fern-api · Ryan-Amirthan · Aug 25, 2026
diff --git a/packages/cli/cli-v2/src/commands/docs/md/generate/__test__/command.test.ts b/packages/cli/cli-v2/src/commands/docs/md/generate/__test__/command.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { GenerateCommand } from "../command.js";
 // The orchestrator (`runLibraryDocsGeneration`) is unit-tested in
 // `@fern-api/library-docs-generator`. These tests cover only the v2
 // wrapper's responsibilities: workspace/docs validation and delegation
-// to the orchestrator with the correct adapter inputs.
+// to the (local-only) orchestrator with the correct adapter inputs.
 vi.mock("@fern-api/library-docs-generator", () => ({
     runLibraryDocsGeneration: vi.fn()
 }));
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ describe("GenerateCommand", () => {
         await expect(cmd.handle(context, {} as GenerateCommand.Args)).rejects.toThrow(CliError);
     });
 
-    it("delegates to runLibraryDocsGeneration with adapter inputs", async () => {
+    it("delegates to runLibraryDocsGeneration with adapter inputs and no authentication", async () => {
         const cmd = new GenerateCommand();
         const context = makeContext({
             docs: {
@@ -75,10 +75,14 @@ describe("GenerateCommand", () => {
         const call = (runLibraryDocsGeneration as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
         expect(call).toBeDefined();
         expect(call.library).toBe("my-sdk");
-        expect(call.orgId).toBe("test-org");
-        expect(call.tokenValue).toBe("tok-123");
         // docsDirectoryPath should be the *directory* of docs.yml, not the file itself.
         expect(call.docsDirectoryPath).toBe("/tmp/proj/fern");
+        // Generation is local-only: no token or org is threaded through and
+        // the command never prompts for authentication.
+        expect(call.tokenValue).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(call.orgId).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(context.getTokenOrPrompt).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(context.verifyOrgAccess).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
     it("propagates errors thrown by the orchestrator", async () => {

diff --git a/packages/cli/cli-v2/src/commands/docs/md/generate/command.ts b/packages/cli/cli-v2/src/commands/docs/md/generate/command.ts
@@ -40,9 +40,6 @@ export class GenerateCommand {
             });
         }
 
-        const token = await context.getTokenOrPrompt();
-        await context.verifyOrgAccess({ organization: workspace.org, token });
-
         const docsFilePath = workspace.docs.absoluteFilePath ?? workspace.absoluteFilePath ?? context.cwd;
         const docsDirectoryPath = AbsoluteFilePath.of(dirname(docsFilePath));
 
@@ -53,8 +50,6 @@ export class GenerateCommand {
             libraries,
             library: args.library,
             docsDirectoryPath,
-            orgId: workspace.org,
-            tokenValue: token.value,
             context: taskContext,
             wrapStep: withSpinner
         });

diff --git a/packages/cli/cli/changes/unreleased/local-only-library-docs-generation.yml b/packages/cli/cli/changes/unreleased/local-only-library-docs-generation.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+- summary: |
+    `fern docs md generate` now always runs the library parser(s) locally using Docker.
+    The remote (server-side) generation path has been removed, so the command no longer
+    requires authentication, and the `--local` flag is deprecated as a no-op.
+  type: feat
diff --git a/packages/cli/cli/src/cli.ts b/packages/cli/cli/src/cli.ts
@@ -2101,8 +2101,9 @@ function addDocsMdGenerateCommand(cli: Argv<GlobalCliOptions>, cliContext: CliCo
                 })
                 .option("local", {
                     boolean: true,
-                    default: false,
-                    description: "Run the library parser(s) locally using Docker instead of Fern's servers"
+                    default: true,
+                    hidden: true,
+                    deprecated: "Library docs generation always runs locally using Docker; --local is no longer needed."
                 }),
         async (argv) => {
             cliContext.instrumentPostHogEvent({
@@ -2117,8 +2118,7 @@ function addDocsMdGenerateCommand(cli: Argv<GlobalCliOptions>, cliContext: CliCo
             await generateLibraryDocs({
                 project,
                 cliContext,
-                library: argv.library,
-                local: argv.local
+                library: argv.library
             });
         }
     );

diff --git a/packages/cli/cli/src/commands/docs-md-generate/__test__/generateLibraryDocs.test.ts b/packages/cli/cli/src/commands/docs-md-generate/__test__/generateLibraryDocs.test.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,13 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, type Mock, vi } from "vitest";
 
