Frequently asked questions
What DocsAlive tests and how, the stacks it supports, what happens to your code, fix pull requests, pricing and getting started.
The product
What does DocsAlive do?
It treats every code sample in your documentation as a test. On each release it runs the samples in an isolated sandbox against the version you ship, flags the ones a reader would trip over, and drafts a fix for your team to review. See how it works.
Is it a docs linter?
No. Linters such as Vale and markdownlint check prose style and Markdown structure. DocsAlive executes the code blocks and checks that they still work. They fit together, and the comparison shows how.
Does it use AI to decide what is broken?
No. Detection, execution and triage are deterministic and use no AI model. A language model is only involved when fix drafting is turned on, and you can run DocsAlive with it off.
How does it tell real docs bugs from noise?
Every block gets a category. Only some categories, such as api-drift, invalid-syntax and stale-output, count as likely docs bugs. Failures caused by missing context, credentials or network are kept out of the count. The finding categories page lists them all, and the results page publishes our false alarms.
Frameworks and languages
Which docs frameworks are supported?
MkDocs (including Material tabs), Mintlify, Docusaurus, ReadMe exported Markdown, and a plain Markdown and MDX fallback. Details are on supported stacks.
Which languages does it execute?
Python (including pycon sessions), JavaScript on Node 20, simple TypeScript, shell, and curl and raw HTTP blocks. JSON and TOML are validated. Go, Rust, Java, Ruby, PHP, C#, Kotlin and Swift are recognized but not executed yet, and full TypeScript and JSX execution is not available yet.
Does it check OpenAPI references?
Yes. OpenAPI files in the repository are parsed, each $ref is resolved, and operations and examples are counted. Generated API reference is checked as a spec, not counted page by page.
What about examples that need API keys?
Blocks that need credentials are classified as needs-credentials and kept out of the docs-bug count. Running them with test credentials you provide is not currently supported.
Security and data
Where does the code from my docs run?
Only inside isolated containers. Each docs page gets a fresh container that runs unprivileged with all Linux capabilities dropped and a read-only root filesystem, and it is removed when the page finishes. The full list of controls is on the Security page.
Do you keep my source code?
No. Checkouts are deleted at the end of every run, whether it succeeds or fails. Reports keep file paths, line numbers, categories and short error excerpts. Health Check reports are deleted after 90 days.
Do you train models on my code or docs?
No. When fix drafting is on, the affected docs page, the failing snippet and its error output are sent to the model provider your organization approves. Your application source code is not sent.
What GitHub permissions does the app need?
Read access to metadata, and write access to contents, pull requests, checks and commit statuses. Fix commits go only to docsalive/fix-* branches, and you choose which repositories the app can see.
Fix pull requests
Will it merge changes on its own?
No. Fix PRs open as drafts on our own branches and DocsAlive is designed not to merge. Your team reviews and merges, or you can turn fix drafting off and use checks and reports only.
Are the drafted fixes tested?
Yes. Each drafted fix is re-run in the same sandbox, and the draft PR shows the error before the change and the result after it.
Pricing and getting started
How much does it cost?
Free for public open-source docs. Team is $299 a month and Growth is $699 a month. Scale starts at $1,499 a month and is quoted. There is no per-seat pricing. Full limits are on the pricing page.
What counts as a docs page?
One Markdown or MDX file in your docs tree.
How do I get started?
Choose Team or Growth and subscribe online through Stripe. We then contact you, review the setup of your docs with you and connect your repository. For Scale, contact us.
Can I try it on my docs first?
Yes. Send us a public repository you own or maintain, and our team runs the full engine on up to 40 of its docs pages and emails you the real report within 2 business days. See the free health check.
Is there an uptime or support SLA?
No uptime or support-response SLA applies unless it is agreed in writing. Support is by email on Team and priority email on Growth.
Still have a question?
Email reaches the people building DocsAlive. Security questionnaires and DPA requests go to the security address.