---

name: nestjs-documentation description: Automate Swagger/OpenAPI documentation and standardize API response schemas in NestJS. Use when generating OpenAPI specs, documenting paginated or generic responses, configuring the Nest CLI Swagger plugin, or publishing versioned API docs. metadata: triggers: files: - 'main.ts' - '**/*.dto.ts' keywords: - DocumentBuilder - SwaggerModule - ApiProperty - ApiResponse

OpenAPI & Documentation

Priority: P2 (MEDIUM)

Workflow

1. Enable Swagger plugin in nest-cli.json to auto-generate @ApiProperty from DTOs.
2. Annotate controllers with @ApiTags, @ApiResponse, and auth decorators.
3. Create generic wrappers for paginated and polymorphic responses.
4. Generate separate docs for public vs internal audiences.

Setup

See implementation examples for nest-cli.json plugin config and Swagger bootstrap.

Response Documentation

• Strictness: Every controller method must @ApiResponse({ status: 200, type: UserDto }).
• Generic Wrappers: Define ApiPaginatedResponse<T> decorators using ApiExtraModels + getSchemaPath() to handle generics properly.

Advanced Patterns

• Polymorphism: Use @ApiExtraModels and getSchemaPath for oneOf/anyOf union types.
• File Uploads: Use @ApiConsumes('multipart/form-data') with explicit @ApiBody schema.
• Authentication: Use @ApiBearerAuth() or @ApiSecurity('api-key') matching DocumentBuilder config.
• Enums: Force named enums: @ApiProperty({ enum: MyEnum, enumName: 'MyEnum' }).

Operation Grouping

• Tags: Mandatory @ApiTags('domains') on every Controller.
• Multiple Docs: Generate separate docs for different audiences (Public vs Internal).

See implementation examples

Anti-Patterns

• No missing @ApiResponse: Every controller method must declare its response type and status code.
• No /docs in production: Disable Swagger in production to prevent API schema exposure.
• No manual @ApiProperty everywhere: Use Nest CLI Swagger plugin to auto-generate from DTOs.