How to Turn a curl Request into Markdown Documentation

Problem

curl commands copied from terminals or browser devtools are hard to read. They often include bearer tokens, cookies, compressed headers, and escaped JSON bodies.

Solution

Extract and parse the URL, decode query parameters, format the JSON body, redact credentials, then assemble a Markdown section and preview it locally.

Workflow

1. 1Separate the request parts
   Identify the method, URL, headers, and body. Smart Extract can help pull the URL and embedded JSON from a long command.
2. 2Parse the URL
   Use URL Parser to split host, path, and query parameters. This makes documentation clearer than leaving everything in one shell line.
3. 3Format the body
   If the request contains JSON, unescape it if needed and format it before placing it in a Markdown code fence.
4. 4Redact credentials
   Replace Authorization, Cookie, and API key headers with placeholders before previewing or sharing the docs.

Examples

### Create order

POST /v1/orders

Headers:
- Authorization: Bearer [redacted]
- Content-Type: application/json

```json
{
  "sku": "demo-1",
  "quantity": 2
}
```

Checklist

• Redact tokens before writing docs.
• Decode query parameters before explaining them.
• Format JSON bodies before adding code fences.
• Preview Markdown before publishing.

Tools Used

• Smart ExtractPull URL and JSON sections from a copied curl command.
• URL ParserDocument path and query parameters clearly.
• Markdown PreviewPreview the finished API docs.

Frequently Asked Questions

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