# Install naturaldocs with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts Extensible, multi-language documentation generator. Version 2.3.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:naturaldocs ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install naturaldocs ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install naturaldocs ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/naturaldocs/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install naturaldocs ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: naturaldocs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install NaturalDocs ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: NaturalDocs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:naturaldocs - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.3.1 - **Source summary:** Extensible, multi-language documentation generator - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** AGPL-3.0-only - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - naturaldocs (cli) - naturaldocs (alias) ## Dependencies - mono ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.3.1 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.naturaldocs.org/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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 - Unix: Project.txt in the project configuration folder ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** naturaldocs - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - naturaldocs - 1.51-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: naturaldocs from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | extensible, multi-language documentation generator | https://www.naturaldocs.org/ - Ubuntu apt - naturaldocs - 1:1.5.1-0ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: naturaldocs from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | an extensible, multi-language documentation generator - dnf - NaturalDocs - 1.52-36.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: NaturalDocs from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Documentation generator for multiple programming languages | http://www.naturaldocs.org/ - MacPorts - naturaldocs: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/naturaldocs/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [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. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [mono](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mono/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [context7-mcp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/context7-mcp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [action-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [adr-tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adr-tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [adr-viewer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adr-viewer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [cargo-docset](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-docset/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [cheat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cheat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [cppman](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cppman/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [dashing](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dashing/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator. - [helm-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/helm-docs/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator. - [jsdoc3](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jsdoc3/) - Local metadata places this package in an adjacent workflow. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, documentation, documentation-generator. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/naturaldocs.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/naturaldocs.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - 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