 // Per-library orchestration is unit-tested in `@fern-api/library-docs-generator`.
-// These tests cover only the v1 wrapper: workspace validation, auth flow,
-// and delegation to the orchestrator.
-vi.mock("@fern-api/login", () => ({
-    askToLogin: vi.fn()
-}));
-
+// These tests cover only the v1 wrapper: workspace validation and delegation
+// to the (local-only) orchestrator.
 vi.mock("@fern-api/library-docs-generator", () => ({
     runLibraryDocsGeneration: vi.fn()
 }));
 
 import { runLibraryDocsGeneration } from "@fern-api/library-docs-generator";
-import { askToLogin } from "@fern-api/login";
 import { type GenerateLibraryDocsOptions, generateLibraryDocs } from "../generateLibraryDocs.js";
 
 function makeCliContext() {
@@ -68,8 +63,7 @@ describe("generateLibraryDocs", () => {
             generateLibraryDocs({
                 project: project as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["project"],
                 cliContext: ctx as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["cliContext"],
-                library: undefined,
-                local: false
+                library: undefined
             })
         ).rejects.toThrow("No docs workspace found");
     });
@@ -82,73 +76,31 @@ describe("generateLibraryDocs", () => {
             generateLibraryDocs({
                 project: project as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["project"],
                 cliContext: ctx as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["cliContext"],
-                library: undefined,
-                local: false
+                library: undefined
             })
         ).rejects.toThrow("No libraries configured");
     });
 
-    it("fails when authentication returns null", async () => {
-        const ctx = makeCliContext();
-        const project = makeProject({
-            libraries: { "my-sdk": { input: { git: "https://x" }, output: { path: "./d" }, lang: "python" } }
-        });
-        (askToLogin as Mock).mockResolvedValue(null);
-
-        await expect(
-            generateLibraryDocs({
-                project: project as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["project"],
-                cliContext: ctx as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["cliContext"],
-                library: undefined,
-                local: false
-            })
-        ).rejects.toThrow("Failed to authenticate");
-    });
-
-    it("delegates to runLibraryDocsGeneration with the workspace's libraries and token", async () => {
+    it("delegates to runLibraryDocsGeneration without any authentication", async () => {
         const ctx = makeCliContext();
         const project = makeProject({
             libraries: { "my-sdk": { input: { git: "https://x" }, output: { path: "./d" }, lang: "python" } }
         });
-        (askToLogin as Mock).mockResolvedValue({ type: "user", value: "tok-xyz" });
         (runLibraryDocsGeneration as Mock).mockResolvedValue({ successful: 1 });
 
         await generateLibraryDocs({
             project: project as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["project"],
             cliContext: ctx as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["cliContext"],
-            library: "my-sdk",
-            local: false
+            library: "my-sdk"
         });
 
         expect(runLibraryDocsGeneration).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
         const call = (runLibraryDocsGeneration as Mock).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
         expect(call).toBeDefined();
         expect(call.library).toBe("my-sdk");
-        expect(call.orgId).toBe("test-org");
-        expect(call.tokenValue).toBe("tok-xyz");
         expect(call.docsDirectoryPath).toBe("/home/user/project/fern");
-    });
-
-    it("local mode: skips authentication and delegates with local: true and no token", async () => {
-        const ctx = makeCliContext();
-        const project = makeProject({
-            libraries: { "my-sdk": { input: { path: "./src" }, output: { path: "./d" }, lang: "python" } }
-        });
-        (askToLogin as Mock).mockReset();
-        (runLibraryDocsGeneration as Mock).mockReset();
-        (runLibraryDocsGeneration as Mock).mockResolvedValue({ successful: 1 });
-
-        await generateLibraryDocs({
-            project: project as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["project"],
-            cliContext: ctx as unknown as GenerateLibraryDocsOptions["cliContext"],
-            library: undefined,
-            local: true
-        });
-
-        expect(askToLogin).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-        expect(runLibraryDocsGeneration).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-        const call = (runLibraryDocsGeneration as Mock).mock.calls[0]?.[0];
-        expect(call.local).toBe(true);
+        // Generation is local-only: no token or org is threaded through.
         expect(call.tokenValue).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(call.orgId).toBeUndefined();
     });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/cli/src/commands/docs-md-generate/generateLibraryDocs.ts b/packages/cli/cli/src/commands/docs-md-generate/generateLibraryDocs.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-import { FernToken } from "@fern-api/auth";
 import { runLibraryDocsGeneration } from "@fern-api/library-docs-generator";
-import { askToLogin } from "@fern-api/login";
 import { Project } from "@fern-api/project-loader";
 import { CliError } from "@fern-api/task-context";
 
