openapi-spec-generator
OpenAPI / Swagger Specification Generator
Generate complete, valid OpenAPI 3.x or Swagger 2.0 specifications from descriptions, code, or partial specs.
Workflow
Step 1 — Gather Context
Before writing any YAML/JSON, ask (or infer from context) the following:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| OpenAPI 3.x or Swagger 2.0? | Different info, servers/host, components/definitions structure |
| Output format: YAML or JSON? | YAML default unless user specifies JSON |
| What does this API do? | Sets info.title, info.description, tags |
| List of endpoints (or code to extract from)? | Core paths object |
| Authentication type(s)? | securitySchemes — see reference |
| Common data models or entities? | components/schemas / definitions |
| Any existing partial spec to extend? | Merge rather than overwrite |
If the user provides code (Express routes, FastAPI, Django URLs, Spring controllers, etc.), extract endpoints automatically — do not ask what the user already told you.
Step 2 — Build the Spec
Follow the structure guide for the chosen version. Always produce a complete, valid spec — never leave placeholder comments like # TODO: add schema.
OpenAPI 3.x Skeleton
openapi: "3.1.0"
info:
title: <API Title>
version: "1.0.0"
description: <Short description>
contact:
name: <Team or Author>
email: <contact@example.com>
servers:
- url: https://api.example.com/v1
description: Production
- url: https://staging-api.example.com/v1
description: Staging
tags:
- name: <Tag>
description: <Tag description>
paths:
/resource:
get:
summary: List resources
operationId: listResources
tags: [<Tag>]
parameters: []
responses:
"200":
description: Success
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: "#/components/schemas/ResourceList"
example:
items: []
total: 0
"401":
$ref: "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
"500":
$ref: "#/components/responses/InternalError"
security:
- BearerAuth: []
components:
schemas: {}
responses:
Unauthorized:
description: Authentication required
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: "#/components/schemas/Error"
InternalError:
description: Internal server error
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: "#/components/schemas/Error"
securitySchemes: {}
Swagger 2.0 Skeleton
swagger: "2.0"
info:
title: <API Title>
version: "1.0.0"
description: <Short description>
host: api.example.com
basePath: /v1
schemes: [https]
consumes: [application/json]
produces: [application/json]
tags: []
paths: {}
definitions: {}
securityDefinitions: {}
Step 3 — Schemas and Models
- Always use
$reffor any schema used in more than one place. - Include
exampleorexampleson every schema and response body. - Mark required fields with the
requiredarray. - Use
nullable: true(OAS 3.0) orx-nullable: true(Swagger 2.0) for optional nullable fields. - Prefer
formatkeywords:int32,int64,float,date,date-time,uuid,email,uri,byte,binary.
Common schema patterns:
# Pagination wrapper
PagedResult:
type: object
required: [items, total, page, pageSize]
properties:
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: "#/components/schemas/Resource"
total:
type: integer
format: int64
example: 100
page:
type: integer
format: int32
example: 1
pageSize:
type: integer
format: int32
example: 20
# Standard error
Error:
type: object
required: [code, message]
properties:
code:
type: string
example: RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND
message:
type: string
example: The requested resource was not found.
details:
type: object
additionalProperties: true
# Timestamps mixin (use allOf)
Timestamps:
type: object
properties:
createdAt:
type: string
format: date-time
updatedAt:
type: string
format: date-time
Step 4 — Security Schemes
Read references/security-schemes.md for detailed patterns. Quick reference:
| Scheme | OAS 3.x type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bearer JWT | http, scheme bearer |
Most common for REST APIs |
| API Key (header) | apiKey, in header |
e.g. X-API-Key |
| API Key (query) | apiKey, in query |
Avoid — leaks in logs |
| OAuth 2 | oauth2 |
Use flows to define grant types |
| Basic Auth | http, scheme basic |
Only over HTTPS |
| OpenID Connect | openIdConnect |
Provide openIdConnectUrl |
Apply security globally at the root and override per-operation only where it differs (e.g., public endpoints use security: []).
Step 5 — Parameters
Path parameters — always required: true:
parameters:
- name: userId
in: path
required: true
schema:
type: string
format: uuid
example: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000
Query parameters — document defaults and enums:
- name: status
in: query
schema:
type: string
enum: [active, inactive, pending]
default: active
Headers — include X-Request-ID, correlation IDs, etc. as common parameters defined under components/parameters.
Step 6 — Response Codes
Always include at minimum:
| Code | When |
|---|---|
200 |
Successful GET, PUT, PATCH |
201 |
Successful POST that creates a resource |
204 |
Successful DELETE (no body) |
400 |
Validation / bad request |
401 |
Missing or invalid auth |
403 |
Authenticated but not authorized |
404 |
Resource not found |
409 |
Conflict (duplicate, state mismatch) |
422 |
Unprocessable entity (semantic errors) |
429 |
Rate limited |
500 |
Internal server error |
Use $ref to components/responses for 401, 403, 404, 429, 500 to avoid repetition.
Step 7 — Quality Checklist
Before delivering the spec, verify:
-
openapiorswaggerversion field present - Every path has at least one operation
- Every operation has
operationId(camelCase, unique) - Every operation has at least one
200/201/204response -
4xxand5xxresponses defined for all operations - All
$reftargets exist incomponents/ordefinitions/ - Required fields listed in
requiredarray for all request/response bodies - Security schemes defined AND applied
- At least one
exampleper schema or response body - Tags defined at root level to match operation tags
- No orphaned schemas (everything in
components/schemasis referenced)
Step 8 — Output
- Emit the complete YAML (or JSON) spec in a code block labeled
yamlorjson. - After the spec, provide a brief summary table of endpoints generated.
- Offer to:
- Export as
.yaml/.jsonfile - Validate against Spectral or swagger-parser
- Generate mock server config (Prism)
- Generate client SDK stubs (language of choice)
- Export as
Extracting from Code
When the user provides source code, extract:
Express / Koa / Fastify (Node.js)
- Look for
.get(),.post(),.put(),.patch(),.delete()calls - Route params
:param→ path parameter{param} - Middleware like
authenticate→ note security requirement req.body,req.query,req.paramsusage → infer request schema
FastAPI / Flask (Python)
- Decorators:
@app.get(),@router.post(), etc. - Pydantic models → translate directly to JSON Schema
Query(),Path(),Body()→ map to parameter location
Spring Boot (Java)
@GetMapping,@PostMapping, etc.@PathVariable,@RequestParam,@RequestBody- DTO classes → schemas
Django REST Framework
ViewSetandRouter→ CRUD endpointsSerializerfields → schema properties
Rails
routes.rbresource routes → standard REST endpoints- Strong params → request body schema
Reference Files
references/security-schemes.md— Detailed security scheme examples for all auth typesreferences/common-patterns.md— Pagination, HATEOAS, problem+json, webhooks, file upload patterns
Read these when the user asks about a specific pattern or when generating complex auth/pagination setups.
After Completing the OpenAPI/Swagger Specification design
Once the OpenAPI/Swagger Specification output is delivered, ask the user:
"Would you like me to generate API test cases for this design? (yes/no)"
If the user says yes:
- Check if the API Test Case Generator skill is available in the installed skills list
- If the skill is available:
- Read and follow the instructions in the API Test Case Generator skill
- Use the specification output above as the input
- If the skill is NOT available:
- Inform the user: "It looks like the API Documentation skill isn't installed. You can install it and re-run.
If the user says no:
- End the task here