Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Theneo’s AI-native docs & developer portals
What is Theneo and who is it for?
Theneo is an AI-native API documentation platform that generates, maintains, and publishes interactive API references and developer portals. It is built for product, engineering, and developer-relations teams who need documentation to stay accurate and on-brand without manual upkeep. Turn an OpenAPI, GraphQL, or Postman spec into a live reference in minutes, then keep it in sync as the API changes. Learn more: https://www.theneo.io/api-reference and https://www.theneo.io/developer-portal
Why do API docs go out of date, and how does Theneo prevent it?
Documentation that drifts out of date, and the maintenance burden of keeping it current. Because Theneo detects API changes automatically, teams cut documentation upkeep substantially, onboard developers faster, and field fewer support tickets asking how an endpoint behaves. The practical effect is that nobody has to chase each spec change by hand.
How is Theneo different from traditional documentation tools?
Static generators render whatever spec you hand them; wikis rely on someone remembering to update the page. Theneo connects to your repository, diffs each published spec against the previous version, and drafts the updates that change requires. Its AI writes endpoint and parameter descriptions from your schema, and the API Explorer lets developers make real authenticated calls without leaving the page. Learn more: https://www.theneo.io/api-reference
How long does it take to get started with Theneo?
Most teams publish their first auto-generated documentation within 30 minutes: create a project, import your spec, and let the AI draft descriptions. Enterprise rollouts with custom branding, SSO, and security review typically take one to two weeks. You can start on the free plan and upgrade as your needs grow.
What types of APIs and formats does Theneo support?
Theneo supports every major API format: OpenAPI and Swagger (2.0 and 3.x), Postman collections, GraphQL (SDL and introspection), gRPC proto files, SOAP and WSDL, and AsyncAPI. Import specs as YAML, JSON, or Markdown, and combine an auto-generated reference with hand-written guides and tutorials to build a complete developer portal. Full list of supported formats: https://docs.theneo.io/api-reference/supported-formats
Can non-technical team members contribute to API documentation?
Yes. Product managers and technical writers edit descriptions, add guides, and manage content in a visual, no-code editor, while engineers own the API schema. Real-time collaboration lets the whole team work together, so the technical reference and the narrative content are maintained by the right people in parallel.
Can developers test API calls directly in the docs?
Theneo's API Explorer is a full testing console inside your docs, not a bolt-on Try It box. Developers make real authenticated calls with their own API keys or OAuth, switch between production, staging, and sandbox environments, and copy auto-generated code samples in JavaScript, Python, cURL, Java, and more, so they can authenticate, explore, and integrate without leaving the page. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/api-reference/api-explorer-and-testing
How far can we customize and white-label our API documentation?
Customisation runs from simple brand colours to a complete white-label build. You control CSS and JavaScript, typography, page layouts, navigation sidebars, landing pages, and the API reference UI itself, and Theneo branding can be removed entirely. Your documentation can read as a native part of your own product rather than a hosted third-party site. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/your-docs-site/branding-and-styling
Can we use our own custom domains and environments?
Yes. Host your docs at your own address, such as docs.company.com or developers.yourapp.com, with automatic TLS certificates and a simple DNS setup. You can run separate documentation instances for production, staging, and development, each with its own variables, API keys, and base URLs, and choose public, private, or mixed visibility on any of them. Setup guide: https://docs.theneo.io/your-docs-site/custom-domain
How does search work in Theneo docs?
Ask AI gives readers semantic search and conversational Q&A across your API reference and guides, so they can ask in plain language instead of guessing keywords. It is typo-tolerant and synonym-aware, supports filters to narrow results, and on Enterprise plans searches across multiple projects and workspaces at once. Answers are drawn from your own published content. Learn more: https://www.theneo.io/ask-ai
Can Theneo automate changelogs and release notes?
Yes. When you publish an updated OpenAPI spec, Postman collection, or code change, Theneo diffs it against the previous version and identifies exactly what moved: new endpoints, modified parameters, deprecated fields, and altered response structures. It writes the release note from those changes, flags anything breaking, and can email subscribers automatically. Because the changelog is generated from the same publish event as the docs, the two cannot drift apart. Learn more: https://www.theneo.io/api-changelog
How do we control who can access our API documentation?
Access is controlled at several levels. Keep an entire portal private, public, or mixed; set permissions on individual sections and endpoints; and require registration so external developers see only what you have shared. One portal can expose a public API while keeping internal endpoints, beta features, and enterprise-only APIs hidden. Role-based access control assigns admin, editor, viewer, or custom roles to team members and external users, with granular per-section permissions. Single sign-on connects your identity provider via SAML 2.0, OIDC, or JWT, including Okta, Microsoft Entra, Google Workspace, and Auth0. SCIM keeps membership in sync as people join and leave, and SSO-only enforcement closes off password logins entirely. Domain allow-lists, approval queues for registration requests, and tamper-evident audit logs round it out. More detail: https://www.theneo.io/security and https://www.theneo.io/enterprise
Where is our documentation hosted, and is Theneo SOC 2 certified?
