docutils
Docutils -- Python Documentation Utilities
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you work with reStructuredText or need to process plaintext documentation into multiple formats. It is stable, actively maintained, has zero dependencies, and is widely used in Python's own documentation ecosystem. The unclear license treatment warrants verification before use in proprietary projects, but the package itself is mature and low-risk to install.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained with a release 79 days ago.
License · maintenance · safety
(unclear) — License treatment is unclear—the package is marked as public domain in its README but classifiers list BSD, GPL, and public domain. Verify the actual license terms before use in proprietary projects.
last release 2026-05-27 (79 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 225,584,924 downloads/mo, #183 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install docutils
docutils input.rst output.html- Exact license terms and which license applies to the codebase (public domain vs. BSD vs. GPL).
- Whether optional dependencies (Pygments, PIL, myst, pycmark, recommonmark) are needed for your specific use case.
What it is and what it does
Docutils is a modular system for processing plaintext documentation, primarily reStructuredText, into formatted output. It provides both command-line tools for batch conversion and a Python API for programmatic use. The package converts documents to HTML, XML, LaTeX, and other formats, making it a foundation for documentation pipelines and a core component of Python's documentation toolchain.
The package has no required runtime dependencies, making it lightweight to install. Optional enhancements are available through packages like Pygments for syntax highlighting and PIL for image manipulation. It requires Python 3.9 or later and is actively maintained with broad language support across its classifiers.
Use it for
- Convert reStructuredText documentation files to HTML for static site generation or publishing.
- Process Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs) and other plaintext markup into formatted documents.
- Build a documentation pipeline that transforms source markup into multiple output formats programmatically.
- Syntax-highlight code blocks in documentation when Pygments is installed.
- Extract and format inline documentation from Python modules with namespace context.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you work with reStructuredText or need to process plaintext documentation into multiple formats.
It is stable, actively maintained, has zero dependencies, and is widely used in Python's own documentation ecosystem. The unclear license treatment warrants verification before use in proprietary projects, but the package itself is mature and low-risk to install.
Install
docutils on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with a release 79 days ago. Supports current Python versions (3.9+).
Requires Python 3.9 or later.
License in practice
License treatment is unclear—the package is marked as public domain in its README but classifiers list BSD, GPL, and public domain. Verify the actual license terms before use in proprietary projects.
Quickstart
pip install docutils
docutils input.rst output.htmlVerify before relying
- Exact license terms and which license applies to the codebase (public domain vs. BSD vs. GPL).
- Whether optional dependencies (Pygments, PIL, myst, pycmark, recommonmark) are needed for your specific use case.
Package facts
| License | Not declared unclear |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 79 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 225,584,924 / month, #183 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: End Users/DesktopIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: Other AudienceIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License (GPL)License :: Public DomainNatural Language :: AfrikaansNatural Language :: ArabicNatural Language :: CatalanNatural Language :: Catalan (Valencian)Natural Language :: Chinese (Simplified)Natural Language :: Chinese (Traditional)Natural Language :: CzechNatural Language :: DanishNatural Language :: DutchNatural Language :: EnglishNatural Language :: EsperantoNatural Language :: FinnishNatural Language :: FrenchNatural Language :: GalicianNatural Language :: GeorgianNatural Language :: GermanNatural Language :: HebrewNatural Language :: ItalianNatural Language :: JapaneseNatural Language :: KoreanNatural Language :: LatvianNatural Language :: LithuanianNatural Language :: PersianNatural Language :: PolishNatural Language :: Portuguese (Brazilian)Natural Language :: RussianNatural Language :: SlovakNatural Language :: SpanishNatural Language :: SwedishNatural Language :: UkrainianOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: DocumentationTopic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: DocumentationTopic :: Text Editors :: DocumentationTopic :: Text ProcessingTopic :: Text Processing :: GeneralTopic :: Text Processing :: MarkupTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: HTMLTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: LaTeXTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: MarkdownTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: XMLTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup :: reStructuredTextTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: docutils-0.23-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “restructuredtext to html converter”
- docutilsDocutils converts plaintext documentation in reStructuredText format…
- readme-rendererSafely renders README files in Markdown, reStructuredText, and plain…
- rich-rstRenders reStructuredText documents as Rich terminal output,…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Software Development packages
Provides backported and experimental type hints for Python 3.9+, allowing use of newer typing features on older Python versions and enabling early experimentation with type system PEPs before they enter the standard library.
NumPy provides an N-dimensional array object and a comprehensive suite of mathematical, linear algebra, Fourier transform, and random number functions for scientific computing in Python.
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
Provides a way to document function parameters, class attributes, return types, and variables inline using Python's `Annotated` type hint syntax instead of traditional docstrings.
Typer builds command-line applications from Python functions using type hints, automatically generating help text, argument parsing, and shell completion.
Install it if you are building CLIs in Python.
Distlib provides low-level packaging utilities for building, distributing, and managing Python software—including metadata handling, version specifiers, wheel support, script installation, and dependency resolution.
See also rich-rst · pybtex-docutils · recommonmark · rst2pdf · m2r2 · docstring-to-markdown · rst2ansi · Sphinx · sphinx_mdinclude · restructuredtext-lint