macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install naturaldocslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install naturaldocsMacPorts ports tree · textproc/naturaldocs/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install naturaldocs with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts
Extensible, multi-language documentation generator. Version 2.3.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install naturaldocsDebian stable package indexes · naturaldocs · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install NaturalDocsFedora Rawhide package metadata · NaturalDocs · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
Extensible, multi-language documentation generator
Project links
Commands and aliases
- naturaldocs
history
Project history and usage
Natural Docs is a multi-language source-code documentation generator built around comments that stay readable in the source file. Its niche is documentation that feels closer to prose than annotation syntax, while still producing browsable HTML output.
Project history
The official About page says Greg Valure wrote Natural Docs after rejecting heavier documentation workflows, open sourced it, and has maintained it since its first release in 2003. The same page records the major architectural shift from the original Perl implementation to Natural Docs 2.0, a C# rewrite with a new engine.
The GitHub repository for the 2.x code was created on 2017-04-17. Public GitHub releases include Natural Docs 2.3 on 2023-09-12, 2.3.1 on 2025-02-01, and 2.4 beta work in 2026.
Adoption history
Natural Docs has a long tail rather than a large modern package-manager footprint. The official site says it is used by educational institutions, government, companies, and individuals, and points to public pages generated by Natural Docs as evidence. Homebrew analytics consulted on 2026-07-01 listed 113 installs over the preceding 365 days.
How it is used
Users configure a project with `Project.txt`, which tells Natural Docs which source folders to scan, where to write generated documentation, and project metadata such as title. The reference documentation says command-line options can override parts of Project.txt, partly for compatibility with Natural Docs 1.x workflows.
Why package nerds care
Natural Docs is interesting to package maintainers because it spans two eras of language tooling: old Perl-era source documentation and the 2.x C#/Mono packaging story. The Homebrew formula still depends on Mono, which makes it a reminder that documentation generators often carry runtime packaging constraints long after their core idea stabilizes.
Timeline
- 2003: First Natural Docs release, according to the official About page.
- 2015-05-04: Natural Docs 2.0 development release tag appears in the GitHub repository.
- 2017-04-17: GitHub repository created for the 2.x source tree.
- 2023-09-12: Natural Docs 2.3 released.
- 2025-02-01: Natural Docs 2.3.1 released.
- 2026-05-26: Natural Docs 2.4 Beta 1 released as a prerelease.
Related projects
- Comparable documentation generators include Doxygen, Javadoc-style tooling, Sphinx, and language-native documentation systems, but Natural Docs' distinguishing feature is its plain-English comment style.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
Project.txt in the project configuration folder
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
naturaldocs | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version2.3.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.naturaldocs.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:naturaldocs |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.3.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/naturaldocs |
| Homepage | https://www.naturaldocs.org/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/NaturalDocs/NaturalDocs |
| Upstream docs | https://www.naturaldocs.org/getting_started |
| License | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/naturaldocs/Stable%20Releases/2.3.1/Natural_Docs_2.3.1.zip |
| Dependencies | mono |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | naturaldocs |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
naturaldocs 1.51-4
extensible, multi-language documentation generator
sudo apt install naturaldocs- Section: devel
- Architecture: all
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Naturaldocs
Ubuntu apt95%
naturaldocs 1:1.5.1-0ubuntu1
an extensible, multi-language documentation generator
sudo apt install naturaldocs- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: all
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Naturaldocs
dnf95%
NaturalDocs 1.52-36.fc44
Documentation generator for multiple programming languages
sudo dnf install NaturalDocs- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: NaturalDocs
- 3 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Naturaldocs
MacPorts95%
naturaldocs
sudo port install naturaldocs- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Naturaldocs
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment