DocScribe is a RubyMine plugin that auto-generates inline YARD documentation for Ruby methods using docscribe — a Ruby gem that analyzes AST and suggests YARD-compatible documentation. Compatible with docscribe >= 1.4.0 (daemon mode requires >= 1.5.0).
Also, available for VS Code on the VS Code Marketplace.
- Fast daemon mode — persistent Ruby server via Unix socket JSON-RPC, eliminating CLI startup overhead on repeated operations
- Inline diagnostics — undocumented methods highlighted in the editor on file open and save
- Quick-fix intention — lightbulb action to generate YARD documentation with one click
- RBS type inference — uses RBS signatures for accurate
@paramand@returntypes (whengem "rbs"is in your Gemfile) - Workspace-wide check — scan all Ruby files in the project
- Flexible strategies — safe (document missing methods only) and aggressive (replace existing docs, preserve manual descriptions)
- Update types from RBS — refresh YARD docs from RBS signatures
- Collapsible YARD docs — fold all YARD comment blocks automatically on file open (configurable in settings)
- Configurable — hide comments by default
.rakesupport — diagnostics and actions work on Rake files- JSON output — uses
docscribe --format jsonfor reliable diagnostics parsing
- RubyMine 2026.1+ (also works in IntelliJ IDEA with Ruby plugin)
- Ruby with Bundler
- docscribe gem >= 1.4.0
| Mode | docscribe version | Ruby version |
|---|---|---|
| Daemon (Unix socket RPC) | >= 1.5.0 | >= 3.0 |
| CLI fallback | >= 1.4.0 | >= 2.7 |
The plugin prefers daemon mode for better performance. If docscribe < 1.5.0 or the Ruby SDK is unavailable, it
automatically falls back to spawning the CLI directly.
gem install docscribeOr add to your Gemfile:
gem "docscribe", group: :developmentFor RBS type inference:
gem "rbs", group: :developmentInstall directly from the IDE: Settings -> Plugins -> Marketplace -> search "DocScribe".
Or download from the JetBrains Marketplace.
Download the latest release from GitHub Releases and install via Settings -> Plugins -> ⚙ -> Install Plugin from Disk.
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DocScribe -> Check Current File | Ctrl+Shift+D then C |
Analyze the active Ruby file for undocumented methods |
| DocScribe -> Check Entire Workspace | Ctrl+Shift+D then W |
Scan all Ruby files in the project |
| DocScribe -> Apply Safe Fixes | Ctrl+Shift+D then S |
Add docs to undocumented methods only |
| DocScribe -> Apply Aggressive Fixes | Ctrl+Shift+D then A |
Replace all existing YARD docs |
| DocScribe -> Update Types from RBS | — | Refresh YARD docs from RBS signatures |
All actions are available in the editor right-click menu under the DocScribe group.
Open a Ruby file — undocumented methods are underlined with a warning. Hover to see what's missing. Diagnostics update automatically on file save and open.
Click the lightbulb or press Alt+Enter on an annotated diagnostic and select "Apply docscribe fix" to
auto-generate documentation for that method.
Navigate to Settings -> Tools -> DocScribe:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Hide comments by default | Auto-fold YARD comment blocks on file open | Off |
# Build the plugin
./gradlew buildPlugin
# Run in development IDE
./gradlew runIde
# Run tests
./gradlew test
# Check formatting and static analysis
./gradlew spotlessCheck detekt
# Verify compatibility
./gradlew verifyPluginOutput: build/distributions/docscribe-rubymine-*.zip
- docscribe-rubymine — IntelliJ Platform plugin (Kotlin)
- docscribe — Ruby gem (gem + CLI) — GitHub
The plugin runs a persistent Ruby daemon (Docscribe::Server) over a Unix domain socket using JSON-RPC 2.0 for
all check/fix operations. If the daemon is unavailable, it falls back to spawning the docscribe CLI directly
via GeneralCommandLine/CapturingProcessHandler. Output is parsed from the RuboCop-compatible JSON format
for inline diagnostics.