What is README Generator for?
The README is the first file people read when they land on a project (on GitHub, GitLab, npm…). It's the shop window: what the project does, how to install it, how to use it, how to contribute. A good README makes people want to use your project; a bad one drives them away.
README Generator guides you section by section. Your README.md builds live as you fill in the form, with automatic badges, install commands, a table of contents and a quality score that tells you what to improve.
Who is it for?
Developers
To document every project without spending an hour on it.
Open source maintainers
To attract users and contributors.
Teams & agencies
To deliver consistent documentation across all client projects.
Students
To present a school project or a portfolio professionally.
Researchers
To document research code ("Academic" template).
Internal projects
For a private company repository's documentation.
The steps, one by one
Choose a starting point
Load the example (react-hooks-kit) to see a complete README, or start from one of the 8 templates (Pro): library, application, CLI, API, monorepo, awesome list, private repository, academic project.
Introduce your project
Name, tagline (one sentence that sums up the project), type, version, license, status (beta, production…), author, links (website, demo, documentation) and description.
Fill in the useful sections
Features (with emojis), installation (tick your package managers: npm, yarn, pip, cargo, docker…), quick start, environment variables, code examples, project structure, tests, contributing, changelog, roadmap, FAQ, credits and license. Only fill in what applies to your project: empty sections don't appear.
Check the preview and the score
The Preview tab shows your README as it will appear on GitHub. The quality score and the Assistant tab tell you what to complete.
Copy or export
Click "📋 Copy" and paste the text into your project's README.md file, or download the file directly.
Badges
Badges are the small coloured labels at the top of a README (license, version, test status…). The tool creates them automatically from your information:
- License, version, status: always available.
- CI, stars, issues, pull requests: enter your GitHub repository address (https://github.com/user/project).
- npm, PyPI or crates.io version and downloads: enter your package name.
You can also add your own Markdown badges in the "Custom badges" field.
The quality score
Your README is scored out of 100 on 9 criteria: title and tagline, description, badges, installation, usage, features, license, contributing, length. Aim for 80 or more for a complete, professional README.
| To earn points | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tagline | At least 20 characters that clearly say what the project does. |
| Description | At least 200 characters: the problem solved and who it's for. |
| Installation | A package manager ticked, prerequisites and a quick start. |
| Usage | At least 3 code examples. |
| Features | At least 5 features. |
| Contributing | An introduction, the development setup and the process. |
| Length | Between 400 and 2,000 words in total. |
The tabs
| 👁️ Preview | The rendered README, as on GitHub. |
| 📄 Raw Markdown | The exact text of the README.md file. |
| 📊 Analysis | Details of the quality score and completion. |
| 🏷️ Badges | The generated badges and their preview. |
| 📑 Sections | Turn each section on or off. |
| ⚡ Templates (Pro) | The 8 ready-to-use templates. |
| 🧩 Snippets & 😀 Emojis | Code blocks and emojis to insert in one click. |
| 📝 Assistant | Tips to improve your README. |
The 🎯 Focus button hides everything except the preview, so you can reread in peace.
Publishing your README on GitHub
- Click "📋 Copy" (or export the README.md file).
- On GitHub, open your repository, then the
README.mdfile (or "Add file" → "Create new file" and name itREADME.md). - Paste the text, then click "Commit changes". Your README appears on the repository's home page.
Exports
| Format | Use it to |
|---|---|
| 📄 README.md | The file ready to drop into your project (with or without emojis). |
| 🌐 HTML | A styled web page of your documentation. |
| 🖨️ PDF | A printable version, for a client or a file. |
| 📝 Plain text | A version without formatting. |
| 📄 CONTRIBUTING.md and LICENSE | The additional files of an open source project. |
| 🌍 Multilingual | Your README translated into English, Spanish and German (AI). |
| 📦 JSON | A backup copy of your project. |
You can also import an existing README to improve it.
AI (optional) (Pro)
- Generate the README from the project name: tagline, description, features, quick start, prerequisites, commands, FAQ.
- Rewrite the tagline: 3 suggestions to choose from.
- Suggest features and generate a FAQ.
- Improve: a review with concrete improvements.
- Check consistency: missing links, inconsistent names, unkept promises.
- Translate the README into 3 languages.
- In the AI panel, choose your provider: Agnes, OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Mistral, Groq, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, or any other OpenAI-compatible service. Create an API key on that provider's website (several offer free access, such as Agnes, Groq or Gemini). You can also choose the model; otherwise a fast, inexpensive model is used.
- In the "⚡ AI assistant" block, paste your key, click "🔌 Test" then "💾 Save", and tick "Turn on AI".
Where are my projects saved?
Your projects are saved in your browser, not on our servers. Our servers only build the README from what you type, without keeping anything.
Discovery or Pro?
The discovery version gives you the whole tool and all its exports; exported documents (HTML, PDF, Markdown, pictures) carry a small “Made with Yok-Kod” line, data files (CSV, JSON, ICS) never do. Pro removes that line and adds AI, the 8 templates and up to 30 projects.
| Discovery (free) | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Guided form, live preview, badges, quality score | ✓ | ✓ |
| Copy the README | With a “Made with Yok-Kod” line at the end | No line |
| Import an existing README | ✓ | ✓ |
| README.md, HTML, PDF, CONTRIBUTING, LICENSE… exports | ✓ with a “Made with Yok-Kod” line | ✓ no line |
| Projects | Just 1 | Up to 30 |
| 8 templates | — | ✓ |
| AI features (writing, proofreading, translation) | — | ✓ |
Pro for README Generator costs €19 as a one-off payment. It is also included in the Creative + Dev Pack (€99) and in Full Access (€179).
Common issues
- Why isn't the preview updating?
- The preview updates half a second after your last keystroke. If it stays frozen, check your Internet connection and reload the page.
- Why is a badge missing?
- The CI, stars, issues and pull request badges need your full GitHub repository address. npm badges need the package name.
- Why doesn't a section appear in the README?
- Check that it's turned on in the Sections tab and that at least one of its fields is filled in.
- What does "Too many requests, please wait a minute" mean?
- You typed for a very long time without a pause: wait a few seconds and the preview will resume on its own.
- Why can't I find my project any more?
- Make sure you're using the same computer, the same browser and the same account.
Another question? Write to us, we reply quickly.