The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A scan reported missing docstrings on 62% to 79% of the functions and methods it found in four popular Python libraries. Those figures come from Jazzy JJ’s September 30, 2026 article, not an independently reproduced audit—and the scan included private helpers and tests, so it is not a ranking of project quality.
What the scan reported
Jazzy JJ reported these counts of functions and methods with no docstring:
| Library | Without a docstring | Share reported |
|---|---|---|
| marshmallow | 177 of 236 | 75% |
| Flask | 596 of 856 | 70% |
| requests | 392 of 635 | 62% |
| urllib3 | 1,293 of 1,634 | 79% |
These are the article author’s scan results. The article does not name the library versions or provide reproducible scan output, so the counts should be read as a limited snapshot rather than a measurement that can be independently checked from the published details. Jazzy JJ’s article
Why a missing-docstring count is not a quality ranking
The scanner counted every function and method it found, including private helpers and tests. Those are not all public interfaces, and many may reasonably have no docstring. A raw total therefore combines symbols with different audiences and documentation needs; it cannot, by itself, establish how useful a library’s documentation is or how well its project is maintained.
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Python’s Typing documentation gives a more targeted recommendation: “Docstrings should be provided for all classes, functions, and methods in the interface.” It points to PEP 257 for guidance while acknowledging that “there is currently no single agreed-upon standard for function and method docstrings, but several common variants have emerged.” That guidance concerns interfaces and conventions; it does not turn an all-functions-and-tests tally into a direct compliance score. Python Typing: Typing Python Libraries
How Legacy Doc-AI is described as working
In the article, Legacy Doc-AI is described as a command-line tool that finds documentation gaps and proposes docstrings. The reported workflow is:
- Read code and list functions and classes.
- Flag missing docstrings and cases where documented parameters differ from actual parameters.
- Send each function and surrounding code to an AI model to draft a docstring.
- Show proposed changes for a person to accept before writing them.
The author describes the project as early and says, “I haven’t measured how accurate the drafts are.” That is the key limit when considering generated documentation: a human acceptance step is part of the described workflow, but it is not evidence that draft text is accurate, tested, or ready for production use. The article does not establish the underlying model, prompt, parser details, validation process, or exact scan inclusion rules beyond its mention of private helpers and tests. Jazzy JJ’s article
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check before trusting generated docstrings
Whether a generated docstring helps depends on more than whether a tool fills an empty block. A useful evaluation should make its scope and review process clear:
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- Symbol scope: Does it target the public API, or also private helpers and tests? Broad counts can be useful for discovery, but should be separated by audience.
- Checks performed: Does it detect only absent docstrings, or also stale parameter descriptions when a function signature changes?
- Output: Does it report gaps, draft text, or both? A draft is a proposal, not verification of behavior.
- Review controls: Can maintainers inspect and accept edits individually before they are written?
- Evidence of accuracy: Has the tool been assessed against a disclosed set of functions with human-checked results? The article reports no such accuracy measurement for Legacy Doc-AI.
Jazzy JJ’s article says the audit is free for public repositories and gives £39 per repository per month as a planned price. Those statements do not establish current availability, final pricing, or service terms. Jazzy JJ’s article
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