Cortex combines OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, Protocol Buffer, OpenRPC, and Markdown sources. Developers get interactive documentation, applications get typed SDKs, and AI agents get an MCP server with project context.
If Cortex helps your team, [star this repository](https://github.com/cortex-docs/cortex) to support its development.
## Try Cortex in 60 seconds
Create a sample project and inspect the generation plan:
```bash
mkdir petstore
cd petstore
npm install --global @cortex-docs/cli
cortex init petstore
cortex validate
cortex generate --dry-run
```
Cortex validates each source and shows every planned output:
```text
✓ Config is valid
✓ Parsed AsyncAPI: WebSocket API
✓ Parsed GraphQL: GraphQL
✓ Parsed OpenRPC: OpenRPC
✓ Parsed OpenAPI: REST API V1
Languages: typescript, python, go, java, kotlin, ruby, php, csharp, rust, cpp, c
typescript [REST + WS + GraphQL + OpenRPC] → generated/typescript/petstore-typescript-client-sdk
python [REST + WS + GraphQL + OpenRPC] → generated/python/petstore-python-sdk
...
mcp-server → generated/mcp-server
```
The generated MCP server gives AI agents typed tools, specifications, SDK guides, and project documentation.
Generate the files. Then start the local documentation preview:
```bash
cortex generate
cortex docs serve
```
Open `http://localhost:3012`. Press `Ctrl+C` to stop the server.
## Features
- Generate SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go, Java, Kotlin, Ruby, PHP, C#, Rust, C++, and C.
- Combine multiple specification files in one generated SDK.
- Generate HTTP, WebSocket, GraphQL, gRPC, and JSON-RPC clients.
- Build static HTML documentation with interactive API reference pages.
- Generate an MCP server with typed tools, embedded specifications, SDK guides, and project documentation for AI agents.
- Add Markdown pages, SDK guides, and all API specifications to the MCP server.
- Customize generated output with sparse Eta template overrides.
- Publish generated packages and MCP servers to language registries and GitHub repositories.
## Unlimited specs. Multiple ways to use it.
Generate interactive docs for exploration, typed SDKs for integration, and MCP servers for AI agents.
| Task | Split toolchain | Cortex Docs |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Configuration | Configure SDK, documentation, and MCP generators | Declare all API sources in one project configuration |
| Generation | Coordinate separate commands and output directories | Generate all configured outputs with one command |
| Customization | Maintain templates for each generator | Override only the required Eta templates |
| Publishing | Maintain a release process for each package | Review one publish plan for registries and GitHub |
| Developer interface | Keep guides separate from API references | Combine Markdown, API references, and SDK guides |
| Agent interface | Maintain MCP servers and context separately | Generate MCP servers with specifications, SDK guides, and project documentation |
## Requirements
- Node.js 20 or later
- npm 10 or later
Some generated SDKs require the normal compiler or package manager for their target language.
## Configuration
`cortex init` creates `cortex.config.yml`. Relative paths start from the directory that contains this file.
```yaml
project: my-api
title: My API Docs
logo: ./assets/logo.svg
theme: system
primaryColor: '#ffffff'
custom_head_html: |-
sources:
- title: REST API
type: openapi-spec
spec: ./specs/openapi.yaml
intro: ./docs/rest.md
languages:
- language: typescript
package_name: '@my-org/my-api'
- language: python
package_name: my-api
- title: Realtime API
type: asyncapi-spec
spec: ./specs/asyncapi.yaml
languages:
- language: typescript
package_name: '@my-org/my-api'
- title: GraphQL API
type: graphql-spec
spec: ./specs/schema.graphql
endpoint: https://api.example.com/graphql
languages:
- language: typescript
package_name: '@my-org/my-api'
output:
base_dir: ./generated
docs:
- section: Get started
sources:
- title: Quickstart
document: ./docs/quickstart.md
mcp:
package_name: '@my-org/my-api-mcp'
```
`primaryColor` sets the documentation accent color as a six-digit hex value.
`custom_head_html` adds trusted HTML to every documentation page. This field supports metadata, stylesheets, and analytics scripts.
Store local head resources in the project `assets` directory. Cortex serves these files from `/assets/*`.
Cortex does not sanitize this value. Add only HTML that you trust.
