New
Open source, shipped today

Code in your repo, generated but editable. The shadcn-native help center.

Every helpbase site includes an MCP server and an llms.txt, so Claude and Cursor answer from your real docs. One command drops docs routes, MDX pipeline, MCP server, and the sync workflow into your existing repo. Host it yourself, or deploy with us.

pnpm dlx helpbase init
See the live demo

Want the pieces? Browse install options →

◇ Help center created at ./help-center
◇ MDX content, shadcn/ui, MCP server, llms.txt
◇ Installing dependencies (parallel)…
◇ Ready. Next steps:
cd help-center && pnpm dev

Two options today. Both are compromises.

Helpbase is the third option.

Roll your own
2–3 days
to first site

Build a docs site from scratch. Burn the weekend wiring up the framework, then another maintaining it.

  • You own every file
  • No MCP, no llms.txt
  • No hosted option
Your weekend
Hosted docs SaaS
1 day
to first site

Pay a hosted vendor to run your docs. Fast to start. Your content lives in their database. Migrating off is a project.

  • Your docs, their database
  • MCP is a Pro-tier add-on
  • Vendor-locked hosting
$200–1k/ month
Recommended
Helpbase
3 min
to first site

Open source. One command drops a full help center, built on shadcn, into your repo. MCP server and llms.txt built in. Host it yourself, or with us.

  • Own every file
  • MCP + llms.txt built in
  • Host anywhere, or with us
Free or hosted

From zero to live in three commands.

No hosted CMS. No lock-in. Your docs are plain MDX files in your git history from day one.

1

Install

Run pnpm dlx create-helpbase in your repo. You get a help center built on shadcn, with MDX content, an MCP server, and an llms.txt. Every file is yours.

2

Preview

pnpm dev runs it locally. helpbase deploy --preview pushes a draft to a shareable URL without touching your production site.

3

Deploy

Push to helpbase.dev with one command, or deploy the same files to Vercel, Fly, or your own server. Same content, same MCP endpoint, your choice of host.

Every file is yours, from the first commit.

Helpbase doesn't store your content anywhere. The CLI writes a real help center, built on shadcn, straight into your git history. Every edit is a commit. Every file is yours.

MDX all the way down

Every article is a plain .mdx file in help-center/content. Import React components, version control every change, diff in PR review.

Zero vendor runtime

No hosted CMS, no editorial database, no cloud to migrate off if we disappear. Deploy the same repo anywhere.

Claude and Cursor can read your docs. Day one.

Every helpbase site includes an MCP server and an llms.txt. Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT can answer from your real docs the moment you deploy. You don't pay us for this later.

MCP server, built in

Every helpbase site runs a Model Context Protocol endpoint. Point Claude Code or Cursor at the URL and they answer from your real docs instead of guessing.

llms.txt
# Your Product docs
Docs: https://docs.yourco.com
MCP: https://docs.yourco.com/api/mcp
## Articles
- getting-started
- authentication
- webhooks
- rate-limits

llms.txt, always fresh

A fresh /llms.txt on every build. It's the manifest AI agents already look for. You don't have to remember to write it.

Structured agent output

The MCP server exposes your content as typed tool calls: list articles, read a specific slug, search. No scraping, no guesswork.

Docs that stay in sync with code

helpbase sync reads your source and proposes MDX edits based on the actual functions and types. You review, you merge. AI assists, it does not author.

Hosted tier, if you want it

helpbase deploy pushes the same app to {slug}.helpbase.dev. No servers to manage. Hosted MCP at scale, custom domain, team roles, analytics when you upgrade.

See a real helpbase site. Running right now.

demo.helpbase.dev is a live helpbase site with real MDX content, a working MCP server, and an llms.txt you can curl. Point Claude Code or Cursor at demo.helpbase.dev/api/mcp and watch it answer from the docs.

Open the live demoCurl the llms.txt

Free as open source. Paid when you want us to host it.

Self-host is free forever. Hosted saves you a server. Pick the one that matches how you want to spend your time.

Self-host
Own every file. Run it on your own server.
Free
MIT license, no strings
Get started on GitHub
  • pnpm dlx create-helpbase
  • MDX + shadcn/ui in your repo
  • MCP server runs on your infra
  • llms.txt auto-generated
  • Deploy to Vercel / Fly / self-host
  • MIT license, your code forever
Hosted free
Skip the server setup. One command to live.
$0/mo
Up to 1 site, fair-use limits
Deploy now
  • Everything in Self-host, plus:
  • helpbase deploy to {slug}.helpbase.dev
  • Hosted MCP endpoint we run
  • Edge-cached llms.txt + content
  • Zero-config SSL + CDN
  • Migrate to self-host any time
Pro
For teams writing real docs together.
$29/mo per site
Early access, locked in for the first year
Join the Pro waitlist
  • Everything in Hosted free, plus:
  • Custom domain (docs.yourco.com)
  • Team members and roles
  • Analytics and AI usage dashboards
  • Higher hosted MCP rate limits
  • Priority support + SLA

FAQs

The questions founders ask before running the install.

Still stuck? Open an issue on GitHub.

General

Hosted tier

MCP & AI

Still stuck? Open an issue on GitHub.