OpenAPI is a specification for describing APIs. Mintlify supports OpenAPI 3.0+ documents to generate interactive API documentation and keep it up to date.

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Add an OpenAPI specification file

To document your endpoints with OpenAPI, you need a valid OpenAPI document in either JSON or YAML format that follows the OpenAPI specification 3.0+. You can create API pages from a single or multiple OpenAPI documents.

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Describing your API

We recommend the following resources to learn about and construct your OpenAPI documents.
Swagger’s OpenAPI Guide is for OpenAPI v3.0, but nearly all of the information is applicable to v3.1. For more information on the differences between v3.0 and v3.1, see Migrating from OpenAPI 3.0 to 3.1.0 in the OpenAPI blog.

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Specifying the URL for your API

To enable Mintlify features like the API playground, add a servers field to your OpenAPI document with your API’s base URL. 
{
  "servers": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.example.com/v1"
    }
  ]
}
In an OpenAPI document, different API endpoints are specified by their paths, like /users/{id} or simply /. The base URL defines where these paths should be appended. For more information on how to configure the servers field, see API Server and Base Path in the OpenAPI documentation. The API playground uses these server URLs to determine where to send requests. If you specify multiple servers, a dropdown will allow users to toggle between servers. If you do not specify a server, the API playground will use simple mode since it cannot send requests without a base URL. If your API has endpoints that exist at different URLs, you can override the server field for a given path or operation.

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Specifying authentication

To enable authentication in your API documentation and playground, configure the securitySchemes and security fields in your OpenAPI document. The API descriptions and API Playground will add authentication fields based on the security configurations in your OpenAPI document.
1

Define your authentication method.

Add a securitySchemes field to define how users authenticate.This example shows a configuration for bearer authentication.
{
  "components": {
    "securitySchemes": {
      "bearerAuth": {
        "type": "http",
        "scheme": "bearer"
      }
    }
  }
}
2

Apply authentication to your endpoints.

Add a security field to require authentication.
{
  "security": [
    {
      "bearerAuth": []
    }
  ]
}
Common authentication types include:
  • API Keys: For header, query, or cookie-based keys.
  • Bearer: For JWT or OAuth tokens.
  • Basic: For username and password.
If different endpoints within your API require different methods of authentication, you can override the security field for a given operation. For more information on defining and applying authentication, see Authentication in the OpenAPI documentation.

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x-mint extension

The x-mint extension is a custom OpenAPI extension that provides additional control over how your API documentation is generated and displayed.

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Metadata

Override the default metadata for generated API pages by adding x-mint: metadata to any operation. You can use any metadata field that would be valid in MDX frontmatter except for openapi: 
{
  "paths": {
    "/users": {
      "get": {
        "summary": "Get users",
        "description": "Retrieve a list of users",
        "x-mint": {
          "metadata": {
            "title": "List all users",
            "description": "Fetch paginated user data with filtering options",
            "og:title": "Display a list of users"
          }
        },
        "parameters": [
          {
            // Parameter configuration
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

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Content

Add content before the auto-generated API documentation using x-mint: content: 
{
  "paths": {
    "/users": {
      "post": {
        "summary": "Create user",
        "x-mint": {
          "content": "## Prerequisites\n\nThis endpoint requires admin privileges and has rate limiting.\n\n<Note>User emails must be unique across the system.</Note>"
        },
        "parameters": [
          {
            // Parameter configuration
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}
The content extension supports all Mintlify MDX components and formatting.

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Href

Change the URL of the endpoint page in your docs using x-mint: href: 
{
  "paths": {
    "/legacy-endpoint": {
      "get": {
        "summary": "Legacy endpoint",
        "x-mint": {
          "href": "/deprecated-endpoints/legacy-endpoint"
        }
      }
    },
    "/documented-elsewhere": {
      "post": {
        "summary": "Special endpoint",
        "x-mint": {
          "href": "/guides/special-endpoint-guide"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
When x-mint: href is present, the navigation entry will link directly to the specified URL instead of generating an API page.

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MCP

Selectively expose endpoints as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools by using x-mint: mcp. Only enable endpoints that are safe for public access through AI tools.
​
mcp
object
The MCP configuration for the endpoint.
{
  "paths": {
    "/users": {
      "post": {
        "summary": "Create user",
        "x-mint": {
          "mcp": {
            "enabled": true
          },
          // ...
        }
      }
    },
    "/users": {
      "delete": {
        "summary": "Delete user (admin only)",
        // No `x-mint: mcp` so this endpoint is not exposed as an MCP tool
        // ...
      }
    }
  }
}
For more information, see Model Context Protocol.

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Auto-populate API pages

Add an openapi field to any navigation element in your docs.json to automatically generate pages for OpenAPI endpoints. You can control where these pages appear in your navigation structure, as dedicated API sections or with other pages. The openapi field accepts either a file path in your docs repo or a URL to a hosted OpenAPI document. Generated endpoint pages have these default metadata values:
  • title: The operation’s summary field, if present. If there is no summary, the title is generated from the HTTP method and endpoint.
  • description: The operation’s description field, if present.
  • version: The version value from the parent anchor or tab, if present.
  • deprecated: The operation’s deprecated field. If true, a deprecated label will appear next to the endpoint title in the side navigation and on the endpoint page.
To exclude specific endpoints from your auto-generated API pages, add the x-hidden property to the operation in your OpenAPI spec.
There are two approaches for adding endpoint pages into your documentation:
  1. Dedicated API sections: Reference OpenAPI specs in navigation elements for dedicated API sections.
  2. Selective endpoints: Reference specific endpoints in your navigation alongside other pages.

