Zapier has long been known for helping users connect apps without code. Founded in 2011, the company built a reputation as the automation layer of the internet.

But in 2025, Zapier made a major strategic shift: evolving its brand and product identity into an AI orchestration platform, centered on helping users automate complex workflows using large language models and flexible APIs.

That shift demanded more than shipping new capabilities. It required a new way of communicating what the platform could do and how to use it.

For Zapier’s product and engineering leaders, that meant rethinking the front door to the product—documentation.

The challenge: Outdated design, friction to contribute

Zapier's previous documentation solution was slowing down contributors and impacting end user success.

The team was using an API design tool that automatically generated documentation at the end of an external API build process. While this provided a quick starting point, it didn't reflect the full quality of what they were planning to ship long-term.

The look and feel didn’t match the polish of their platform, and the content was often outdated because product teams weren’t able to edit docs directly. They had to file tickets and wait for engineering to pick them up.

That friction meant documentation was only updated on a quarterly basis or to support a strategic launch moment.

Given how technical buyers increasingly want to self-serve and evaluate products before talking when considering a solution, outdated documentation wasn’t just an education issue. It became a business challenge.

The solution

One specific technical team within Zapier decided to pilot Mintlify, and immediately saw improvements to their workflows. The docs looked polished out-of-the-box and could be easily updated by product managers with a simple visual editor.

Once other Zapier teams saw how easy it was to modernize their docs setup, they quickly followed. Mintlify became the standard.

The new workflow helped Zapier:

• Empower PMs to author and update docs without engineering involvement
• Improve content accuracy by making it easy to update whenever needed, instead of in quarterly cycles
• Provide a cleaner, more polished interface for buyers evaluating their tool
• Integrate docs into product development and validation

Giving documentation a new role in product and GTM strategy

The most meaningful shift wasn’t just speed. It was the role that documentation now plays in how Zapier ships and sells their products.

The product team always docs for available features, but now, they can also ship docs before code. They’ll send docs to partners or prospective customers to gauge demand before fully committing to engineering time.

"We now can ship docs before a feature goes live. It’s the cheapest way to validate an idea: share it with a partner, see if they build on it, and use that signal to guide what we decide to invest in." —Ryan Powell, Lead Product Manager

Docs have also become a powerful sales tool. Zapier can easily share their documentation with prospective partners and customers who want to evaluate their product specs firsthand.

"Modern buyers expect to try before they buy. Docs are the front door for your product. We use Mintlify to help people see what’s possible with Zapier." —Ryan Powell, Lead Product Manager

Now, the team is proud to proactively share their documentation because it reflects the quality of what they’re building.

Improving collaboration on internal documentation

Zapier also uses Mintlify for internal documentation, particularly to document their growing suite of internal APIs.

Previously, these resources were scattered across GitHub repos or Slack messages. Now, they’re centralized, searchable, and accessible to all teams, with SSO making it easy to manage access.

"We have hundreds of internal APIs, but now with Mintlify, it’s all in one place that’s easy to discover and read. Platform teams can share better and product teams aren’t reinventing the wheel." — Kei Turner, Engineering Manager

The business impact

Since adopting Mintlify, Zapier has seen business value across three key areas:

• Authoring speed: PMs can write and ship documentation directly, leading to faster updates and better user education.
• End-user experience: Polished design and up-to-date content helps showcase the power of Zapier’s platform and helps drive product adoption
• Internal collaboration: With internal APIs documented, teams can discover and reuse functionality more efficiently across the organization

Documentation is no longer a lagging artifact, it’s a leading asset. It helps Zapier ship faster, sell smarter, and scale more effectively.

“Our previous approach to docs meant we were missing opportunities to showcase the full value of our work. Now, documentation reflects what our product is really capable of. It helps us build better and win more." —Ryan Powell, Lead Product Manager

Want to turn your documentation into a strategic product driver? Get in touch with a docs expert from Mintlify.