Getting Started

Setting up Doc Holiday is the proverbial piece of cake!

1. Install Doc Holiday

For GitHub:

• Go to the Doc Holiday app installation page for GitHub and select the organization and repositories you want to connect. The options shown will be based upon the permissions of the currently logged in GitHub user.
  • Doc Holiday will index and vectorize your code, commit histories, pull requests, and related docs to generate accurate documentation and release notes.

For GitLab:

• In GitLab, create a project access token.
• Go to the Connections page in Doc Holiday, click “Add Connection,” select “GitLab” and enter your project details and token.

2. Define Connections

• Set up connections for each repository or external knowledge base you want Doc Holiday to use as a source, target, or contextual reference. If the code and documentation live in the same repository, then only one connection is required.
• For each connection, provide a recognizable name, select the desired resource, and follow the authentication instructions for that provider.
• For repositories, specify the desired branch for pull requests to target, if needed (defaults to ‘main’).

3. Define Publications

• Add at least one Publication to specify which connections will be read from (inputs) and which will be written to (targets).
• For each Publication, configure:
  • Name: Internal reference for your Publication
  • Source(s): Connections containing relevant source information
  • Target(s): Connections for documentation and release notes output
  • Style Guide (optional but highly recommended): Link to a public URL, Google Drive, or Notion style guide
  • React To: Select activities that should trigger Doc Holiday to write (e.g., Pull Requests, Issues, Issue Comments, Releases, Workflow Runs)
  • Write: Specify what kind of output to generate (Documentation or Release Notes)

Note: Doc Holiday can react to workflow run events in GitHub repositories (GitHub Actions). When setting up a Publication, select one or more GitHub workflows as automation triggers. Doc Holiday will automatically generate documentation or release notes based on the outcome of those workflow runs.

Global Style Guide (Optional)

• Set a global style guide during onboarding or later at https://app.doc.holiday/settings/config
• The global style guide is optional and applies in addition to any publication-specific style guides
• For Google Docs links, either make the document public or connect Google Drive and share the document with the service account used for Doc Holiday

4. Configure (Optional)

• You can further customize file inclusion/exclusion by adding a .doc.holiday/config file to your repository.
• For more information, see Configuration.

5. Let’s Ride!

Doc Holiday will now generate and update release notes and documentation automatically based on your Publications and selected reaction triggers. To interact directly, mention @doc.holiday or @sandgarden in issues, pull requests, or release events — Doc Holiday will do the rest!

Troubleshooting Tips:

• If a connection is not syncing or a document is missing, ensure repository access and credentials are valid for each integration.
• Check that your style guide is accessible (for Google Docs, be sure your service account has access).
• For time-windowed documentation (e.g., “generate release notes for this past week”), make sure your .doc.holiday/config matches the files and folders you want indexed.

Enjoy effortless and world-class documentation and release notes with Doc Holiday! :rocket: