Install the CLI to preview and develop your docs locally
Prerequisite: Please install Node.js before proceeding.
Install the CLI.
Run the following command to install the CLI:
Preview locally.
Navigate to your docs directory (where your docs.json
file is located) and execute the following command:
A local preview of your documentation will be available at http://localhost:3000
.
Alternatively, if you do not want to install the CLI globally, you can run a one-time script:
If your local preview is out of sync with what you see on the web in the production version, update your local CLI:
If this mint update
command is not available on your local version, re-install the CLI with the latest version:
By default, the CLI uses port 3000. You can customize the port using the --port
flag. To run the CLI on port 3333, for instance, use this command:
If you attempt to run on a port that is already in use, it will use the next available port:
While mint dev
is the most commonly used command, there are other commands you can use to manage your documentation.
The CLI can assist with validating reference links made in your documentation. To identify any broken links, use the following command:
You can use the CLI to check your OpenAPI file for errors using the following command:
You can pass in a filename (e.g. ./openapi.yaml
) or a URL (e.g. https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json
).
You can rename and update all references to files using the following command:
While developing locally, we recommend using extensions in your IDE to recognize and format MDX
files.
If you use Cursor, Windsurf, or VSCode, we recommend the MDX VSCode extension for syntax highlighting, and Prettier for code formatting.
If you use JetBrains, we recommend the MDX IntelliJ IDEA plugin for syntax highlighting, and setting up Prettier for code formatting.
Error: Could not load the "sharp" module using the darwin-arm64 runtime
This may be due to an outdated version of node. Try the following:
npm uninstall -g mint
npm install -g mint
Issue: Encountering an unknown error
Solution: Go to the root of your device and delete the ~/.mintlify
folder. Afterwards, run mint dev
again.
Error: permission denied
This is due to not having the required permissions to globally install node packages.
Solution: Try running sudo npm i -g mint
. You will be prompted for your password, which is the one you use to unlock your computer.
The local preview doesn't look the same as my docs do on the web
This is likely due to an outdated version of the CLI.
Solution: Run mint update
to get the latest changes.
mintlify vs. mint package
If you have any problems with the CLI package, you should first run npm ls -g
. This command shows what packages are globally installed on your machine.
If you have a package named mint
and a package named mintlify
installed, you should uninstall mintlify
.