CLI Reference

Look up command syntax, defaults, side effects, conflicts, and failures for scripts or interactive use.

Examples assume the command is on PATH. With a project-local installation, use pnpm exec exports-md as shown in Getting started.

Syntax

exports-md [...input] [options] -- [...symbol]

At least one input is required. Inputs can be TypeScript modules, declaration files, package manifests, package directories, or npm registry package specs. Existing local paths are used first; a missing package-like input is fetched with npm. Put optional exported symbol names after the -- delimiter.

For example, inspect several published packages without installing them into the current project:

exports-md qubu@0.4.2 @qubu/adapter-libsql@0.4.2 @qubu/better-auth@0.4.2 --follow

Remote inputs require npm on PATH. They are unpacked in a temporary directory, and their dependencies are not installed. --follow follows only relative declarations inside each fetched package; non-relative package imports remain reference lines.

Package Resolution

A package entry point is an import path exposed to consumers. The exports map in package.json describes those paths and their target files.

Package inputs follow relative imports and re-exports by default. Entries with types targets use those declarations; string .js, .mjs, or .cjs targets are rewritten to the matching declaration extension.

For the root entry, a top-level types or typings field takes precedence over inferred JavaScript declaration targets when the root export has neither a types condition nor an explicit declaration or TypeScript source target. For example, "exports": "./api.d.ts" uses api.d.ts even if top-level types names another file. Without an exports field, types or typings supplies the root entry.

Wildcard targets are expanded against package files and rendered with their concrete export subpaths. Non-code entries such as ./package.json are skipped.

The command uses the nearest node_modules/typescript found by walking upward from the current working directory. Published packages require npm on PATH; their tarballs are extracted temporarily and removed after rendering.

For .tsrx source entry points or local imports, install @tsrx/typescript-plugin and the target compiler selected by the project's tsrx.compiler configuration. exports-md invokes tsrx-tsc with a temporary declaration output directory. When target is omitted, declaration emit uses ES2022; an explicit target or lib remains in effect. TypeScript entries can re-export .tsrx files directly, for example export { View } from './View.web.tsrx'. exports-md renders the emitted declarations, so TSRX implementation bodies are omitted. For TSRX entries, exports-md uses the nearest tsconfig.json, or a workspace config that includes the entry when there is no package config. It falls back to the nearest tsconfig.base.json. Platform entry names such as index.web.ts select matching TypeScript moduleSuffixes when the selected config does not set them. The selected config must provide platform-specific ambient types; TypeScript errors other than duplicate declaration-output paths still fail generation.

Options

Option	Default	Description
--outDir <dir>, -o <dir>	unset	Write separate package-entry Markdown files under dir. Only valid for one package input.
--pipe <command>	unset	Send generated Markdown to an executable's standard input.
--follow, -f	false	Follow relative imports and re-exports.
--followImports, -i	false	Follow relative imported declarations.
--followReExports, -e	false	Follow relative re-exported declarations.
--github.repository <owner/repo>	unset	Set the repository used by generated GitHub links.
--github.searchLinks	false	Append a GitHub code-search link to each symbol section.
--propertyDocs <inline|list>	inline	Keep property TSDoc in code or move it below declarations.
--groupBySyntax, -g	false	Group same-module symbols by declaration category.
--sortByName, -s	false	Sort same-module symbols alphabetically.
--reverseSymbols, -r	false	Reverse rendered symbol sections after sorting.
--help, -h	—	Print command help.

For callers not identified as agents, values from ~/.config/exports-md.json replace the defaults in this table. Explicit CLI values take precedence. See Personal Defaults.

Section Ordering

The ordering options apply in this order:

1. --groupBySyntax groups functions, classes, constants, other non-types, and types.
2. --sortByName sorts symbols within that structure, with lowercase names first and all-caps names last.
3. --reverseSymbols reverses the rendered symbol sections after sorting.

Output Destinations

With neither --outDir nor --pipe, the command writes one Markdown stream to standard output. Shell redirection can capture it:

exports-md src/index.ts > api.md

--outDir is limited to a single package input. --pipe works with module or package output but cannot be combined with --outDir.

Failure Cases

Message or symptom	Cause	Next action
At least one input is required.	No module, manifest, or directory was provided.	Add an input before any options or --.
Module not found	The resolved module path does not exist.	Check the working directory and input path.
Could not fetch npm package	npm could not resolve or download a registry package spec, or npm is unavailable.	Check the package spec, registry access, and that npm is on PATH.
Fetched npm package ... has no package.json.	The downloaded archive is not a package archive.	Verify the package source and version.
Could not find node_modules/typescript	No TypeScript installation is reachable from the working directory.	Install TypeScript in the target workspace or run from the intended project.
TypeScript diagnostics	Declaration emit failed.	Fix the reported type or configuration errors before retrying.
Export not found	A requested symbol is not exported under that name.	Check the public export name or omit the symbol filter.
--outDir is only supported...	The output-directory mode was used with a module or multiple inputs.	Use one package input or redirect the combined stream.
--pipe cannot be used with --outDir	Both output modes were selected, including through human config.	Choose one output destination; remove a conflicting personal default from the config file.
Child command exits nonzero	The executable passed to --pipe failed.	Run that executable directly and inspect its standard error.

The command does not emit partial Markdown after a generation error.