Last updated 4 min read 863 words
Difficulty: General Owner: edujbarrios Writer: edujbarrios #documentation

tags: - overview - introduction - home

Welcome to NCMDS

NCMDS (No Code Markdown Documentation Sites) is a powerful yet simple documentation site builder that transforms your Markdown files into beautiful, professional documentation websites. No compilation, no complex build processes—just write Markdown and see your documentation come to life instantly.

Author: Eduardo J. Barrios (edujbarrios)

Status Python Flask Export

[!NOTE] NCMDS is local-first. You can run it instantly with npm run dev and start writing docs right away.

🎯 What is NCMDS?

NCMDS is a TypeScript + Express based documentation system that:

  • Reads your .md files from the docs/ directory
  • Converts them to HTML with enhanced styling and features
  • Serves them as a navigable website with automatic menus and TOC
  • Exports documentation to Quarto Markdown (QMD) format
  • Assists you with an AI-powered chat that answers questions about your docs
  • Reads aloud page content using the browser's built-in Text-to-Speech

Perfect For

  • Technical documentation
  • Project wikis
  • API documentation
  • User manuals
  • Knowledge bases
  • Tutorial sites
  • Personal notes

✨ Key Features

📝 Markdown-Powered

  • Write in standard Markdown—no special syntax required
  • Full GitHub-Flavored Markdown (GFM) support
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting (Python, JavaScript, YAML, etc.)
  • Tables, lists, images, links—everything you expect

🎨 Beautiful Themes

  • Dark and Light modes with full color customization via config.yaml
  • Custom color palettes: Define your own primary, secondary, background, surface, and accent colors
  • Dark mode optimized for comfortable reading
  • Responsive design that works on all devices

🤖 AI Chat Assistant

  • Ask questions about your documentation in natural language
  • Switch between AI models (GPT-4, Claude, etc.) on the fly
  • Context-aware: The AI reads your current page for relevant answers
  • Fullscreen mode for extended conversations

📤 Export to QMD

  • QMD Export: Export to Quarto Markdown for advanced rendering (PDF, HTML, DOCX via Quarto)
  • Single page or entire site: Export what you need
  • One-click download: Export button in the sidebar

🔊 Text-to-Speech

  • Read aloud any documentation page using the browser's Web Speech API
  • No external services required—works entirely in the browser
  • Configurable speech rate, pitch, and language

🚀 Zero Build Process

  • No compilation step required
  • No npm install or webpack
  • Just start the server and edit files
  • Changes appear instantly on refresh

📋 Automatic Navigation

  • Sidebar navigation generated from your files
  • Table of contents for each page
  • Order pages with numeric prefixes (01-, 02-, etc.)
  • Collapsible sections for better organization

🚀 Quick Start

Get started in 3 simple steps:

1. Install and Run

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/edujbarrios/ncmds.git
cd ncmds

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the server
npm run dev

2. Create Your First Document

Create a file docs/08-my-page.md:

# My First Page

This is my documentation!

## Features

- Easy to write
- Beautiful output
- No configuration needed

Create `code  content as well`

3. View Your Site

Open your browser to http://localhost:5000 and see your documentation live!

📚 What's Next?

Now that you've seen the basics, explore these guides:

🎨 Theme Customization

NCMDS features a dark/light theme system with full color customization:

Mode Description Default Primary Color
Dark Professional dark theme optimized for comfortable reading #40E0D0 (Turquoise)
Light Clean light theme for bright environments #0f766e (Teal)

Customize colors in config/config.yaml:

theme:
  default: "dark"
  toggle_enabled: true
  dark:
    primary_color: "#40E0D0"
    background_color: "#1b1b1d"
    # ... more color options

See the Theme Guide for full customization options.

How NCMDS Works

Understanding the system will help you use it effectively:

1. File Discovery

  • NCMDS scans the docs/ folder for .md files
  • Files are ordered by numeric prefix (01-, 02-) or alphabetically
  • Nested folders are supported for organization

2. Markdown Processing

  • Each .md file is parsed using Python-Markdown
  • Extensions add support for tables, code highlighting, and more
  • Metadata (YAML frontmatter) can control page-specific settings

3. Template Rendering

  • HTML is generated using Flask and Jinja2 templates
  • Navigation and TOC are built automatically
  • Themes apply your chosen colors via CSS variables

4. Live Serving

  • The Node.js server serves the site on localhost:5000 by default
  • Each page request renders the Markdown fresh
  • Changes to .md files appear on page refresh (no restart needed)

5. Export & AI

  • The export button generates QMD files on-demand (render to PDF, HTML, or DOCX via Quarto)
  • AI chat sends your question + current page content to the LLM API
  • Responses stream back in real-time
  • Text-to-Speech reads the current page aloud using the browser's Web Speech API

🛠️ Technical Stack

Built with modern, reliable technologies:

  • Backend: Express (Node.js web framework)
  • Markdown: Markdown-it with anchors and linkify
  • Templating: Nunjucks
  • Styling: Modular CSS with variables for theming
  • Syntax Highlighting: Pygments (server-side) + Highlight.js (client-side)
  • QMD Export: Quarto Markdown generation (render with Quarto CLI)
  • AI Integration: LLM7.io API (supports multiple providers)
  • Text-to-Speech: Web Speech API (browser-native)
  • Configuration: YAML
  • Deployment: Vercel (serverless), Gunicorn, Docker, etc.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Inspired by: Docusaurus, Quarto, MkDocs, Read the Docs

Created by: edujbarrios