Explain My BuildHow to document your v0 app
Last updated: July 26, 2026
To document a v0 app, sync it to GitHub and point Explain My Build at the repo. It reads the React/Next.js code with shadcn/ui and Tailwind that v0 generated and writes an end-user guide, a founder runbook and a code-verified fix-list, each claim cited to a real file.
What is a v0 app, and where does the code live?
A v0 app is a web app or UI that v0 by Vercel generated from your prompts. v0 started as a UI generator and now builds fuller applications. Key v0-specific facts:
- Stack: React and Next.js, styled with Tailwind CSS and built on shadcn/ui component primitives, in TypeScript. If your project is full of
components/uifiles, that's the shadcn/ui signature v0 leans on. - GitHub sync: the rebuilt v0 added a native Git workflow in early 2026 (a Git panel that creates a branch per chat and opens pull requests against main). Once connected, your GitHub repo becomes the source of truth for the project, so changes flow between v0 and the repo.
- Deploy: v0 deploys naturally to Vercel, and its 2026 updates added a VS Code-style code editor and database connectivity for fuller apps.
Because it's standard React/Next.js, Explain My Build can read it directly. It maps your pages, components, API routes and any database calls from the actual files v0 wrote — then explains them in plain English.
What's distinct about documenting a v0 app?
The v0-specific wrinkle is that v0 leans heavily on the Next.js App Router and shadcn/ui, so your app's screens are often assembled from many small UI components. That's great for consistency, but it means the "what does this screen do" answer is spread across several files.
Reading the code handles this cleanly: Explain My Build follows a route through its components to describe the whole screen a user sees, rather than documenting UI fragments in isolation. It also distinguishes purely-visual components v0 generated from the ones wired to real data or an API route — a distinction that matters for an accurate end-user guide.
If your v0 project is UI-only (no back end yet), the guide honestly documents what exists — the screens and flows — rather than inventing data features you haven't built.
What three artifacts do you get for a v0 app?
From one read of your v0 code you get:
- End-user guide — plain-English help for your users, with a share link and access code, an in-app Help widget and a portable export. $19/month ($12/month founding for the first 100).
- Founder runbook — how your Next.js routes, components and any database connections fit together, and how to deploy on Vercel. Free.
- Code-verified fix-list — ranked, cited issues to paste back into v0 or another AI: for example an API key exposed in a client component instead of a server-only environment variable. Free.
Honest limits for v0 apps
Explain My Build reads the code in your repo. If your v0 app connects to a database or service whose settings live only in the Vercel dashboard, we read the connection in code but can't inspect the remote settings — we flag that. It's a code read, not a live penetration test, and you review the end-user guide before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a user guide for my v0 app?
Use v0's GitHub integration to sync your project to a repo, then point Explain My Build at it (or run the folder in your browser). It reads the Next.js and shadcn/ui code v0 generated and writes an end-user guide cited to your real routes and screens. You review it before publishing.
Does documentation work if my v0 app is only UI with no backend?
Yes. Explain My Build documents what exists — your screens and flows — and won't invent data features you haven't built. If you later add a database or API, re-run it and the guide updates to cover the new functionality.
My v0 app has dozens of shadcn/ui components — will the guide be a mess?
No. It follows each route through its components to describe the complete screen a user sees, rather than documenting UI fragments one by one. The guide reads like help for a person, not a component inventory.
Turn your app into a guide your users can follow.
Paste a public GitHub link and get your founder runbook + fix-list free in about a minute — no sign-up. Private code runs entirely in your browser.