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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions docs.json
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
"pages": [
"index",
"quickstart",
"instant-previews",
"ai-native",
"migration"
]
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61 changes: 61 additions & 0 deletions instant-previews.mdx
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---
title: "Instant previews"
description: "Generate a hosted preview of any public GitHub repository by replacing the domain in the URL"
---

Instant previews let you generate a fully-hosted site for any public GitHub repository by replacing `github.com` with `mintlify.com` in the URL.

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'fully-hosted' doesn't need a hyphen.

## How it works

1. Take any public GitHub repository URL:
```
https://github.com/owner/repo
```

2. Replace `github.com` with `mintlify.com`:
```
https://mintlify.com/owner/repo
```

3. Enter your email to start generation. You'll receive an email when your site is ready.

## Generation process

When you submit a repository, the system:

1. **Provisions** a new hosted site with a unique subdomain
2. **Analyzes** the repository to discover project context, including:
- README content
- Programming languages used
- GitHub topics and metadata
- Homepage URL and branding assets (colors, logos, favicon)
3. **Generates** content using AI based on your codebase structure
4. **Reviews** the generated content for quality
5. **Deploys** the site and sends you an email with the URL

The process typically takes 15-30 minutes.

## Keeping content updated

Generated sites track the source repository they were created from. The system stores:

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('were created').

- The source repository URL
- The commit SHA at the time of generation

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Spell out 'SHA', if it's unfamiliar to the audience.

This allows the content to be regenerated when the source repository changes, ensuring your site stays current with your codebase.

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('be regenerated').

## Requirements

- The repository must be public
- The repository must have a minimum number of GitHub stars

## Claiming your site

After your site is generated, you can sign up to claim it and gain access to:

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('is generated').

- The web editor for making changes
- Custom domain configuration
- Analytics and feedback
- All other Mintlify features

The email you receive after generation includes a link to [sign up and claim your site](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/signup).