! This comprehensive guide will help you get started with DocuMCP in your own environment, from initial setup to advanced usage patterns.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js: Version 20.0.0 or higher
• npm: Version 8.0.0 or higher
• Git: For repository analysis
• GitHub Account: For GitHub Pages deployment

Installation

# Install DocuMCP globally
npm install -g documcp

# Or install locally in your project
npm install documcp --save-dev

Verify Installation

# Check if DocuMCP is installed correctly
documcp --version

# Should output: DocuMCP v0.5.0

📋 Basic Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Repository Analysis

Start by analyzing your repository to understand its structure and documentation needs.

# Basic repository analysis
documcp analyze-repository --path ./my-project --depth standard

# Quick analysis for large repositories
documcp analyze-repository --path ./large-project --depth quick

# Deep analysis for comprehensive documentation
documcp analyze-repository --path ./complex-project --depth deep

Example Output:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "analysis_abc123_def456",
    "structure": {
      "totalFiles": 150,
      "totalDirectories": 25,
      "languages": { ".ts": 100, ".md": 20, ".json": 10 },
      "hasTests": true,
      "hasCI": true,
      "hasDocs": false
    },
    "recommendations": {
      "primaryLanguage": "TypeScript",
      "projectType": "Library",
      "teamSize": "small"
    }
  }
}

Pattern 2: SSG Recommendation

Get intelligent recommendations for the best static site generator for your project.

# Get SSG recommendation based on analysis
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id analysis_abc123_def456

# With user preferences
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id analysis_abc123_def456 --priority performance --ecosystem javascript

# For enterprise users
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id analysis_abc123_def456 --priority simplicity

Example Output:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "recommended": "docusaurus",
    "confidence": 0.92,
    "reasoning": [
      "React-based project detected",
      "Documentation focus identified",
      "Team size suitable for Docusaurus"
    ],
    "alternatives": [
      {
        "name": "hugo",
        "score": 0.85,
        "pros": ["Performance", "Fast builds"],
        "cons": ["Learning curve", "Go templates"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Pattern 3: Documentation Structure Setup

Create a Diataxis-compliant documentation structure.

# Set up documentation structure
documcp setup-structure --path ./docs --ssg docusaurus --include-examples

# Minimal structure for existing projects
documcp setup-structure --path ./site --ssg hugo --include-examples false

Pattern 4: Configuration Generation

Generate configuration files for your chosen SSG.

# Generate Docusaurus configuration
documcp generate-config --ssg docusaurus --project-name "My Project" --output-path ./docs

# Generate Hugo configuration
documcp generate-config --ssg hugo --project-name "My Site" --output-path ./site

Pattern 5: Content Population

Populate your documentation with intelligent content based on your repository.

# Populate documentation content
documcp populate-content --analysis-id analysis_abc123_def456 --docs-path ./docs

# With specific focus areas
documcp populate-content --analysis-id analysis_abc123_def456 --docs-path ./docs --focus-areas api,examples

Pattern 6: GitHub Pages Deployment

Deploy your documentation to GitHub Pages.

# Deploy to GitHub Pages
documcp deploy-pages --repository "user/repo" --ssg docusaurus

# With custom domain
documcp deploy-pages --repository "user/repo" --ssg docusaurus --custom-domain "docs.example.com"

🎯 Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: New Open Source Project

For a new open source project, follow this workflow:

# 1. Analyze your repository
ANALYSIS_ID=$(documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth standard | jq -r '.data.id')

# 2. Get SSG recommendation
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --priority community_focused

# 3. Set up documentation structure
documcp setup-structure --path ./docs --ssg docusaurus --include-examples

# 4. Generate configuration
documcp generate-config --ssg docusaurus --project-name "My Open Source Project" --output-path ./docs

# 5. Populate content
documcp populate-content --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --docs-path ./docs

# 6. Deploy to GitHub Pages
documcp deploy-pages --repository "$(git remote get-url origin | sed 's/.*github.com[:/]\([^.]*\).*/\1/')" --ssg docusaurus

Use Case 2: Enterprise Documentation

For enterprise documentation with specific requirements:

# 1. Analyze with enterprise focus
ANALYSIS_ID=$(documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth deep | jq -r '.data.id')

# 2. Get enterprise-focused recommendation
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --priority enterprise_focused

# 3. Set up minimal structure
documcp setup-structure --path ./enterprise-docs --ssg hugo --include-examples false

# 4. Generate enterprise configuration
documcp generate-config --ssg hugo --project-name "Enterprise Documentation" --output-path ./enterprise-docs

# 5. Populate with enterprise focus
documcp populate-content --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --docs-path ./enterprise-docs --focus-areas security,compliance,api

Use Case 3: API Documentation

For API-focused projects:

