---
id: autodocsumm
version: "0.2.15"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# autodocsumm — Extended sphinx autodoc including automatic autosummaries

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 916.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

autodocsumm is a Sphinx extension that augments the built-in autodoc extension to automatically generate summary tables in API documentation. When you document a module, class, or function using autodoc directives, autodocsumm adds a table-of-contents-style summary listing all methods, classes, functions, and attributes at the top of the generated documentation, similar to the autosummary extension but integrated directly into autodoc output.

The extension also adds configuration options to include documentation from special methods like `__call__` (via autodata_content) and to exclude the string representation of large objects (via not_document_data). It requires only Sphinx to run and integrates by adding 'autodocsumm' to your Sphinx conf.py extensions list, then using the :autosummary: option on autodoc directives or enabling it globally via autodoc_default_options.

Use it for:

- Generate API reference docs with automatic summary tables for large module hierarchies without manual curation.
- Include __call__ method documentation in class autodoc output for callable objects and functors.
- Exclude verbose string representations of configuration dictionaries or large data structures from generated docs.
- Activate summary tables globally across all autodoc directives in a Sphinx project via conf.py configuration.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A Sphinx extension that enhances autodoc with automatic summary tables for classes, methods, functions, and attributes in generated API documentation.

Yes. Low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, permissive license, active maintenance, and production-stable status. Install if you use Sphinx autodoc and want automatic summary tables in your API documentation without manual configuration per directive.

## Install

pip install autodocsumm
uv add autodocsumm
poetry add autodocsumm

## Installing autodocsumm

Before you install: Low friction install with only Sphinx as a runtime dependency. Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit 2026-03-26 and marked as production-stable.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution and liability disclaimers.

Quickstart:

pip install autodocsumm

In conf.py:
extensions = [
    'sphinx.ext.autodoc',
    'autodocsumm',
]

Then use :autosummary: option on autodoc directives or set autodoc_default_options = {'autosummary': True}

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 916.7K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sphinx autodoc summary tables, api documentation autosummary, sphinx extension autodoc enhancement, automatic api doc tables, sphinx class method documentation, autodoc table of contents generator, sphinx-extension, api-documentation

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