***

title: Edit your docs
subtitle: >-
Preview changes locally and publish updates using the CLI, Fern Editor, or
Fern Writer
slug: editing-your-docs
-----------------------

Fern provides three ways to edit your documentation: the command-line interface (CLI) for developers, Fern Editor for team members who prefer a visual interface, and Fern Writer for AI-assisted documentation updates via Slack.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Using the CLI" defaultOpen>
    The Fern CLI lets you preview changes locally and publish updates from your terminal.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the CLI">
        ```bash
        npm install -g fern-api
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Preview locally">
        Start a local development server with hot-reloading:

        ```bash
        fern docs dev
        ```

        This serves your documentation at [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Generate a preview link">
        Create a shareable preview URL for your team to review changes before publishing:

        ```bash
        fern generate --docs --preview
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Publish to production">
        When you're ready for your docs to be publicly accessible:

        ```bash
        fern generate --docs
        ```

        This builds and publishes your documentation to the URL configured in `docs.yml`.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    For detailed CLI documentation, see the [Fern CLI reference](https://buildwithfern.com/learn/cli-api-reference/cli-reference/overview).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Using Fern Editor">
    Fern Editor is a visual editor that lets anyone on your team update documentation without learning Markdown or Git. It's ideal for content writers, product managers, and other non-technical contributors.

    **Key features**

    Fern Editor provides rich text editing similar to Notion or Google Docs, support for Fern components like Callouts and Cards, and a GitHub-backed workflow that creates pull requests for review.

    **Get started**

    1. Log in to the [Fern Dashboard](https://dashboard.buildwithfern.com/)
    2. Connect your GitHub repository
    3. Open Fern Editor from the top navigation

    Changes made in Fern Editor create pull requests automatically, maintaining your docs-as-code workflow with full Git history and review process.

    For more details on Fern Editor features and supported components, see the [Fern Editor documentation](https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/writing-content/fern-editor).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Using Fern Writer">
    Fern Writer is a Slack-based technical writing agent that keeps your docs aligned as your product evolves. Tag `@Fern Writer` in Slack with a description of the change you need, and it will create a pull request for your review.

    **Get started**

    1. [Get a unique Slack installation link](https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/scribe-api/fern-writer-api/get-fern-writer-install-link) using your Fern token and GitHub repository
    2. Authorize Fern Writer in your Slack workspace (must be an admin)
    3. Add Fern Writer to channels where your team discusses documentation

    For setup details and usage examples, see the [Fern Writer documentation](https://buildwithfern.com/learn/docs/ai-features/fern-writer).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Write content" icon="duotone pen-to-square" href="/writing-content">
    Create pages using MDX and components
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set up navigation" icon="duotone sitemap" href="/navigation">
    Configure tabs, sections, and pages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Customize your docs" icon="duotone palette" href="/customization">
    Brand your documentation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>