CodeWiki

Overview

CodeWiki is an AI-native documentation platform designed to keep technical documentation alive, precise, and always in sync with the latest changes in your codebase. Developed by Google, CodeWiki leverages the power of Gemini AI to scan entire repositories after every commit, automatically regenerate structured documentation, and provide dynamic visual diagrams. Whether you're onboarding new team members, auditing code, or exploring unfamiliar systems, CodeWiki delivers a seamless blend of interactive documentation and intelligent search.

Introduced in November 2025 for Google Cloud customers, CodeWiki is now in public preview, available for open repositories at codewiki.google. For teams working with private or air-gapped repositories, Google also offers a Gemini CLI extension with a waitlist for early access.

The mission of CodeWiki is simple: to remove documentation drift, accelerate onboarding, and give developers immediate clarity about any part of a system's code and architecture.

Key Features

Automated, Always-Current Documentation

• Repo Analysis: Scans your codebase after every commit.
• Documentation Regeneration: Updates the entire wiki, ensuring no stale content lingers.
• Hyperlinked Structure: Every function, class, and module is contextually linked.
• Context-Aware Presentation: Docs reflect the exact state of the repo at that commit moment.

Gemini AI Chat Assistant

• Natural Language Queries: Ask questions in plain English.
• Contextual Answers: Uses the current wiki as an authoritative source.
• Instant Referencing: Directs you to relevant code files, diagrams, or sections.
• Role-Based Utility: Equally useful for developers, Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), or compliance auditors.

Interactive Navigation

• Clickable Diagrams: Architecture, sequence, and class diagrams mirror code in real time.
• Deep Integration: Navigate from documentation straight into source code.
• Exploratory Browsing: Ideal for discovering new libraries or modules.

Live Visual Diagrams

• System Architecture Maps: Understand services, components, and dependencies.
• Sequence Diagrams: Visualize system workflows and runtime events.
• Class Relationships: Map out object-oriented structures for better refactoring.

Availability & Deployment

• Public Preview: Free access for open repositories.
• Gemini CLI Extension: Automate private documentation generation locally, with waitlist access.

Use Cases

1. Onboarding New Developers

New hires can dive into a project and quickly see accurate documentation, diagrams, and code relationships. This enables them to make meaningful contributions within hours, not weeks.

2. Auditing & Compliance Reviews

Auditors can navigate live, hyperlinked documentation to trace data flows, ensure compliance, and validate code behavior.

3. System Understanding for SREs

Site Reliability Engineers often need to work on unfamiliar systems under pressure. CodeWiki's AI assistant and diagrams help them troubleshoot faster.

4. API & Library Exploration

For teams adopting new dependencies, CodeWiki instantly translates code structures into readable, navigable documentation.

5. Educational Reference for Open Source Projects

Open source contributors can gain full knowledge of a project's internals without wading through outdated or incomplete docs.

FAQ

Q1: Who can use CodeWiki? CodeWiki is available free for public repos in its current preview phase. Private repo support is possible via the Gemini CLI extension (waitlist required).

Q2: Is CodeWiki only for Google Cloud projects? While designed initially for Google Cloud customers, it supports any code repository structure as long as it can be scanned post-commit.

Q3: How does CodeWiki stay current? It scans and regenerates documentation after every commit, ensuring zero drift from the current code state.

Q4: Does Gemini AI store my source code? For public repos, scanning happens in Google's infrastructure. For private repos, the Gemini CLI runs locally, so your code remains on-premises.

Q5: Can CodeWiki visualize complex architectures? Yes, it automatically produces architecture, sequence, and class diagrams tailored to your repository.

Q6: Is customization possible? You can configure diagram generation, scope of documentation, and AI assistant behavior per project.

Q7: How is this different from traditional wikis? Traditional documentation systems often lag behind code changes. CodeWiki automates doc creation and updates, bound directly to commit activity, and integrates AI explanations.

Q8: Is there an API for CodeWiki? API access is expected in future releases for tighter integration with DevOps pipelines.

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Quote from Google Developers Blog: "New contributors can make their first commit on Day 1, while senior developers can understand new libraries in minutes."

With CodeWiki, your documentation evolves at the speed of your code. The combination of live updates, interactive navigation, and AI-assisted insights transforms documentation from a static afterthought into a living, breathing partner in development.