cargo-rustdoc

Pass options to rustdoc

$ cargo rustdoc -- [rustdoc_options]

$ cargo rustdoc -- --warn rustdoc::[lint_name]

$ cargo rustdoc -- --allow rustdoc::[lint_name]

$ cargo rustdoc --lib

$ cargo rustdoc --bin [name]

$ cargo rustdoc --example [name]

$ cargo rustdoc --test [name]

cargo-rustdoc [OPTIONS] [--] [<PATH>]

--open
    Automatically opens generated docs in default browser

--no-deps
    Document only the specified packages, skipping dependencies

--document-private-items
    Includes private items (re-exported or not) in docs

-p SPEC, --package SPEC
    Package(s) to document (e.g., 'foo', 'foo:0.1.0')

--lib
    Document only library targets

--bins
    Document all binary targets

--examples
    Document all example targets

--tests
    Document all test targets

--target TRIPLE
    Target triple for documentation

--manifest-path PATH
    Path to Cargo.toml

--workspace
    Document all packages in workspace

--all-features
    Build with all features enabled

--jobs N
    Number of parallel jobs (default: number of CPUs)

--target-dir DIR
    Output directory for target files

-h, --help
    Prints help information

The cargo-rustdoc command is a Cargo subcommand that builds HTML documentation for Rust packages (crates) using the rustdoc compiler. It processes Rust source code comments to create navigable API docs, including search, source links, and dependency graphs. Output is placed in target/doc by default.

Ideal for developers publishing to crates.io or maintaining local references, it handles workspaces, dependencies, and cross-compilation. Runs rustdoc on the library, binaries, examples, tests, or benches as specified. Shares Cargo's build system for reproducible, incremental builds.

Flags control scope (e.g., no deps, private items), presentation (--open launches browser), and configuration (features, targets). Integrates seamlessly with Cargo.toml profiles. Requires rustdoc from Rust toolchain (install via rustup component add rustdoc). Essential for Rust ecosystem documentation.

Requires rustdoc toolchain component. Docs built for current profile (dev by default); use Cargo.toml [profile.dev.doc] for customizations. Incremental builds supported but may need cargo clean after changes. Not for Markdown books (use mdbook).

cargo-rustdoc --open
Builds and opens docs in browser.

cargo-rustdoc -p mycrate --lib
Documents specific library package.

cargo-rustdoc --no-deps --target wasm32-unknown-unknown
WebAssembly-targeted docs without deps.

0: Success.
101: Invalid configuration.
Other: Compilation or I/O errors.

Part of Cargo since initial 0.1.0 release (2014, Rust 0.12 era). Developed by Mozilla/Yehuda Katz et al. Evolved with Rust stable (1.0, 2015); added --open (0.10), workspace support (0.18). Now core to Rust 1.80+ ecosystem, with improvements for async/no_std docs.

cargo(1), rustdoc(1), cargo-build(1), cargo-test(1), mdbook(1)