@@ -12,26 +10,16 @@ export interface GenerateLibraryDocsOptions {
     cliContext: CliContext;
     /** If specified, only generate docs for this library */
     library: string | undefined;
-    /** Run the parser(s) locally in Docker instead of using Fern's servers. */
-    local: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
  * Generate library documentation from source code.
  *
  * Loads the docs workspace and delegates to the shared orchestrator in
- * `@fern-api/library-docs-generator`. By default it authenticates with FDR,
- * starts server-side parsing, polls for completion, downloads the resulting IR
- * from S3, and runs the local MDX generator. With `local`, it skips
- * authentication and runs the parser Docker images directly on the user's
- * machine.
+ * `@fern-api/library-docs-generator`, which runs the parser Docker images
+ * on the user's machine — no authentication or network calls are required.
  */
-export async function generateLibraryDocs({
-    project,
-    cliContext,
-    library,
-    local
-}: GenerateLibraryDocsOptions): Promise<void> {
+export async function generateLibraryDocs({ project, cliContext, library }: GenerateLibraryDocsOptions): Promise<void> {
     const docsWorkspace = project.docsWorkspaces;
 
     if (docsWorkspace == null) {
@@ -61,30 +49,12 @@ export async function generateLibraryDocs({
         return;
     }
 
-    let tokenValue: string | undefined;
-    if (!local) {
-        const token: FernToken | null = await cliContext.runTask(async (context) => {
-            return askToLogin(context);
-        });
-
-        if (token == null) {
-            cliContext.failAndThrow("Failed to authenticate. Please run 'fern login' first.", undefined, {
-                code: CliError.Code.AuthError
-            });
-            return;
-        }
-        tokenValue = token.value;
-    }
-
     await cliContext.runTask(async (context) => {
         const { successful } = await runLibraryDocsGeneration({
             libraries,
             library,
             docsDirectoryPath: docsWorkspace.absoluteFilePath,
-            orgId: project.config.organization,
-            tokenValue,
-            context,
-            local
+            context
         });
 
         if (successful > 0) {

diff --git a/packages/cli/configuration/src/docs-yml/ParsedDocsConfiguration.ts b/packages/cli/configuration/src/docs-yml/ParsedDocsConfiguration.ts
@@ -560,8 +560,8 @@ export type ParsedApiReferenceLayoutItem =
 
 /**
  * Parsed configuration for the source location of a library documentation source.
- * A `git` input can be generated remotely or resolved locally with `--local`;
- * a `path` input points at a local checkout and requires `--local`.
+ * A `git` input is cloned and resolved locally; a `path` input points at a
+ * local checkout.
  */
 export type ParsedLibraryInputConfiguration =
     | {

diff --git a/packages/cli/library-docs-generator/src/__test__/localGeneration.test.ts b/packages/cli/library-docs-generator/src/__test__/localGeneration.test.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { runContainer } from "@fern-api/docker-utils";
 import { runLibraryDocsGeneration } from "../orchestrate.js";
 
 /**
- * End-to-end coverage of the `fern docs md generate --local` path for a
+ * End-to-end coverage of the `fern docs md generate` path for a
  * local path and git input libraries.
  *
  * Only the Docker boundary (`runContainer`) is mocked — it emits a realistic
@@ -29,9 +29,8 @@ import { runLibraryDocsGeneration } from "../orchestrate.js";
  * source-path resolution, `LocalParserRunner`, IR validation, and the Python
  * MDX generator writing files to `output.path` on disk.
  *
- * This is the local analogue of the git/remote render coverage in
- * fern-platform's `library-docs-generate.spec.ts`, and closes the seam that
- * let a `path` input be required by `--local` yet unhandled elsewhere.
+ * This is the local analogue of the git render coverage in
+ * fern-platform's `library-docs-generate.spec.ts`.
  */
 
 type LoggerMock = { info: Mock; error: Mock; debug: Mock; warn: Mock; trace: Mock; log: Mock };
@@ -142,7 +141,7 @@ function pythonIr(): FdrAPI.libraryDocs.PythonLibraryDocsIr {
     } as unknown as FdrAPI.libraryDocs.PythonLibraryDocsIr;
 }
 
-describe("runLibraryDocsGeneration — --local path input (end-to-end to disk)", () => {
+describe("runLibraryDocsGeneration — path input (end-to-end to disk)", () => {
     let docsDir: string;
 
     beforeEach(() => {
@@ -178,9 +177,7 @@ describe("runLibraryDocsGeneration — --local path input (end-to-end to disk)",
         const result = await runLibraryDocsGeneration({
             libraries,
             docsDirectoryPath: AbsoluteFilePath.of(docsDir),
-            orgId: "smoke-test",
-            context: makeContext(),
-            local: true
+            context: makeContext()
         });
 
         expect(result).toEqual({ successful: 1 });
@@ -245,9 +242,7 @@ describe("runLibraryDocsGeneration — --local path input (end-to-end to disk)",
             runLibraryDocsGeneration({
                 libraries,
                 docsDirectoryPath: AbsoluteFilePath.of(docsDir),
-                orgId: "smoke-test",
-                context: makeContext(),
-                local: true
+                context: makeContext()
             })
         ).resolves.toEqual({ successful: 1 });