sphinxcontrib-autoyaml
Sphinx autodoc extension for documenting YAML files from comments
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you maintain YAML configuration files and use Sphinx for documentation. The low install friction, permissive license, and straightforward directive syntax make it a practical choice for keeping YAML docs in sync with source. The Alpha status and known limitations (flow-style entries, complex keys) mean you should test it against your specific YAML patterns first.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python >=3.6 and an existing Sphinx documentation project.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (Sphinx and ruamel.yaml).
- Marked active with a recent release in May 2026, though the package is classified as Alpha.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-05-25 (81 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 87,520 downloads/mo, #13,793 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinxcontrib-autoyaml
# In conf.py:
extensions = ["sphinxcontrib.autoyaml"]
autoyaml_root = "."
autoyaml_doc_delimiter = "###"
# In your .rst file:
.. autoyaml:: config.yml- Whether the package handles all YAML 1.2 features or only a subset of the YAML spec.
- Performance characteristics when processing large YAML files or deeply nested structures.
- Whether the Alpha status reflects incomplete features or simply conservative versioning.
What it is and what it does
sphinxcontrib-autoyaml is a Sphinx extension that turns YAML configuration files into readable documentation by extracting comments and converting them to reStructuredText format. It works by scanning YAML files for comments that start with a configurable delimiter (default `###`) and renders each comment as a definition entry paired with its YAML key.
The extension is designed for documenting configuration files and similar YAML-based settings. It handles nested structures up to a configurable depth and flattens sequences to focus on mapping keys. It depends on Sphinx for documentation generation and ruamel.yaml for YAML parsing. The package has known limitations: complex mapping keys and flow-style entries are only partially documented, and sequences are traversed but not represented in output.
Use it for
- Generate reference documentation for application configuration files stored in YAML format.
- Automatically document infrastructure-as-code YAML files (e.g., Ansible playbooks, Kubernetes configs) from inline comments.
- Create self-documenting YAML schemas by extracting structured comments into Sphinx-generated HTML or PDF docs.
- Maintain synchronized documentation and YAML configuration by embedding docs as comments in the source files.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you maintain YAML configuration files and use Sphinx for documentation.
The low install friction, permissive license, and straightforward directive syntax make it a practical choice for keeping YAML docs in sync with source. The Alpha status and known limitations (flow-style entries, complex keys) mean you should test it against your specific YAML patterns first.
Install
sphinxcontrib-autoyaml on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (Sphinx and ruamel.yaml). Marked active with a recent release in May 2026, though the package is classified as Alpha.
Requires Python >=3.6 and an existing Sphinx documentation project.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install sphinxcontrib-autoyaml
# In conf.py:
extensions = ["sphinxcontrib.autoyaml"]
autoyaml_root = "."
autoyaml_doc_delimiter = "###"
# In your .rst file:
.. autoyaml:: config.ymlVerify before relying
- Whether the package handles all YAML 1.2 features or only a subset of the YAML spec.
- Performance characteristics when processing large YAML files or deeply nested structures.
- Whether the Alpha status reflects incomplete features or simply conservative versioning.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesSphinxruamel.yaml |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 81 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 87,520 / month, #13,793 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsTopic :: Documentation |
Evidence: sphinxcontrib_autoyaml-1.2.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also autodocsumm · sphinxcontrib.datatemplates · sphinxcontrib-django · autoclasstoc · sphinxcontrib-apidoc · sphinx-autodoc2 · sphinx-autoapi · autodoc_pydantic · sphinxcontrib-httpdomain · yamlfix