installation.mdx

title	Install the CLI
description	Use the CLI to preview docs locally, test changes in real-time, and catch issues before deploying your documentation site.
keywords	CLI npm local development Node.js pnpm mint dev broken links accessibility

Use the CLI to preview your documentation locally as you write and edit. View changes in real-time before deploying, test your documentation site's appearance and features, and catch issues like broken links or accessibility problems.

The CLI also has utilities for maintaining your documentation, including commands to rename files, validate OpenAPI specifications, and migrate content between formats.

Prerequisites

• Node.js v20.17.0+ (LTS versions recommended) installed
• Git installed
• Your documentation repository cloned locally

Clone your repository

1. Go to the [Git settings](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/git-settings) page of your dashboard. 2. Note your repository location. It is one of these formats: - `mintlify-community/docs-{org-name}-{id}` (Mintlify-hosted repository) - `your-org/your-repo` (your own GitHub repository) Replace `your-org/your-repo` with your actual repository details from [Git settings](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/git-settings).

```bash
git clone https://github.com/your-org/your-repo
cd your-repo
```

<Tip>
  **GitHub App required.** To enable automatic deployments when you push changes, you must install the GitHub app. See [GitHub](/deploy/github) for more information.
</Tip>

You can clone your repository as a private or public repository. Public repositories are visible to anyone who navigates to the repository URL. Private repositories are only visible to people in your organization.

On the [Git settings](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/git-settings) page of your dashboard, select **Clone as private** or **Clone as public**.

Install the CLI

Run the following command to install the CLI:

```bash npm npm i -g mint ```

pnpm add -g mint

Preview locally

Navigate to your documentation directory containing your docs.json file and run:

mint dev

A local preview of your documentation is available at http://localhost:3000.

Alternatively, if you do not want to install the CLI globally, you can run a one-time script:

npx mint dev

Custom ports

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:

mint dev --port 3333

If you attempt to run on a port that is already in use, the CLI uses the next available port:

Port 3000 is already in use. Trying 3001 instead.

Skip OpenAPI processing

If you have many OpenAPI files, skip OpenAPI file processing during local development to improve performance by using the --disable-openapi flag:

mint dev --disable-openapi

Preview as a specific group

If you use group-based access control to restrict access to your documentation, you can preview as a specific authentication group by using the --groups [groupname] flag.

For example, if you have a group named admin, you can preview as a member of that group with the command:

mint dev --groups admin

Create a new project

To create a new documentation project, run the following command:

mint new [directory]

This command clones the starter kit into a specified directory. If you do not specify a directory, the CLI tool prompts you to create a new subdirectory or overwrite the current directory.

Overwriting the current directory deletes any existing files.

The CLI tool prompts you for a project name and theme to finish setting up your project.

Flags

Flag	Description	Required
--name	Set the name of the new project.	Yes
--theme	Set the theme of the new project.	Yes
--force	Overwrite the current directory without prompting, even if it contains existing files.	No

When running mint new in non-interactive environments like CI/CD pipelines or with AI coding agents, you must provide all required flags (--name and --theme).

The CLI automatically detects non-interactive environments. If required flags are missing, it outputs usage instructions instead of hanging on prompts.

Update the CLI

If your local preview is out of sync with what you see on the web in the production version, update your local CLI:

mint update

If this mint update command is not available on your local version, re-install the CLI with the latest version:

```bash npm npm i -g mint@latest ```

```bash pnpm
pnpm add -g mint@latest
```

Additional commands

Find broken links

Identify any broken internal links with the following command:

mint broken-links

The command ignores files matching .mintignore patterns. Links that point to ignored files are reported as broken.

To also check anchor links like /path/to/page#anchor, use the --check-anchors flag:

mint broken-links --check-anchors

Find accessibility issues

Test the color contrast ratios and search for missing alt text on images and videos in your documentation with the following command:

mint a11y

Use flags to check for specific accessibility issues.

# Check only for missing alt text
mint a11y --skip-contrast

# Check only for color contrast issues
mint a11y --skip-alt-text

Validate documentation build

Validate your documentation build in strict mode, which exits with an error if there are any warnings or errors. Use this command for CI/CD pipelines to prevent broken documentation deployments.

mint validate

Use flags to configure the validation command.

• --groups [groupname]: Mock user groups for validation (useful when testing group-based access control)
• --disable-openapi: Disable OpenAPI file generation during validation

Check OpenAPI spec

Check your OpenAPI file for errors with the following command:

mint openapi-check <OpenAPI filename or URL>

Pass a filename (for example, ./openapi.yaml) or a URL (for example, https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json).

Rename files

Rename and update all references to files with the following command:

mint rename <path/to/old-filename> <path/to/new-filename>

Migrate MDX endpoint pages

Migrate MDX endpoint pages to autogenerated pages from your OpenAPI specification with the following command:

mint migrate-mdx

This command converts individual MDX endpoint pages to autogenerated pages defined in your docs.json, moves MDX content to the x-mint extension in your OpenAPI specification, and updates your navigation. See Migrating from MDX for detailed information.

Formatting

While developing locally, we recommend using extensions in your IDE to recognize and format MDX files.

If you use Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code, we recommend the MDX VS Code 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.

Troubleshooting

This may be due to an outdated version of Node.js. Try the following:

1. Remove the currently installed version of the mint CLI: `npm uninstall -g mint`
2. Upgrade to Node.js v20.17.0+.
3. Reinstall the mint CLI: `npm install -g mint`

**Solution**: Go to the root of your device and delete the `~/.mintlify` folder. Afterwards, run `mint dev` again. 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.

This is likely due to an outdated version of the CLI.

Solution: Run mint update to get the latest changes. 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 don't use npm or don't see it in the -g list, try `which mint` to locate the installation.

If you have a package named `mint` and a package named `mintlify` installed, you should uninstall `mintlify`.

1. Uninstall the old package:
```bash
  npm uninstall -g mintlify
```
2. Clear your npm cache:
```bash
  npm cache clean --force
```
3. Reinstall the new package:
```bash
npm i -g mint
```

If you run `mint version` and the client version displays as `none`, the CLI may be unable to download the client application due to a corporate firewall or VPN blocking the download.

**Solution:** Ask your IT administrator to whitelist `releases.mintlify.com` to enable local development with the CLI.