Creating a Documentation Site

Don't have a GitHub repo, or want to try Docsbook first? Go to docsbook.io/create instead — you can generate a draft site from a website URL or just a text idea, and preview it before creating any account. Come back to this guide when you want to connect an existing GitHub repo.

What You'll Need#

Before starting, ensure you have:

• A computer with internet access — any OS works (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• A free GitHub account — this is where your documentation files will live

If you don't have a GitHub account yet, go to github.com and click Sign up — it's free and takes about two minutes.

What is GitHub? GitHub is a website where people store and share files — especially for documentation and software projects. Think of it like Google Drive, designed for text files and code. Docsbook reads your files from GitHub and turns them into a documentation website.

Step 1 — Create a GitHub Account (skip if you already have one)#

1. Go to github.com
2. Click Sign up in the top-right corner
3. Enter your email address and choose a password
4. Choose a username — this will appear in your docs URL (e.g. docsbook.io/your-username/your-repo)
5. Verify your email address

Step 2 — Create a Repository for Your Documentation#

What is a repository? A repository (or "repo") is like a folder on GitHub. It stores all your documentation files. You'll need one repository per documentation site.

Option A — Start with an Example (Recommended for beginners)#

Copy one of our ready-made example repositories. This is called forking — it creates your own copy of the repository that you can edit.

1. Go to github.com/docsbook-io/docs

2. You'll see a page with files and a description

   

3. Click the Fork button in the top-right corner of the page

   What does Fork mean? "Forking" means making your own copy of someone else's repository. It's like pressing "Duplicate" on a Google Doc. Your copy is independent — changes you make won't affect the original.

4. A dialog appears. Leave all settings as they are and click Create fork

   

5. After a moment, GitHub takes you to your new repository at github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/docs

   

Done. You now have a repository with example documentation files ready to edit.

Option B — Start from Scratch#

If you prefer to begin with a blank slate:

1. Sign in to GitHub

2. Go to github.com/new

   

3. Fill in the form:

   • Repository name — choose a short name with no spaces, e.g. my-docs or product-docs
   • Description — optional, a brief description of what this is
   • Visibility — select Public (Docsbook requires public repositories)
   • Check Add a README file — this creates your homepage

4. Click Create repository

   

5. Your new repository opens. It contains one file: README.md

Step 3 — Connect Your Repository to Docsbook#

Connect your GitHub repository to Docsbook to create your documentation site.

1. Go to docsbook.io/connect

   

2. Choose a sign-in method — GitHub, Google, Apple, or email (one-time code) — and complete the sign-in flow

3. If you signed in with Google, Apple, or email, Docsbook prompts you to authorize GitHub access. Click Authorize docsbook

   Docsbook only reads your repository files — it cannot modify or delete anything.

4. You'll see a list of your repositories. Find the one you just created and click on it

   

5. Docsbook creates your documentation site. You'll be redirected to it automatically.

Your documentation site is now live at:

docsbook.io/YOUR-GITHUB-USERNAME/YOUR-REPO-NAME

Step 4 — Edit Your Documentation#

There are three ways to edit your documentation files. Choose the one that feels most comfortable.

Option A — Edit Directly on GitHub (Easiest, no setup needed)#

Edit files in your browser on GitHub — no software to install.

Edit an existing page#

1. Go to your repository on GitHub (e.g. github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/docs)

2. Click on the file you want to edit, for example README.md

   

3. Click the pencil icon (✏️) near the top-right of the file content

   

4. The file opens in an editor. Make your changes.

   Your documentation uses Markdown — a simple way to format text. For example: **bold** becomes bold, # Heading becomes a large heading. See the Markdown guide below for more.

