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README Generator

Scaffold professional README.md files with badges, sections, and table of contents from a form.

Overview

Assemble a standard README.md from a few fields: project name, one-line description, install and run commands, author, and license, with optional badges, a table of contents, contributing section, and FAQ. The markdown builds live as you edit.

How It Works

Fill in the project name, description, install command, run command, author or GitHub handle, and pick one of five licenses from the dropdown. Four checkboxes toggle sections and extras: shields.io badges, a table of contents, a contributing section, and an FAQ placeholder. The README text regenerates in the output panel immediately, and a slug preview shows the sanitized project name. Copy the finished markdown from the output box.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Enter the project name, description, install command, and run command.
  2. Set the author handle and choose the license from the dropdown.
  3. Toggle badges, table of contents, contributing, and FAQ to taste.
  4. Copy the generated README.md and edit any placeholder sections before committing.

Technical Specifications & Standards

The generator produces a conventional open-source README shape. Badges are shields.io image URLs for the chosen license, a Node version requirement of 20 or higher, and a PRs-welcome badge; the Node badge is hardcoded, so remove or edit it if the project is not JavaScript. The table of contents links to the standard anchor slugs GitHub derives from headings, which is why the generated headings must stay in English or have their anchors adjusted if you rename them. The contributing section carries standard wording inviting issues and pull requests, and the FAQ section is a placeholder you must fill in. The footer credits the author and links to github.com followed by the author field with spaces removed, which assumes the author value is a GitHub handle. Five licenses are offered: MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, BSD-3-Clause, and Unlicense, and the choice flows into both the badge and the license section text. The output is plain markdown text; there is no rendered preview pane in this tool, so paste it into a renderer to see the final look.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Bootstrapping a README for a new repository so the first commit is not empty.
  • Standardizing documentation structure across many small internal projects.
  • Producing the common badge, TOC, and license scaffolding quickly for a hackathon project.
  • Giving contributors a consistent starting template with a contributing section.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Replace the FAQ placeholder text with real questions before publishing.
  • Remove the Node badge if your project is not Node-based; it is included for the common case.
  • Keep the author field as your GitHub handle so the footer link resolves correctly.
  • Check that heading titles still match the table of contents anchors after editing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a Node.js badge in my README?

The badge row includes a fixed Node 20+ requirement badge, which suits JavaScript projects. Delete that line if your project is in another language or has no runtime requirement.

Does the table of contents still work if I rename sections?

GitHub builds anchors from heading text. If you rename Installation or Usage, update the matching anchor link in the table of contents so it jumps correctly.

Which licenses can I choose from?

MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, BSD-3-Clause, and Unlicense. The selection appears in the badge and in the license section. If your license differs, edit both places by hand.

Is there a preview of the rendered markdown?

No, the tool outputs the markdown source only. Paste it into a renderer, such as a GitHub preview or the site's markdown preview tool, to check the visual result.