Cloud hosting runs on AWS, US by default, with encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), automated backups, and documented business continuity and disaster recovery procedures. Enterprise customers can request regional data residency in the EU, Asia-Pacific, or other regions to meet data sovereignty requirements. Enterprise plans also support self-hosting in private cloud or on-premises, with AI features either disabled, bring-your-own-model, or fully enabled. Certifications include ISO 27001, ISO 9001, SOC 2 Type II, and GDPR compliance. Full detail: https://www.theneo.io/security
Can Theneo handle high-traffic developer portals?
Documentation is served through a global CDN with caching, and pages and assets are optimised for fast time-to-first-byte and largest contentful paint. The same infrastructure serves high-traffic public developer portals running large specifications and content sets, so traffic spikes are absorbed at the edge rather than hitting your docs.
Does Theneo support localization?
Yes. Theneo serves your documentation in multiple languages using AI translation that keeps every locale in sync as your content changes, so translated pages do not drift when the source is updated. Teams typically combine AI translation with human review on the pages where precision matters most. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/your-docs-site/localization
What does onboarding and support include, and what are the SLAs?
Every plan includes migration assistance from your current documentation tool, email support, and the full documentation knowledge base. Enterprise onboarding adds a dedicated account manager, hands-on design and customisation services, a private Slack or Teams channel, weekly check-ins through onboarding, and staging environments for testing before production. Enterprise customers receive priority support with guaranteed response times and a 99.9% uptime commitment. Book a demo to talk through a rollout plan: https://www.theneo.io/book-demo
How much does Theneo cost, and is there a free plan?
Yes, there is a genuinely free Starter plan rather than a time-limited trial, so small teams can publish real API documentation at no cost. Paid tiers add more projects, unmetered AI, public API access, and enterprise controls such as SSO and RBAC. Billing is per workspace rather than per seat, so adding teammates does not inflate the bill. Current plans and limits: https://www.theneo.io/pricing
What is an AI-native API documentation platform?
An AI-native documentation platform uses AI across the whole docs lifecycle — writing, maintaining, searching, and making content usable by other AI systems — instead of bolting AI onto a static tool. Theneo generates endpoint descriptions from your spec, keeps docs in sync as your code changes, answers reader questions with built-in AI search, and exposes your docs to AI agents through llms.txt and a generated MCP server.
Can I generate API documentation from an OpenAPI or Swagger file?
Yes. Upload an OpenAPI 3.0 or 3.1 or Swagger 2.0 file, or paste a public spec URL, and Theneo generates a complete interactive API reference automatically: endpoints, parameters, schemas, and a live testing console. You can then edit any description in the editor and re-import updates later without losing your customisations. Quickstart: https://docs.theneo.io/get-started/quickstart
Can I migrate from Mintlify, GitBook, ReadMe, or Postman to Theneo?
Yes. Theneo supports assisted migration from Mintlify, GitBook, ReadMe, Postman, and other platforms: bring your OpenAPI specs, Markdown, or a whole existing project. Most teams publish imported docs within 30 minutes, your existing URL structure is preserved so you avoid a mass redirect project, and Enterprise plans include hands-on migration support. Migration guide: https://docs.theneo.io/get-started/migrate-to-theneo
Does Theneo integrate with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket?
Yes, and nothing about how your team ships code has to change. Theneo syncs with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket so documentation updates when your repository does. You choose whether docs update on every commit, require pull-request approval, or publish on a schedule, and two-way GitHub sync lets you push docs to your repo and pull edits back without one side overwriting the other. There is also a CLI and CI/CD integration if you would rather script it. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/automation-and-dev-tools/github-sync
Does Theneo write API documentation automatically with AI?
Yes. Theneo's AI Co-pilot reads your API spec and writes clear, accurate descriptions for endpoints, parameters, and responses, giving you a strong first draft in seconds. An in-editor AI Writer then continues, simplifies, or expands any section on request. You always review before publishing, so AI speeds up drafting without shipping unverified content. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/ai-co-pilot-technical-writer
What is llms.txt, and does Theneo support it?
llms.txt is a standard file that gives AI models a structured, machine-readable index of your documentation so they can discover and parse it accurately. Theneo generates both llms.txt and a complete llms-full.txt automatically, and offers one-click Markdown export of any page, so assistants like ChatGPT and Claude can find and cite your content correctly. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/llms-txt
Can Theneo generate an MCP server so AI agents can use my API?
Yes. AI agents reach APIs through the Model Context Protocol, and Theneo generates an MCP server directly from your documentation, so agents and clients like Claude and Cursor can read your docs and act on your API without you building a separate integration. The server respects the same permissions as your docs, so private and deprecated content stays hidden. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/generate-mcp-server
How do I make my API documentation discoverable by ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity?
