Code to Documentation Mapping

Maps Next.js source code directories to their corresponding documentation files.

Core Mappings

Components

Functions

File Conventions

Configuration

Directives

Metadata File Conventions

Directory Pattern Mappings

By Feature Area

CLI Commands

Finding Related Documentation

Step 1: Identify the changed export

Look at what's exported from the changed file:

• Public API exports → API Reference docs
• Internal utilities → Usually no docs needed
• Configuration types → Config docs

Step 2: Search for existing docs

Use Claude's built-in tools for searching:

• Find docs mentioning a term: Use the Grep tool with the pattern and docs/ as the path
• List docs in a directory: Use the Glob tool with pattern like docs/01-app/03-api-reference/04-functions/*.mdx

Step 3: Check for shared content

If editing App Router docs, check if Pages Router has a corresponding file with source field:

• Find source references: Use the Grep tool with pattern source: app/api-reference in docs/02-pages/

Common Patterns

New API Function

1. Export added to packages/next/src/server/
2. Create doc at docs/01-app/03-api-reference/04-functions/function-name.mdx
3. Update index/listing pages if applicable

New Component Prop

1. Prop added to component in packages/next/src/client/components/
2. Update the props table in corresponding doc
3. Add a section explaining the new prop with examples

New Config Option

1. Option added to packages/next/src/server/config-shared.ts
2. Find the relevant config doc in docs/01-app/03-api-reference/05-config/01-next-config-js/
3. Add the option with description and example

Behavioral Change

1. Logic changed in any source file
2. Find all docs that describe this behavior
3. Update descriptions and examples to match new behavior
4. Add migration notes if breaking change

Quick Search Commands

Use Claude's built-in tools for efficient searching:

• Find all docs mentioning a term: Use the Grep tool with your search pattern and docs/ as the path, filtering to *.mdx files
• List all API reference docs: Use the Glob tool with pattern docs/01-app/03-api-reference/**/*.mdx
• Find docs by filename pattern: Use the Glob tool with pattern like docs/**/*image*.mdx
• Read a doc's frontmatter: Use the Read tool with a line limit to check the source field