   

4.1 Learn how to edit Markdown files with pretty customization

5. When you're done editing, scroll down to the Commit changes section

6. Optionally, write a short note describing what you changed (e.g. "Update introduction")

7. Click Commit changes

   

8. Go back to your Docsbook site and refresh — your changes appear immediately.

Add a new page#

1. Go to your repository on GitHub

2. Click Add file → Create new file

   

3. In the Name your file field, type the path and filename. For example: guides/installation.md

   Typing a / in the name automatically creates a folder. For example, guides/installation.md creates a guides folder with installation.md inside.

   

4. Write your content in the editor below

5. Click Commit new file

   

The new page appears in your Docsbook sidebar automatically.

Delete a page#

1. Open the file in your repository

2. Click the ⋯ (three dots) menu icon near the top-right

   

3. Click Delete file

4. Click Commit changes to confirm

Option B — Edit with Claude Code (AI-assisted, no terminal needed)#

Claude Code is an AI coding assistant that can read, create, and edit your documentation files through conversation — no terminal commands or Git knowledge required. Useful for producing a lot of content quickly.

Setup (one time)#

1. Go to claude.ai/code and download Claude Code

2. Install it following the on-screen instructions

3. Open Claude Code and say:

   "Clone my GitHub repository github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/YOUR-REPO-NAME to my computer and open it"

   Claude handles the rest — no terminal needed.

Creating and editing documentation#

Describe what you want in the chat panel:

Create a new page

"Create a new file called guides/installation.md with a getting started guide. Include sections for system requirements, installation steps, and first login."

Edit an existing page

"Open guides/quick-start.md and add a Troubleshooting section at the end with 5 common problems and solutions."

Rewrite or improve

"Read guides/quick-start.md and make it shorter — aim for someone with no technical background."

Create multiple pages at once

"Create the following pages: guides/faq.md with 10 billing questions, and api/overview.md with a REST API overview."

Claude writes the content and saves the files. Review the result and ask for adjustments if needed.

Save and publish your changes#

When you're done, tell Claude:

"Commit all changes and push to GitHub."

Claude runs the necessary commands for you. Your Docsbook site updates within seconds.

Option C — Edit on the page itself (no GitHub, no install)#

Once your site is connected, you can edit it from the page you are looking at, inside the Docsbook AI chat.

1. Open your project in the chat and put the preview beside it (split view).
2. Switch the bar above the preview from Preview to Edit.
3. Click any block on the page — a panel opens with what you can do to it.

From that panel you can rewrite the block with AI, edit its text directly, make it more concise, expand it, turn it into a widget, or remove it. Dragging a block by its handle moves it to another position; the page shows the pending order until you Save or Revert.

Every action goes to the assistant as an ordinary instruction and is committed to your source repository like any other change — nothing is applied silently behind your back.

When to use it: small corrections and reordering while you are reading the page. For writing several pages at once, Option B is faster.

Connect your docs#

After, you should connect your repository. Go to docsbook.io/connect — this page lets you sign in and select a repository at any time.

Markdown Basics#

Docsbook uses Markdown — a simple set of symbols that control how text is formatted. Here's everything you need to know:

Text formatting#

Headings#

# Large heading (page title)
## Medium heading (section)
### Small heading (sub-section)

Lists#

- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item (indent with 2 spaces)
 
1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Links#

[Click here](https://example.com)
[Link to another page in your docs](/docs/fr/guides/getting-started/other-page)

Images#

![Description of image](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docsbook-io/docs/main/guides/getting-started/images/my-screenshot.png)

Code blocks#

Use triple backticks to show code with syntax highlighting:

```javascript
console.log("Hello!")
```

Callout / Quote#

> This is a note or important callout.

Your Docs Site Structure#

Docsbook builds the sidebar navigation automatically from your file and folder structure. There's nothing to configure.

Tips:

• File and folder names become the page titles (hyphens are replaced with spaces)
• README.md inside a folder becomes the index page for that folder
• Lowercase names with hyphens produce cleaner URLs: getting-started.md → /getting-started

Next Steps#

• Managing Your Documentation Site
• Setting Up a Custom Domain
• PRO and PRO+ plans