wtf is webext-docs-generator?

The webext-docs-generator is a tool that automatically builds developer documentation for Thunderbird's browser extension APIs. Instead of someone manually writing and updating reference docs for every function, type, event, and property that extension developers can use, this script reads structured data files describing those APIs and produces formatted documentation pages ready for publishing. At a high level, the tool takes specially annotated schema files (essentially JSON files that describe what each API does, what parameters it accepts, and what it returns) and converts them into reStructuredText files. These generated files are designed to feed into Sphinx and ReadTheDocs, two popular documentation publishing systems that turn text files into polished HTML documentation sites. The generator also copies template files into the output folder, which control the overall structure and configuration of the final docs. This tool would be used by the Thunderbird team or documentation maintainers who need to keep their extension API reference docs accurate and up to date. For example, when Thunderbird adds a new API for calendar integration or mail composition, the schema file gets updated and this generator produces fresh documentation pages reflecting those changes. Extension developers then rely on the published output to learn how to write add-ons for Thunderbird. One notable feature is the template condition system, which lets documentation include or exclude content based on context like manifest version or release channel. For instance, if a feature only applies to manifest version 3 or only to daily beta builds, the generated docs can automatically reflect those distinctions. This matters because Thunderbird supports different extension standards and release tracks, and the documentation needs to match what a developer is actually working with without maintaining separate doc sets.