Swift DocC to GitHub Pages
Automate Swift package documentation publishing to GitHub Pages via GitHub Actions.
Which Build Method?
digraph method_choice {
"Check Package.swift platforms" [shape=box];
"iOS only?" [shape=diamond];
"Use xcodebuild docbuild" [shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor=lightblue];
"Use swift-docc-plugin" [shape=box];
"Check Package.swift platforms" -> "iOS only?";
"iOS only?" -> "Use xcodebuild docbuild" [label=".iOS only"];
"iOS only?" -> "Use swift-docc-plugin" [label="includes .macOS"];
}
Why? swift package generate-documentation builds for macOS. iOS-only packages fail with "no such module 'UIKit'".
Quick Reference
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Target name | From Package.swift: .target(name: "MyLib") |
| URL format | https://USER.github.io/REPO/documentation/targetnamelowercase/ |
| Enable Pages | Settings → Pages → Source → "GitHub Actions" |
Workflow
Create .github/workflows/docc.yml. Replace TARGET_NAME, TARGET_NAME_LOWERCASE, REPO_NAME.
iOS-only (no Package.swift changes needed):
name: Documentation
on:
push:
branches: [main]
workflow_dispatch:
permissions:
contents: read
pages: write
id-token: write
concurrency:
group: pages
cancel-in-progress: true
jobs:
build:
runs-on: macos-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v6
- name: Setup Xcode
uses: maxim-lobanov/setup-xcode@v1
with:
xcode-version: latest-stable
- name: Build Documentation
run: |
xcodebuild docbuild \
-scheme TARGET_NAME \
-destination "generic/platform=iOS Simulator" \
-derivedDataPath .derivedData
$(xcrun --find docc) process-archive transform-for-static-hosting \
.derivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/TARGET_NAME.doccarchive \
--hosting-base-path REPO_NAME \
--output-path ./docs
- name: Add redirect
run: |
cat > ./docs/index.html << 'EOF'
<!DOCTYPE html><html><head>
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=documentation/TARGET_NAME_LOWERCASE/">
</head></html>
EOF
- uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v4
with:
path: ./docs
deploy:
needs: build
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
environment:
name: github-pages
url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
steps:
- uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
id: deployment
Cross-platform: Add dependency to Package.swift, replace Build Documentation step:
dependencies: [
.package(url: "https://github.com/swiftlang/swift-docc-plugin", from: "1.1.0")
],
- name: Build Documentation
run: |
swift package --allow-writing-to-directory ./docs \
generate-documentation --target TARGET_NAME \
--disable-indexing \
--transform-for-static-hosting \
--hosting-base-path REPO_NAME \
--output-path ./docs
Local Testing
# iOS-only
xcodebuild docbuild -scheme TARGET_NAME \
-destination "generic/platform=iOS Simulator" -derivedDataPath .derivedData
$(xcrun --find docc) process-archive transform-for-static-hosting \
.derivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/TARGET_NAME.doccarchive \
--hosting-base-path REPO_NAME --output-path ./docs
# Cross-platform
swift package --allow-writing-to-directory ./docs \
generate-documentation --target TARGET_NAME \
--transform-for-static-hosting --hosting-base-path REPO_NAME --output-path ./docs
Common Mistakes
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| "no such module 'UIKit'" | iOS-only package: use xcodebuild docbuild |
| 404 at root URL | Add redirect index.html step |
| Empty documentation | Ensure types are public |
| Wrong URL case | Target in URL is always lowercase |
| Pages not deploying | Enable GitHub Actions as Pages source |
Optional
Custom docs: Add Sources/TARGET_NAME/Documentation.docc/ with landing page and articles.
Swift Package Index: Add .spi.yml for automatic hosting:
version: 1
builder:
configs:
- documentation_targets: [TARGET_NAME]
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