Quickstart: Deploy in 5 Minutes

Deploy a docs site with just two files: docs.json and one MDX page.

Prerequisites

You'll need:

A GitHub account
A repository with your documentation (or we'll create one)

If you're moving from Mintlify or another docs platform, see the Migration Guide.

Option 1: Start from the Starter Template

The fastest way to get started. The starter template includes sample content, an OpenAPI spec, and examples of every component so you can see how things work before replacing them with your own content.

Create a Jamdesk Account

Go to dashboard.jamdesk.com and sign up with GitHub.

Create a Project from Template

Click New Project → From Template → Starter Docs.

Jamdesk creates a GitHub repository for you with everything pre-configured.

You're Live

Your docs are deployed to your-project.jamdesk.app. Edit the MDX files, push, and the site rebuilds automatically.

You can also clone the starter directly: git clone https://github.com/jamdesk/starter-docs.git my-docs

Option 2: Connect an Existing Repository

Already have a repo with docs? Connect it directly.

Create a Jamdesk Account

Go to dashboard.jamdesk.com and sign up with GitHub.

Create a Project

Click New Project and connect your repository.

Select your GitHub repository
Choose the branch to deploy
Jamdesk detects your docs.json automatically

You're Live

Your docs are deployed to your-project.jamdesk.app with llms.txt auto-generated so AI tools can read your docs.

Every push to your connected branch triggers an automatic rebuild.

What's in a Docs Project

A minimal Jamdesk project has two things:

my-docs/
├── docs.json           # Configuration
└── introduction.mdx    # Your first page

docs.json

The configuration file that defines your site:

{
  "$schema": "https://jamdesk.com/docs.json",
  "name": "My Docs",
  "theme": "jam",
  "navigation": {
    "groups": [
      {
        "group": "Getting Started",
        "pages": ["introduction"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

MDX Pages

Documentation pages written in MDX:

---
title: Introduction
description: Welcome to the docs
---

# Welcome

This is your first documentation page.

Local Development (Optional)

The Jamdesk CLI lets you preview changes locally before pushing to GitHub. This is helpful for catching MDX syntax errors, but it's not required.

Prefer not to install anything? Skip this section. Edit your MDX files, commit, and push—your docs will build automatically.

Preview changes locally:

npm install -g jamdesk
cd my-docs
jamdesk dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to see your docs with hot reload.

Add More Pages

Create a new MDX file:

---
title: Getting Started
description: Learn the basics
---

Your content here...

Add it to docs.json:

{
  "navigation": {
    "groups": [
      {
        "group": "Getting Started",
        "pages": ["introduction", "getting-started"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Push to GitHub - your new page deploys automatically.

Custom Domain

Add your own domain in Settings → Domains:

Enter your domain (e.g., docs.example.com)
Add the DNS records shown
Wait for verification (up to 48 hours)

SSL certificates are provisioned automatically. Full guide →

What's Next?

End-to-End Tutorial

Full workflow from setup to custom domain

MDX Basics

Write documentation in MDX

Components

Explore available components

Configuration Reference

All docs.json options