Geistdocs — Vercel Documentation Template
You are an expert in Geistdocs, Vercel's production-ready documentation template built with Next.js 16 and Fumadocs. It provides MDX authoring, AI-powered chat, i18n, feedback collection, search, GitHub integration, and RSS out of the box. Currently in beta.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+, pnpm, GitHub account
- Familiarity with MDX, Next.js, React
Create a New Project
npx @vercel/geistdocs initThis clones the template, prompts for a project name, installs dependencies, and removes sample content.
Environment Setup
cp .env.example .env.local
pnpm dev| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY | Powers AI chat; auto-configured on Vercel deployments |
NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL | Production domain (format: localhost:3000, no protocol prefix); auto-set by Vercel |
Project Structure
geistdocs.tsx # Root config — Logo, nav, title, prompt, suggestions, github, translations
content/docs/ # MDX documentation content
getting-started.mdx # → /docs/getting-started
my-page.mdx # → /docs/my-page
my-page.cn.mdx # → /cn/docs/my-page (i18n)
.env.local # Environment variablesPages auto-route from the content/docs/ directory: content/docs/my-first-page.mdx becomes /docs/my-first-page.
Configuration (geistdocs.tsx)
The root config file exports these values:
import { BookHeartIcon } from "lucide-react";
// Header branding
export const Logo = () => (
<span className="flex items-center gap-2 font-semibold">
<BookHeartIcon className="size-5" />
My Docs
</span>
);
// Navigation links
export const nav = [
{ label: "Blog", href: "/blog" },
{ label: "GitHub", href: "https://github.com/org/repo" },
];
// Site title (used in RSS, metadata)
export const title = "My Documentation";
// AI assistant system prompt
export const prompt = "You are a helpful assistant for My Product documentation.";
// AI suggested prompts
export const suggestions = [
"How do I get started?",
"What features are available?",
];
// Edit on GitHub integration
export const github = { owner: "username", repo: "repo-name" };
// Internationalization
export const translations = {
en: { displayName: "English" },
cn: { displayName: "中文", search: "搜尋文檔" },
};MDX Syntax & Frontmatter
Every MDX file requires frontmatter:
---
title: My Page Title
description: A brief description of this page
---
Your content here...Supported Syntax
- Text: Bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code
- Headings: H1–H6 with auto anchor links
- Lists: Ordered, unordered, nested, task lists (GFM)
- Tables: GFM tables
- Links, Images, Blockquotes: Standard markdown
Code Blocks
Language specification with special attributes:
export default function Page() { return <h1>Hello</h1> // [!code highlight] }
| Attribute | Effect |
|---|---|
title="filename" | File path header |
lineNumbers | Show line numbers |
[!code highlight] | Highlight line |
[!code word:term] | Highlight term |
[!code ++] / [!code --] | Diff additions/deletions |
[!code focus] | Focus line |
Mermaid Diagrams
graph TD A[Start] --> B[Process] B --> C[End]
Supports flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and architecture diagrams.
GeistdocsProvider
Root-level wrapper extending Fumadocs' RootProvider. Provides toast notifications (Sonner), Vercel Analytics, and search dialog. The AI sidebar auto-adds padding on desktop; mobile uses a drawer.
import { GeistdocsProvider } from "./components/provider";
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
return (
<html>
<body>
<GeistdocsProvider>{children}</GeistdocsProvider>
</body>
</html>
);
}Toast API: toast.success("msg"), toast.error("msg") via Sonner.
Features
Edit on GitHub
Set github in config → auto-generates edit links in the ToC sidebar. No env vars or API keys needed.
Feedback Widget
Interactive widget in ToC sidebar. Collects message, emotion emoji, name, email. Auto-creates structured GitHub Issues with labels.
Internationalization (i18n)
Uses Fumadocs' language-aware routing with [lang] URL segments. Default language has no prefix; others get prefix (e.g., /cn/docs/getting-started).
File naming: getting-started.mdx (en), getting-started.cn.mdx (cn), getting-started.fr.mdx (fr).
Auto-translate: pnpm translate [--pattern "path/**/*.mdx"] [--config file.tsx] [--url "api-url"]
RSS Feed
Auto-generated at /rss.xml. Requires NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL and title export. Customize via frontmatter lastModified: 2025-11-12.
.md Extension (Raw Markdown)
Append .md or .mdx to any URL to get raw Markdown. Useful for AI chat platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor) and LLM context ingestion.
llms.txt
Endpoint at /llms.txt returns ALL documentation as plain Markdown in a single response. Follows the llms.txt standard.
Ask AI
AI chat assistant using openai/gpt-4.1-mini via Vercel AI Gateway. Features: search_docs tool, source citations, IndexedDB chat history, suggested prompts, file/image upload, Markdown rendering. Access via navbar button or ⌘I / Ctrl+I.
Open in Chat
Button in ToC sidebar opens docs page in external AI platforms (Cursor, v0, ChatGPT, Claude).
Deployment
- Push to GitHub
- Import at vercel.com/new → select repo
- Framework: Next.js (auto-detected), Build:
pnpm build, Output:.next - Add environment variables (
AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY,NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL) - Deploy
Key Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npx @vercel/geistdocs init | Create new project |
pnpm dev | Start dev server |
pnpm build | Production build |
pnpm translate | Auto-translate content |