---
id: docstring-parser-fork
version: "0.0.16"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# docstring-parser-fork — Parse Python docstrings in reST, Google and Numpydoc format

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.3M/mo

## What it is and what it does

docstring_parser_fork is a maintained fork of the docstring_parser library that extracts structured information from Python docstrings written in multiple formats. It parses ReST, Google, Numpydoc, and Epydoc-style docstrings and returns an object model with fields for short and long descriptions, parameters, return types, raises clauses, and other metadata. The fork claims to fix bugs the upstream library has not addressed and adds additional functionality; specific differences are documented in its CHANGELOG.md.

The package has no runtime dependencies and installs cleanly. It supports Python 3.8 through 3.14 and is actively maintained. It is useful in documentation generation pipelines, code analysis tools, and any workflow that needs to programmatically extract and process docstring content.

Use it for:

- Automated documentation generation tools that need to parse and restructure docstrings from existing code
- Code quality and linting tools that validate docstring format and completeness
- IDE plugins or editor extensions that display parameter and return type hints extracted from docstrings
- API documentation generators that convert docstrings into structured documentation formats
- Static analysis tools that cross-reference docstring declarations with actual function signatures

## Worth the install?

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

Parses Python docstrings in ReST, Google, Numpydoc, and Epydoc formats, extracting structured metadata like parameters, return types, and exceptions.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no dependencies, installs cleanly, carries a permissive MIT license, and solves a concrete problem—parsing docstrings into structured data. The fork explicitly addresses upstream bugs. Install it if you need programmatic access to docstring metadata; verify against the CHANGELOG.md that the fork's fixes and additions matter for your use case.

## Install

pip install docstring-parser-fork
uv add docstring-parser-fork
poetry add docstring-parser-fork

## Installing docstring-parser-fork

Before you install: Low friction install with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-07-03, with recent activity and a moderate user base.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for both open-source and proprietary projects.

Quickstart:

pip install docstring_parser_fork

from docstring_parser import parse

docstring = parse("""
:param name: description
:raises ValueError: if invalid
""")
print(docstring.params[0].arg_name)
print(docstring.raises[0].type_name)

Verify before relying:

- Whether bug fixes in this fork are material to your use case compared to the upstream library
- Whether the fork's additional functionalities beyond upstream are documented in CHANGELOG.md

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.3M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

parse python docstrings, extract docstring metadata, docstring parser rest google numpydoc, parse function documentation, docstring analysis tool, extract parameters from docstrings, docstring format converter, docstring-parsing, code-analysis, documentation-tools

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