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Dedicated API sections

Generate dedicated API sections by adding an openapi field to a navigation element and no other pages. All endpoints in the specification will be included: 
"navigation": {
  "tabs": [
    {
        "tab": "API Reference",
        "openapi": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json"
    }
  ]
}
You can use multiple OpenAPI specifications in different navigation sections: 
"navigation": {
  "tabs": [
    {
      "tab": "API Reference",
      "groups": [
        {
          "group": "Users",
          "openapi": {
            "source": "/path/to/openapi-1.json",
            "directory": "api-reference"
          }
        },
        {
          "group": "Admin",
          "openapi": {
            "source": "/path/to/openapi-2.json",
            "directory": "api-reference"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
The directory field is optional and specifies where generated API pages are stored in your docs repo. If not specified, defaults to the api-reference directory of your repo.

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Selective endpoints

When you want more control over where endpoints appear in your documentation, you can reference specific endpoints in your navigation. This approach allows you to generate pages for API endpoints alongside other content.

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Set a default OpenAPI spec

Configure a default OpenAPI specification for a navigation element. Then reference specific endpoints in the pages field: 
"navigation": {
  "tabs": [
    {
      "tab": "Getting started",
      "pages": [
        "quickstart",
        "installation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "tab": "API reference",
      "openapi": "/path/to/openapi.json",
      "pages": [
        "api-overview",
        "GET /users",
        "POST /users",
        "guides/authentication"
      ]
    }
  ]
}
Any page entry matching the format METHOD /path will generate an API page for that endpoint using the default OpenAPI spec.

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OpenAPI spec inheritance

OpenAPI specifications are inherited down the navigation hierarchy. Child navigation elements inherit their parent’s OpenAPI specification unless they define their own: 
{
  "group": "API reference",
  "openapi": "/path/to/openapi-v1.json",
  "pages": [
    "overview",
    "authentication",
    "GET /users",
    "POST /users",
    {
      "group": "Orders",
      "openapi": "/path/to/openapi-v2.json",
      "pages": [
        "GET /orders",
        "POST /orders"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

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Individual endpoints

Reference specific endpoints without setting a default OpenAPI specification by including the file path: 
"navigation": {
  "pages": [
    "introduction",
    "user-guides",
    "/path/to/openapi-v1.json POST /users",
    "/path/to/openapi-v2.json GET /orders"
  ]
}
This approach is useful when you need individual endpoints from different specs or only want to include select endpoints.

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Create MDX files for API pages

For control over individual endpoint pages, create MDX pages for each operation. This lets you customize page metadata, add content, omit certain operations, or reorder pages in your navigation at the page level. See an example MDX OpenAPI page from MindsDB and how it appears in their live documentation.

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Manually specify files

Create an MDX page for each endpoint and specify which OpenAPI operation to display using the openapi field in the frontmatter. When you reference an OpenAPI operation this way, the name, description, parameters, responses, and API playground are automatically generated from your OpenAPI document. If you have multiple OpenAPI files, include the file path in your reference to ensure Mintlify finds the correct OpenAPI document. If you have only one OpenAPI file, Mintlify will detect it automatically.
This approach works regardless of whether you have set a default OpenAPI spec in your navigation. You can reference any endpoint from any OpenAPI spec by including the file path in the frontmatter.
If you want to reference an external OpenAPI file, add the file’s URL to your docs.json. 
---
title: "Get users"
description: "Returns all plants from the system that the user has access to"
openapi: "/path/to/openapi-1.json GET /users"
deprecated: true
version: "1.0"
---
The method and path must exactly match the definition in your OpenAPI specification. If the endpoint doesn’t exist in the OpenAPI file, the page will be empty.

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Autogenerate MDX files

Use our Mintlify scraper to autogenerate MDX pages for large OpenAPI documents.
Your OpenAPI document must be valid or the files will not autogenerate.
The scraper generates:
  • An MDX page for each operation in the paths field of your OpenAPI document.
  • If your OpenAPI document is version 3.1+, an MDX page for each operation in the webhooks field of your OpenAPI document.
  • An array of navigation entries that you can add to your docs.json.
1

Generate `MDX` files.

npx @mintlify/scraping@latest openapi-file <path-to-openapi-file>
2

Specify an output folder.

npx @mintlify/scraping@latest openapi-file <path-to-openapi-file> -o api-reference
Add the -o flag to specify a folder to populate the files into. If a folder is not specified, the files will populate in the working directory.

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Create MDX files for OpenAPI schemas

You can create individual pages for any OpenAPI schema defined in an OpenAPI document’s components.schema field: 
---
openapi-schema: OrderItem
---

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Webhooks

Webhooks are HTTP callbacks that your API sends to notify external systems when events occur. Webhooks are supported in OpenAPI 3.1+ documents.

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Define webhooks in your OpenAPI specification

Add a webhooks field to your OpenAPI document alongside the paths field. For more information on defining webhooks, see Webhooks in the OpenAPI documentation.

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Reference webhooks in MDX files

When creating MDX pages for webhooks, use webhook instead of HTTP methods like GET or POST: 
---
title: "Example webhook"
description: "Triggered when an event occurs"
openapi: "path/to/openapi-file webhook example-webhook-name"
---
The webhook name must exactly match the key defined in your OpenAPI specification’s webhooks field.