DeepWiki – Repository Documentation

Query DeepWiki for AI-generated documentation about any public GitHub repository.

Overview

DeepWiki (deepwiki.com) provides AI-generated documentation for GitHub repositories, including:

• Repository structure and architecture
• API documentation
• Code explanations
• Interactive diagrams

Quick Start

URL Pattern: Replace github.com with deepwiki.com in any repo URL:

• github.com/vercel/next.js → deepwiki.com/vercel/next.js

MCP Server Setup

DeepWiki provides a free MCP server with no authentication required for public repos.

Add to Claude Code (one-time setup)

claude mcp add -s user -t http deepwiki https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp

For Cursor/Windsurf

Add to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepwiki": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.deepwiki.com/sse"
    }
  }
}

Available MCP Tools

Once configured, these tools become available:

Usage Examples

Via WebFetch (works immediately)

# Fetch documentation overview
WebFetch https://deepwiki.com/owner/repo "Summarize the architecture"

# Example
WebFetch https://deepwiki.com/vercel/next.js "How does routing work?"

Via MCP (after setup)

Use the MCP tools directly:

• mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_structure – Get repo structure
• mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_contents – Get documentation
• mcp__deepwiki__ask_question – Ask questions

Fallback: GitHub + AI

If DeepWiki lacks coverage for a repo, use GitHub API:

Get Repository Overview

gh api repos/owner/repo | jq '{description, language, topics, stars: .stargazers_count}'

Get README

gh api repos/owner/repo/readme --jq '.content' | base64 -d

Get File Structure

gh api repos/owner/repo/git/trees/main?recursive=1 | \
  jq -r '.tree[] | select(.type == "blob") | .path' | head -50

Wire Protocols

Two protocols are supported:

• SSE at https://mcp.deepwiki.com/sse – Official MCP spec
• HTTP at https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp – Cloudflare/OpenAI compatible

Best Practices

1. Use WebFetch first – Works without MCP setup
2. Check if repo is indexed – Popular repos have better coverage
3. Ask specific questions – DeepWiki excels at targeted queries
4. Fall back to GitHub – For unindexed or private repos

Limitations

• Public repos only – Private repos require Devin account
• Coverage varies – 50,000+ popular repos indexed
• No authentication – Can’t access private documentation

Resources

• Website: https://deepwiki.com
• Docs: https://docs.devin.ai/work-with-devin/deepwiki
• GitHub: https://github.com/CognitionAI/deepwiki