Writing Remotion Documentation

Documentation lives in packages/docs/docs as .mdx files.

Adding a new page

Create a new .mdx file in packages/docs/docs
Add the document to packages/docs/sidebars.ts
Write the content following guidelines below
Run bun render-cards.ts in packages/docs to generate social preview cards

One API per page: Each function or API should have its own dedicated documentation page. Do not combine multiple APIs (e.g., getEncodableVideoCodecs() and getEncodableAudioCodecs()) on a single page.

Public API only: Documentation is for public APIs only. Do not mention, reference, or compare against internal/private APIs or implementation details.

Use headings for all fields: When documenting API options or return values, each property should be its own heading. Use ### for top-level properties and #### for nested properties within an options object. Do not use bullet points for individual fields.

Language guidelines

Keep it brief: Developers don't like to read. Extra words cause information loss.
Link to terminology: Use terminology page for Remotion-specific terms.
Avoid emotions: Remove filler like "Great! Let's move on..." - it adds no information.
Separate into paragraphs: Break up long sections.
Address as "you": Not "we".
Don't blame the user: Say "The input is invalid" not "You provided wrong input".
Don't assume it's easy: Avoid "simply" and "just" - beginners may struggle.

Code snippets

Basic syntax highlighting:

```ts
const x = 1;
```

Type-safe snippets (preferred)

Use twoslash to check snippets against TypeScript:

```ts twoslash
import {useCurrentFrame} from 'remotion';
const frame = useCurrentFrame();
```

Hiding imports

Use // ---cut--- to hide setup code - only content below is displayed:

```ts twoslash
import {useCurrentFrame} from 'remotion';
// ---cut---
const frame = useCurrentFrame();
```

Adding titles

```ts twoslash title="MyComponent.tsx"
console.log('Hello');
```

Special components

Steps

- <Step>1</Step> First step
- <Step>2</Step> Second step

Experimental badge

<ExperimentalBadge>
<p>This feature is experimental.</p>
</ExperimentalBadge>

Interactive demos

<Demo type="rect"/>

Demos must be implemented in packages/docs/components/demos/index.tsx.

AvailableFrom

Use to indicate when a feature or parameter was added. No import needed - it's globally available.

## myFunction()<AvailableFrom v="4.0.123" />

For section headings:

## Saving to another cloud<AvailableFrom v="3.2.23" />

Optional parameters

For optional parameters in API documentation:

Add ? to the heading - this indicates the parameter is optional --> Don't do it if it is a CLI flag (beginning with --) - CLI flags are always optional
Do NOT add _optional_ text - the ? suffix is sufficient
Include default value in description - mention it naturally in the text

### onError?

Called when an error occurs. Default: errors are thrown.

Do NOT do this:

### onError?

_optional_

Called when an error occurs.

Combining optional and AvailableFrom

When a parameter is both optional and was added in a specific version:

### onError?<AvailableFrom v="4.0.50" />

Called when an error occurs.

"Optional since" pattern

If a parameter became optional in a specific version (was previously required):

### codec?

Optional since <AvailableFrom v="5.0.0" inline />. Previously required.

Generating preview cards

After adding or editing a page, generate social media preview cards:

cd packages/docs && bun render-cards.ts

Verifying docs compile

To check that documentation builds without errors:

# from the monorepo root
bun run build-docs

This validates MDX syntax, twoslash snippets, and broken links.

writing-docs