# 1. Analyze API project
ANALYSIS_ID=$(documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth standard | jq -r '.data.id')

# 2. Get API-focused recommendation
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --priority features

# 3. Set up API documentation structure
documcp setup-structure --path ./api-docs --ssg docusaurus --include-examples

# 4. Generate API documentation configuration
documcp generate-config --ssg docusaurus --project-name "API Documentation" --output-path ./api-docs

# 5. Populate with API focus
documcp populate-content --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --docs-path ./api-docs --focus-areas api,examples,integration

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables

Set up environment variables for advanced configuration:

# GitHub token for deployment
export GITHUB_TOKEN="your_github_token"

# Custom storage directory for memory
export DOCUMCP_STORAGE_DIR="./.documcp"

# Development mode for debugging
export NODE_ENV="development"

Memory System Configuration

Configure the memory system for learning and pattern recognition:

# Initialize memory system
documcp memory initialize --storage-dir ./.documcp

# Export memories for backup
documcp memory export --format json --output ./documcp-memories.json

# Import memories from backup
documcp memory import --format json --input ./documcp-memories.json

User Preferences

Set up user preferences for personalized recommendations:

# Set user preferences
documcp preferences set --user-id "developer123" --priority performance --ecosystem javascript

# Get personalized recommendations
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --user-id "developer123"

# Export preferences
documcp preferences export --user-id "developer123" --output ./preferences.json

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue 1: Repository Analysis Fails

Problem: Permission denied: Cannot read directory

Solution:

# Check directory permissions
ls -la /path/to/repository

# Fix permissions if needed
chmod -R 755 /path/to/repository

# Run analysis again
documcp analyze-repository --path /path/to/repository --depth standard

Issue 2: SSG Recommendation Returns Low Confidence

Problem: Low confidence scores in recommendations

Solution:

# Try deeper analysis
documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth deep

# Use specific preferences
documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --priority simplicity --ecosystem any

# Check for similar projects in memory
documcp memory similar --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID

Issue 3: GitHub Pages Deployment Fails

Problem: Deployment fails with permission errors

Solution:

# Check GitHub token permissions
curl -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" https://api.github.com/user

# Ensure token has repo and pages permissions
# Regenerate token with correct permissions if needed

# Try deployment again
documcp deploy-pages --repository "user/repo" --ssg docusaurus

Issue 4: Content Population Generates Empty Content

Problem: No content is generated during population

Solution:

# Check if repository has sufficient content
documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth deep

# Ensure documentation structure exists
documcp setup-structure --path ./docs --ssg docusaurus

# Try with different population level
documcp populate-content --analysis-id $ANALYSIS_ID --docs-path ./docs --population-level comprehensive

📚 Best Practices

1. Repository Organization

• Keep your repository well-organized with clear directory structure
• Include a comprehensive README.md file
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Include package.json or equivalent dependency files

2. Documentation Structure

• Follow Diataxis framework principles
• Use clear, descriptive headings
• Include code examples and use cases
• Keep documentation up-to-date with code changes

3. Memory System Usage

• Regularly export memories for backup
• Use consistent user IDs for preference tracking
• Clean up old memories periodically
• Share memories across team members for better recommendations

4. Deployment Strategy

• Test documentation locally before deployment
• Use staging environments for testing
• Monitor deployment success rates
• Keep deployment configurations in version control

🔗 Integration Examples

GitHub Actions Integration

name: Deploy Documentation

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths: ["docs/**", "src/**"]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"

      - name: Install DocuMCP
        run: npm install -g documcp

      - name: Analyze Repository
        id: analyze
        run: |
          ANALYSIS_ID=$(documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth standard | jq -r '.data.id')
          echo "analysis_id=$ANALYSIS_ID" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Deploy Documentation
        run: |
          documcp deploy-pages --repository ${{ github.repository }} --ssg docusaurus
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Docker Integration

FROM node:20-alpine

# Install DocuMCP
RUN npm install -g documcp

# Set working directory
WORKDIR /app

# Copy project files
COPY . .

# Analyze and deploy documentation
RUN documcp analyze-repository --path . --depth standard && \
    documcp recommend-ssg --analysis-id $(documcp analyze-repository --path . | jq -r '.data.id') && \
    documcp deploy-pages --repository $REPOSITORY --ssg docusaurus

EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["documcp", "serve", "--port", "3000"]

📖 Additional Resources

• API Reference - Complete API documentation
• Configuration Guide - Detailed configuration options
• MCP Tools Reference - MCP tool specifications
• GitHub Pages Deployment - Deployment guide
• Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions

🤝 Getting Help

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• GitHub Discussions: Ask questions and share ideas
• Documentation: Check the comprehensive documentation
• API Reference: Explore the complete API documentation

Welcome to the DocuMCP community! 🎉