App Documentation Generator

Browse a running web app, screenshot every screen, and produce documentation good enough to publish. Not a screenshot dump — a structured guide that teaches someone how to use the app.

Browser Tool Detection

Same as ux-audit — Chrome MCP, Playwright MCP, or playwright-cli.

URL Resolution

Same as ux-audit — prefer deployed/live URL over localhost.

Depth Levels

Depth Screenshots What it produces Duration

quick ~10 Single-page quick-start guide. Key screens, happy path only. 10-15 min

standard ~30 Full user guide. All pages, primary workflows, reference tables. 30-60 min

thorough ~80+ Comprehensive guide. All states, mobile views, every CRUD flow, troubleshooting. 1-3 hours

exhaustive ~150+ Publishable documentation suite. Everything in thorough plus: getting started tutorial, feature-by-feature deep dives, admin guide, keyboard shortcut reference, FAQ, and HTML version. 3-6 hours

Default: standard

Workflow

1. Get App Details

Ask the user:

• App URL (required — or auto-detect from wrangler.jsonc / running dev server)

• App name (for the guide title)

• Auth — Chrome MCP uses their session; Playwright needs credentials

• Depth — quick, standard, thorough, or exhaustive

• Audience — who reads this? (end users, admins, new team members, clients)

2. Discover All Routes

Navigate the app and build a complete page inventory:

• Read the sidebar/navigation menu

• Click through all top-level items and sub-items

• Note sub-pages, tabs within pages, and nested navigation

• Check for settings, profile, admin areas, help pages

• Record the URL and purpose of each page

• Note which pages have interactive elements (forms, buttons, filters)

Create a task list to track documentation progress.

3. Document Each Page

For each page in the inventory:

a. Navigate and Prepare

• Navigate to the page

• Wait for data to load (no skeleton/spinner in screenshot)

• Resize browser to 1280x720 for consistent screenshots

• Make sure the page has realistic data — not "Test Client" or empty tables

b. Screenshot the Default State

• Take a clean screenshot showing the page populated with data

• Save to docs/screenshots/ with descriptive names

c. Write the Page Section

For each page, write:

[Page Name]

[One sentence: what this page is for and when you'd use it]

What You'll See

[Describe the key elements: sidebar shows X, main area shows Y, toolbar has Z]

What You Can Do

[List the actions available, each as a brief description]

How To: [Primary Action]

1. [Step with screenshot reference]
2. [Step]
3. [Step — screenshot the result]

Tip: [Helpful shortcut or non-obvious feature]

d. Document Key Workflows

For interactive pages, document step-by-step with screenshots at each significant step:

How To: Add a New Client

1. Click the "Add Client" button in the top right

2. Fill in the required fields — Name and Email are required, everything else is optional

3. Click "Save" — you'll be taken to the new client's detail page

Tip: You can also press Cmd+N from anywhere to create a new client.

e. Depth-Specific Extras

Extra quick standard thorough exhaustive

Empty states Skip Note Screenshot + document Screenshot + suggest improvements

Error states Skip Note Trigger + screenshot Every validation error documented

Dark mode Skip Skip Screenshot key pages Screenshot every page

Mobile (375px) Skip Skip Screenshot key pages Screenshot every page

All CRUD Skip Primary only Every operation Every operation + edge cases

Settings/config Skip List options Document each Document each with examples

Keyboard shortcuts Skip List if visible Full reference table Dedicated section

Search/filters Skip Mention Document each filter Document every combination

Permissions/roles Skip Skip Note differences Separate section per role

API/integrations Skip Skip Mention if present Document endpoints + examples

4. Write Supporting Sections

Beyond per-page documentation:

Getting Started (all depths):

Getting Started

Accessing [App Name]

• URL: [production URL]
• Supported browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Mobile: [responsive / PWA / not supported]

Logging In

[Screenshot of login page + steps]

Your First 5 Minutes

1. [First thing to do after logging in]
2. [Second thing — the quick win]
3. [Third thing — explore the main feature]

Navigation Guide (standard+):

Navigation

Sidebar

[Screenshot with annotations describing each section]

Quick Actions

• Cmd+K: Quick switcher — jump to any page or record
• Cmd+N: Create new [item] [Other shortcuts]

Breadcrumbs / Back Navigation

[How to navigate back, where breadcrumbs appear]

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference (thorough+):

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting (thorough+):

Troubleshooting

[Error message or symptom]

What it means: [explanation] How to fix: [steps]

Common Questions

[FAQ generated from what would confuse a new user — based on the documentation process itself]

Admin Guide (exhaustive):

Admin Guide

User Management

[How to invite users, set roles, remove access]

Settings Reference

| Setting | What it does | Default | Recommendation | [Every setting documented]

Data Management

[Export, import, backup, delete account]

5. Output Formats

Markdown (default): docs/USER_GUIDE.md

• Relative image paths:

• GitHub-flavoured markdown — renders on GitHub, in VS Code, in Obsidian

HTML (exhaustive depth, or on request): docs/user-guide.html

• Single self-contained HTML file with Tailwind CDN

• Screenshots as relative paths (not base64 — keeps file size sane)

• Table of contents sidebar with smooth scroll

• Print-friendly CSS (@media print )

• Dark mode support

Screenshot naming: docs/screenshots/NN-section-description.png

• Numbers for sort order: 01- , 02- , 03-

• Section prefix: 01-dashboard- , 05-clients- , 12-settings-

• Descriptive suffix: -overview.png , -add-form.png , -saved-confirmation.png

6. Mockups and Diagrams

Mix screenshots with diagrams where it helps understanding:

Workflow diagrams (text-based, no external tools):

How a Client Moves Through the System

New Enquiry → Create Client → Add Policy → Send Renewal → Archive ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ [Email] [Client Page] [Policy Page] [Email Outbox] [Archive]

Annotated screenshots: When a screenshot needs callouts, describe them in the text:

The dashboard shows:

• A (top left): Your client count and active policies
• B (centre): Items needing attention today
• C (right): Recent activity feed

UI element reference: For complex pages, a labelled diagram helps:

Editor Layout

Screenshot Quality

• Resolution: 1280x720 (desktop), 375x812 (mobile)

• Data: Realistic data. Not "Test" or "Lorem ipsum". Use the app as it would actually be used.

• Timing: Wait for data to load. No spinners, no skeleton screens in final shots.

• State: Show the page in a useful state — with data populated, relevant section expanded, key feature visible

• Consistency: Same viewport size, same zoom level, same browser throughout

• Dark mode: If documenting dark mode, switch BEFORE taking screenshots — don't mix modes in one section

Autonomy Rules

• Just do it: Navigate pages, take screenshots, read page content, write documentation

• Brief confirmation: Before writing large doc files

• Ask first: Before submitting forms with real data, before clicking delete

• Thorough/exhaustive mode: Skip confirmation for writing files and filling forms with test data

Quality Bar

The documentation should be good enough that:

• A new user can complete any task by following the guide without asking for help

• Every screenshot has context — what am I looking at? What should I do?

• Steps are atomic — one action per numbered step, never "click X and then fill in Y and Z"

• Tips reveal hidden value — shortcuts, power features, things the user wouldn't discover on their own

• Troubleshooting is real — based on actual confusing moments encountered during documentation, not hypothetical FAQs

• It's scannable — headings, screenshots, tables, tips. Nobody reads documentation top-to-bottom. They search for what they need.