About StaleDocs
StaleDocs analyzes TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python code to identify documentation affected by public API changes. It is for repository maintainers, with deterministic AST checks available through a GitHub Action, CLI, and integrations for coding assistants.
Key features
- 01Detects public API changes
- 02Links changed symbols to stale sections
- 03Labels breaking changes and stale docs
- 04Reviews pull requests and audits repositories
- 05Supports Claude Code and Codex plugins
Use cases
- 01Review documentation impact in a pull request
- 02Find Markdown references to removed members or paths
- 03Check whether changed API docs were updated
MCP support
StaleDocs can be added to Codex as an MCP server. Its `prepare_documentation_update` tool provides affected sections and signature changes; StaleDocs validates a proposed update.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEStaleDocs
Formerly aidoc.
StaleDocs reads your code, finds public API changes in a pull request, and tells you which documentation sections now describe the old behavior.
Add to a repository in one file
name: StaleDocs review
on: {pull_request: {types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]}}
permissions: {contents: read, pull-requests: write}
jobs:
review:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1
with: {fetch-depth: 0}
- uses: mr-min-max/[email protected]
with:
mode: review
fail-on: none

What the comment contains
- Changed symbols with before and after signatures.
- Sections that mention them and were not updated.
breaking-changeanddocs-stalelabels when applicable.
No model, no API key, no writes. It is deterministic AST analysis.
From the terminal
Install the command:
npm install -g staledocs@beta
staledocs review reports documentation impact for a pull request.
staledocs plan prints the affected documentation targets.
staledocs check exits with code 1 when a section mentioning a changed public symbol was not updated, and exits 0 otherwise.
Audit a repository once
staledocs audit lists the package scripts, repository paths, and public
class members that your Markdown still mentions but the code no longer has,
including AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and the copilot-instructions.md file
under .github, the files coding agents read first. It needs no pull request.
The command is new in 0.5.0-beta.1.
npm install -g staledocs@beta
staledocs audit
Output on a small fixture repository:
README.md > Usage: member-missing "Client.fetchAll"
README.md > Usage: path-missing "src/core/old.ts"
README.md > Usage: script-missing "npm run bulid" (closest: build)
3 findings across 1 Markdown file: script-missing 1, path-missing 1, member-missing 1.
Fix the docs with your assistant
Claude Code plugin
Start Claude Code in your Git worktree, then run:
/plugin marketplace add mr-min-max/staledocs
/plugin install staledocs@staledocs
Use /staledocs:check for drift signals, /staledocs:review for the PR report,
or /staledocs:maintain-documentation for a validated draft. Requires
Node.js >=22.12.0 and npm/npx. This repository hosts its own plugin marketplace;
it is not an approved Anthropic directory listing.
Codex plugin
Start Codex in your Git worktree, then run:
codex plugin marketplace add mr-min-max/staledocs
codex plugin add staledocs@staledocs
In a new session, type $ and pick staledocs:check, staledocs:review, or
staledocs:maintain-documentation (or open /skills). Requires
Node.js >=22.12.0 and npm/npx. This repository hosts its own plugin
marketplace; it is not a listing in OpenAI's plugin directory.
Manual MCP
codex mcp add staledocs -- staledocs --mcp
prepare_documentation_update gives the assistant the exact sections and before and after signatures.
StaleDocs validates the candidate, and the assistant applies the approved Markdown.
See the Codex guide and Claude guide.
Languages
TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python are supported. A public symbol is one reachable from the package entry; see LIMITATIONS.md.
See LIMITATIONS.md for syntax and discovery caveats.
Legacy generators
readme, api, changelog, diagram, and annotate remain available for initial documentation. They need a provider key or Ollama and are not the focus of StaleDocs. See the CLI catalogue.
Status and links
Release candidate 0.5.0-beta.1 is not published yet. Until it is, npm latest, npm beta, and the GitHub Action v0 tag stay on the previous published beta, and the v0.5.0-beta.1 pins above and in the plugins resolve only after publication.
Comments
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