Add `?appearance=dark` or `?appearance=light` to any documentation URL to select its initial appearance. The parameter takes priority over the project theme and the visitor's stored preference.
For example, `/docs/quickstart?appearance=dark` opens the quickstart in dark mode. The theme button can change the appearance after the page loads.
Sources that use the same language and `package_name` are merged into one SDK. Cortex rejects duplicate operation and type names that would make a merge ambiguous.
See the [configuration reference](packages/docs-site/docs/configuration.md) for all fields.
## Commands
| Command | Result |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `cortex init ` | Create a project and sample files. |
| `cortex validate` | Validate the config and every API source. |
| `cortex generate` | Generate configured SDKs and the MCP server. |
| `cortex generate --language typescript` | Generate one configured language. |
| `cortex generate --dry-run` | Show planned output without writing files. |
| `cortex docs serve` | Start the development server and watch project files. |
| `cortex docs build --output .cortex/docs` | Build static HTML documentation. |
| `cortex mcp generate` | Generate only the MCP server. |
| `cortex publish --dry-run` | Check package publication without uploading. |
| `cortex publish` | Publish enabled generated packages. |
## Protocol support
| Source | Generated SDK | Documentation | Generated MCP server |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| OpenAPI | REST clients | Interactive API reference | Callable tools and embedded specs |
| AsyncAPI | WebSocket clients | Channel and message reference | Payload-preparation tools and specs |
| GraphQL SDL | Query, mutation, and subscription clients | Operation and type reference | Callable tools and embedded schema |
| Protocol Buffer | Unary and streaming gRPC clients | Service and message reference | Embedded `.proto` resources |
| OpenRPC | JSON-RPC clients | Method and schema reference | Callable tools and embedded specs |
The generated MCP server does not call gRPC methods. It exposes Protocol Buffer files as MCP resources so an agent can inspect the service contract.
## Production documentation
The build command exports the documentation as static HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and data files.
```bash
cortex docs build --output .cortex/docs
```
Deploy the output directory to a static web host. Configure the host to resolve page URLs such as `/docs/quickstart` to `/docs/quickstart.html`.
The deployed site needs no Node.js server or access to the original configuration and specifications. Rebuild the site after source changes. Use `cortex docs serve` for a local preview with file watching.
## MCP output
```bash
cortex mcp generate --output .cortex/mcp-server
cd .cortex/mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
npm start
```
The generated package contains local copies of every configured specification. It also embeds configured Markdown and generated SDK README files as tools.
## Packages
The release workflow publishes `@cortex-docs/cli` and `@cortex-docs/mcp`. The CLI tarball includes the internal runtime workspaces.
| Package | Distribution | Purpose |
| ---------------------- | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `@cortex-docs/cli` | npm | Command-line interface and project workflow |
| `@cortex-docs/mcp` | npm | MCP server for the Cortex documentation |
| `@cortex-docs/core` | Included in CLI | Configuration loader and specification parsers |
| `@cortex-docs/codegen` | Included in CLI | SDK generation engine and language templates |
| `@cortex-docs/mcp-gen` | Included in CLI | MCP server generator |
| `@cortex-docs/docs-ui` | Included in CLI | Documentation runtime used by the CLI |
## Documentation
- [Quickstart](packages/docs-site/docs/quickstart.md)
- [Configuration](packages/docs-site/docs/configuration.md)
- [SDK generation](packages/docs-site/docs/sdk-generation.md)
- [WebSocket SDKs](packages/docs-site/docs/websocket-sdks.md)
- [GraphQL](packages/docs-site/docs/graphql.md)
- [gRPC](packages/docs-site/docs/grpc.md)
- [OpenRPC](packages/docs-site/docs/openrpc.md)
- [MCP servers](packages/docs-site/docs/mcp-servers.md)
- [Publishing](packages/docs-site/docs/publishing.md)
## Contributing and security
Read [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) and [DEVELOPMENT.md](DEVELOPMENT.md) before you open a pull request.
Report vulnerabilities through the private process in [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).
## License
Cortex Docs is available under the [MIT License](LICENSE).
If Cortex saves you time, [give the repository a star](https://github.com/cortex-docs/cortex). It helps more developers find the project.
