# Install helm-docs with Homebrew, Nix, scoop, zypper Tool for automatically generating markdown documentation for helm charts. Version 1.14.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:helm-docs ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install helm-docs ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#helm-docs ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helm-docs/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install helm-docs ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm-docs from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/helm-docs ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/helm-docs.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:helm-docs - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.14.2 - **Source summary:** Tool for automatically generating markdown documentation for helm charts - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - helm-docs (cli) - helm-docs (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.14.2 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/norwoodj/helm-docs - Upstream latest detected: v1.14.2 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage helm-docs is a Go command-line tool that auto-generates Markdown documentation from Helm charts. Its README describes generated files that include chart metadata and tables of values, defaults, and descriptions parsed from comments. The project sits in the practical layer around Helm: once charts became a common packaging format for Kubernetes applications, teams needed generated, reviewable README files that stayed synchronized with `Chart.yaml`, `values.yaml`, and template conventions. ### Project history The public repository was created in September 2018, during the period when Helm charts were becoming a standard way to distribute Kubernetes applications. GitHub release metadata shows a v0.1.0 release in July 2019. The tool evolved around Go templates and chart parsing. Its default workflow searches recursively for `Chart.yaml`, reads values files and chart metadata, and renders Markdown through either a default internal template or user-supplied `README.md.gotmpl` files. ### Adoption history helm-docs became part of chart-authoring workflows because it is easy to run locally, in containers, and as a pre-commit hook. The README includes pre-commit hook configurations and direct binary usage for regenerating READMEs. The README documents Homebrew, Scoop, mise, source builds, and container usage, while the supplied package metadata also lists Homebrew, Nix, Scoop, and openSUSE packaging. ### How it is used A chart maintainer runs `helm-docs` in a repository, optionally with `--chart-search-root`, `--template-files`, or `--dry-run`. The tool finds charts, parses metadata and values, and writes generated Markdown back into chart README files. Comment conventions in `values.yaml` let maintainers document fields next to the defaults they control. That makes the generated table useful for reviewers and users who need to understand chart configuration without reading every template. ### Why package nerds care helm-docs is package-nerd glue: it turns Helm charts from installable bundles into better documented packages. In chart repositories with many values, generated documentation prevents README drift and makes package review less painful. It is also a good example of a packaging-adjacent CLI that belongs in package managers because teams run it in hooks, CI, release pipelines, and local chart authoring environments. ### Timeline - 2018: Public GitHub repository created. - 2019: v0.1.0 release published. - 2019: Early 0.x releases iterate on generated chart documentation. - 2020s: README documents Homebrew, Scoop, mise, source, container, and pre-commit workflows. ### Related projects - Helm is the chart format and command-line ecosystem that helm-docs documents. - Go templates drive the Markdown rendering model. - pre-commit is a common workflow integration documented by the project. - Chart.yaml, values.yaml, and README.md.gotmpl are the main chart files touched by the tool. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** helm-docs - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - helm-docs: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helm-docs/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper - helm-docs - 1.14.2-1.6: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm-docs from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A tool for automatically generating markdown documentation for helm charts | https://github.com/norwoodj/helm-docs - Scoop - main/helm-docs: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/helm-docs.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family. - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [sourcekitten](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sourcekitten/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator, markdown. - [terraform-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/terraform-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator, markdown. - [action-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [chart-releaser](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chart-releaser/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: charts, cli, developer-tools, helm, kubernetes. - [chart-testing](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chart-testing/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: charts, cli, developer-tools, helm, kubernetes. - [cmark](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmark/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [cmark-gfm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cmark-gfm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, markdown. - [dashing](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dashing/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator. - [helm-ls](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/helm-ls/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, helm, kubernetes. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/helm-docs.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/helm-docs.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph