reed import

sh

reed import --from fern --source <fern-dir> [--dir <path>] [--content <path>]

Converts an existing Fern project — its docs.yml and content — into a docs.json plus a content/ tree.

Prerequisites: none.

Options

--from"fern"required

The source platform. fern is currently the only supported value.

--sourcepathrequired

The source project directory, resolved against the current directory.

--dirpath

Where the generated docs.json is written. Defaults to the current directory.

--contentpath

Where converted MDX is written. Defaults to <dir>/content.

Like reed init, import writes a docs.schema.json next to docs.json and points $schema at it.

Expect to finish the job by hand

import is a starting point, not a migration. On a real project of any size, expect the generated config to build only after manual work — component props that do not map cleanly, navigation shapes Fern permits and Reed does not, and content whose dialect needs declaring.

The first thing to check after importing is content.dialect. Imported MDX is Fern’s dialect, and leaving the field at its "reed" default produces a wave of DS-S03 diagnostics about missing required props. See Content dialect.

Run reed check immediately after importing and work through what it reports. It is unconditionally offline and needs no setup, so the loop is fast.