MDX content supports four built-in components: Callout, CodeBlock, Steps, and Tabs
Next.jsReactDocumentation
docskit-free — Next.js Documentation Template
By thekitbase
DocsKit Free is the MIT-licensed open-source core of DocsKit, a Next.js-based documentation site template that includes MDX components, sidebar navigation, an automatic table of contents, and dark/light mode, with static export support.
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Overview
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Recorded 2026-09-26View source
What stands out
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Sidebar navigation and an automatically generated table of contents
Dark/light mode with no theme flash on load
Static export, deployable to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any static host
TypeScript strict, with no YAML/JSON configuration to manage
MIT license, for commercial or personal use, with no attribution required
Template Details
DocsKit Free is the open-source core version of DocsKit, released under the MIT license, and provides a working Next.js documentation site template. It uses MDX for content, includes four built-in components—Callout, CodeBlock, Steps, and Tabs—and comes with sidebar navigation and an automatically generated table of contents. The site supports dark/light mode switching without a theme flash on load.
The stack is Next.js 16 (App Router, static export), React 19, TypeScript strict, and Tailwind CSS v4, with MDX rendered via next-mdx-remote. The template uses static export and can be deployed to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any static host. The project does not use YAML/JSON configuration files; content is written directly in MDX source files under content/docs.
The README clearly distinguishes the free version from the paid DocsKit Pro ($39 one-time purchase): the free version does not include syntax-highlighted code blocks (Shiki, multiple languages, filename labels), full-text search (Pagefind build-time indexing), a complete marketing homepage (hero, features, pricing, FAQ, testimonials), or configuration and API reference documentation sections. The repository does not obfuscate or intentionally break the free version, so it can be compared directly with the Pro version to understand the differences.
Next.jsDocumentation
Is it right for your project?
Use Cases
- Building a basic documentation site for an open-source project or product
- Quickly starting an MDX-driven documentation site locally or on static hosting
- Using it as a comparison version to evaluate the feature differences of DocsKit Pro
- Lightweight documentation pages that need dark/light mode and a sidebar table of contents
Suitable For
- Developers who need a free, MIT-licensed documentation template
- Teams writing documentation with Next.js and MDX
- Projects preparing to deploy a documentation site statically without introducing server-side dependencies
Getting started & customization
Use these recorded setup notes alongside the repository instructions for your chosen version.
- 1
After cloning the repository, run npm install, then start the development server with npm run dev
- 2
The homepage is at /, and the documentation is at /docs
- 3
Full installation, deployment, and customization instructions are available at /docs in the development server, or by reading the MDX source files under content/docs directly
- 4
The README provides a one-click Vercel deploy button, and you can also deploy to other static hosts yourself
License & source material
Usage conditions & limitations
Pending verification- Usage condition assessment not yet completed; please check the original repository license first.
Project checks & description sources
Template Information
- Source platforms
- GitHub
- Documentation and maintenance reference score
- Partly documented · 74 / 100
- Technologies
- Next.js · React
- Website type
- Documentation
How this score is calculated
Our heuristic uses license records (up to 30), a demo link (12), a preview (10), stars (15), recorded maintenance (15), description completeness (8), feature records (5) and classification data (5). It is not a code, security or performance test, or a Google score. A link does not establish tested functionality.
What to verify for this project
- Repository update recorded
- 2026-09-26
- Screenshot last checked
- 2026-09-26
A demo link is listed. Check it with your own content and viewport sizes; its presence does not confirm that forms, authentication or payments work.
The catalog identifies Next.js as the primary stack. Check the actual dependency manifest and lockfile for versions and hosting requirements. These notes use recorded metadata, not a code audit or a deployment test.
Use a selection guide →How this description was prepared
AI-assisted description based on catalog records and repository material. Repository authors are not automatically the reviewers of this description.
Review declaration: [email protected] · 2026-10-04
Inspect the recorded source material
SHA-256: 7603a83c1dc6ac68978d5f2ee209ce392ff343d2b06542cc1c19cbd801902e9e
2026-09-26T18:19:15.045Z
Source file / repository# DocsKit Free The open-source core of [DocsKit](https://thekitbase.app/templates/docskit) - a Next.js documentation site template. This is the free, MIT-licensed version: a working docs site with real MDX components, dark/light mode, and a sidebar + table-of-contents layout. Not a crippled demo - genuinely usable as-is.  [](https://vercel.com/new/clone?repository-url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fthekitbase%2Fdocskit-free&project-name=docskit-free&repository-name=docskit-free) [](./LICENSE) ## What's in the free version - MDX content with `Callout`, `CodeBlock`, `Steps`, and `Tabs` components - Sidebar navigation + auto-generated table of contents - Dark and light mode, no flash on load - Static export - deploy to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any static host - TypeScript strict, no YAML/JSON config to manage ## What's in [DocsKit Pro](https://thekitbase.app/templates/docskit?utm_source=docskit-free&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=docskit) ($39, one-time) The parts that take real time to get right: - **Syntax-highlighted code blocks** - Shiki, 100+ languages, filename tabs - **Full-text search** - Pagefind, indexed at build time, zero server cost - **A complete marketing homepage** - hero, features, pricing, FAQ, testimonials - **Configuration and API reference doc sections** - Ongoing updates Comparing this repo against the Pro version is the fastest way to see exactly what's different - nothing here is obfuscated or intentionally broken to force an upgrade. ## Quick start ```bash git clone https://github.com/thekitbase/docskit-free.git my-docs cd my-docs npm install npm run dev ``` Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) (or whichever port your terminal shows). The homepage is at `/`, docs at `/docs`. Full setup, deployment, and customization guide: run the dev server and visit `/docs`, or read the MDX source directly in [`content/docs/`](./content/docs). ## Tech stack Next.js 16 (App Router, static export) · React 19 · TypeScript strict · Tailwind CSS v4 · MDX via `next-mdx-remote` ## License MIT - see [LICENSE](./LICENSE). Use it for anything, commercial or personal, no attribution required (though a link back is always appreciated).
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