Stenography
What it is: AI-powered code documentation. Automatic docstrings, comments, explanations. VS Code extension.
What It Does Best
Document as you code. Highlight function, hit shortcut, get instant docstring. Python, JavaScript, TypeScript supported.
Explain complex code. Inherited messy codebase? Stenography explains what it does in plain English.
Consistent style. All docs follow same format. No more inconsistent commenting styles across team.
Key Features
VS Code extension: One-click documentation generation
Multiple formats: JSDoc, Python docstrings, TypeScript annotations
Code explanations: Plain English descriptions of logic
Keyboard shortcuts: Document without breaking flow
Team consistency: Same documentation style across codebase
Pricing
Free: 50 API calls/month
Plus: $10/month (unlimited)
Team: Custom pricing
When to Use It
✅ Hate writing documentation (who doesn't?)
✅ Team requires docstrings for all functions
✅ Onboarding developers to complex code
✅ Preparing code for handoff or review
When NOT to Use It
❌ Code is self-explanatory (good naming, simple logic)
❌ Don't use docstrings (team doesn't value docs)
❌ Want AI to write code, not just document
Common Use Cases
Legacy code documentation: Add docs to undocumented functions
API documentation: Generate docstrings for public interfaces
Code handoff: Document before transferring to another team
Compliance requirements: Meet documentation standards quickly
Understanding inherited code: Get explanations of confusing logic
Stenography vs Alternatives
vs Mintlify: Stenography for inline docs, Mintlify for full doc sites
vs GitHub Copilot: Copilot writes code, Stenography documents it
vs Manual docs: Stenography 10x faster, less thorough
Unique Strengths
Single purpose: Does one thing really well
Instant workflow: Document without leaving editor
Low cognitive load: No prompting needed, just highlight and generate
Affordable: Cheaper than comprehensive AI assistants
Bottom line: Solves one problem really well: documentation nobody wants to write. Not revolutionary but saves hours of boring work.