Getting Started

This guide walks you through creating your first Syntext documentation site. By the end, you'll have a live docs site with hot-reload development and production deployment.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ or Bun installed
• A code editor (VS Code recommended)
• A terminal

Installation

Install the Syntext CLI globally:

curl -fsSL https://get.syntext.dev | sh

brew install syntext-dev/tap/stx

npm install -g @syntext/cli

Verify the installation:

stx --version

Create Your First Docs Site

Step 1: Initialize

Navigate to your project directory and run:

cd my-project
stx init --name "My Docs" --create

This creates the following structure:

my-project/
├── syntext.json   # Site configuration
├── docs/
│   ├── index.mdx         # Home page
│   └── guides/
│       └── getting-started.mdx
└── public/               # Static assets

Step 2: Start Development

stx dev

This deploys a preview build and outputs your URL:

✓ Preview: https://dev--my-project.syntext.dev

The preview updates automatically as you save files.

Step 3: Edit Your First Page

Open docs/index.mdx and make changes. The browser updates instantly.

---
title: Welcome to My Docs
description: Get started with our product.
---

# Welcome

This is my documentation site powered by Syntext.

<Note>
Edit this file at `docs/index.mdx` to customize your home page.
</Note>

Step 4: Deploy to Production

When you're ready to publish:

stx deploy

Your docs are now live at your-project-docs.syntext.dev.

Project Layouts

Syntext supports two project layouts:

Standalone Docs Repo

Configuration at the repository root:

my-docs/
├── syntext.json
├── docs/
├── public/
└── openapi.json

Embedded in App Repo

Documentation inside .syntext/ or .stx/:

my-api/
├── src/
├── package.json
└── .syntext/
    ├── syntext.json
    ├── docs/
    └── public/

The CLI auto-detects which layout is in use. Commands like stx dev and stx deploy work identically in both cases.

Next Steps