This is called GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization: the AI-era counterpart to SEO. Answer engines cannot cite what they cannot parse, so the work is making your content machine-readable rather than chasing keywords. Theneo handles this by default with server-rendered HTML and metadata, canonical tags, generated llms.txt, Markdown export, and an MCP server. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/geo-ai-optimization
Does Theneo support docs-as-code and a CLI?
Yes. The Theneo CLI, installed via npm, and the TypeScript SDK let you create, import, export, and publish docs from the terminal or CI/CD, and a VS Code extension brings the same workflow into your editor. You can treat docs as Markdown files on disk and sync a whole project folder, so documentation lives in version control alongside your code. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/automation-and-dev-tools/theneo-cli
Does Theneo support API versioning?
Yes. Maintain multiple versions of your documentation as your API evolves, so developers always land on the version matching the API they are calling. Versions sit side by side with a switcher in your published docs, and you can mark older versions deprecated with a timeline. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/api-reference/api-versioning
How does Theneo compare to Mintlify, ReadMe, Redocly, and Stoplight?
Theneo is built to write and maintain your documentation, not just render the spec you hand it. Import an OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL, gRPC, or SOAP file and the AI drafts endpoint and parameter descriptions, code samples, and examples in seconds. Connect your repository and the Theneo Agent reviews every pull request against your existing docs, drafts the updates that code change requires, and opens them for review — so your reference stays current without anyone chasing diffs.
Everything downstream of that follows the same principle. Changelogs generate automatically from spec diffs, with breaking changes flagged and subscribers notified. Ask AI answers reader questions from your own content, and tells you what people asked so you know what to write next. An MCP server and llms.txt are generated for you, so AI agents can read your docs and call your API without a separate integration.
The platform is built for whole teams, not just engineers. Writers, PMs, and support edit in a real-time visual editor while developers keep the Git workflow, with review and approval before anything publishes. Unlimited projects, cross-project search, SSO, RBAC, and audit logs are part of the platform rather than a top-tier upsell, and billing is per workspace, so adding people doesn't raise the price.
Migration is free and usually takes days, not weeks. Your existing URL structure is preserved, so you skip the mass-redirect project that switching platforms normally forces.
Mintlify, ReadMe, Redocly, and Stoplight all render an OpenAPI spec well, and each has real strengths in its own lane. Theneo is the option that generates the content, keeps it accurate as your API moves, and makes it usable by both developers and AI agents.
Full comparisons:
https://www.theneo.io/theneo-vs-mintlify
https://www.theneo.io/theneo-vs-readme
https://www.theneo.io/theneo-vs-redocly
https://www.theneo.io/theneo-vs-stoplight
Can an AI agent update my docs automatically when code changes?
Yes. Connect Theneo to your repository once and the Theneo Agent reviews every pull request against your existing documentation, drafts the updates that code change requires, and opens them for review. You approve before anything publishes, so nothing ships unreviewed. This is the full agentic workflow: spec change detected, docs drafted, review opened, published, without a person chasing each diff. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/full-agentic-workflow
What happens to my edits when I re-import an updated API spec?
They survive. Merge 2.0 updates only what actually changed in the spec and preserves your customisations, so re-importing never overwrites the descriptions, examples, and structure your team wrote. This is the usual reason teams hesitate to automate spec imports, and it is why the merge is non-destructive by design. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/automation-and-dev-tools/merge-2-0
Can I see what questions readers are asking my documentation?
Yes. AI Analytics records every question readers ask Ask AI, surfacing popular topics alongside queries that returned weak answers. Read together, that is a content roadmap: it tells you exactly what your documentation does not yet explain well, so you can decide what to write next from evidence rather than guesswork. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/ai-in-theneo/ai-analytics
Can we review and approve documentation changes before they go live?
Yes. Draft changes on a branch, request approval, satisfy your merge rules, and publish with an auditable trail of who approved what. Role-based publishing can restrict the publish action to admins across both the editor and the CLI, so the same rule applies however your team ships. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/the-editor/documentation-review
Does Theneo document SOAP, gRPC, or AsyncAPI as well as REST?
Yes. Alongside REST from OpenAPI and Swagger, Theneo documents SOAP from WSDL and HAR files with automatic envelope rendering, GraphQL from a schema file, gRPC from proto files, and AsyncAPI for event-driven services including webhooks. Legacy and event-driven APIs get the same interactive reference treatment as REST. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/api-reference/supported-formats
Can I write documentation in VS Code or my terminal?
Yes. The Theneo CLI publishes from the terminal or CI/CD, the TypeScript SDK calls the API from your own tooling, and the VS Code extension lets you create, export, import, merge, and preview API references without leaving your editor. Developers stay in their environment while writers work in the visual editor, on the same content. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/automation-and-dev-tools/vs-code-extension
Can customers get their own private documentation portal?
Yes. A private customer portal gives each customer a branded sign-in showing only the documentation, APIs, and SDKs you have shared with them. It suits partner APIs, enterprise-only endpoints, and beta programmes where different accounts should see different content from the same source. Learn more: https://docs.theneo.io/your-docs-site/private-customer-portal
