OpenAPI Generator - Quick Reference

When to Use This Skill

Generate type-safe API clients from OpenAPI specs
Generate server stubs from OpenAPI specs
Maintain sync between API and code
Multi-language client generation (Java, Python, Go, etc.)
Spring Boot server generation

Deep Knowledge: Use mcp__documentation__fetch_docs with technology: openapi-generator for comprehensive documentation.

CLI Usage

Install

npm install @openapitools/openapi-generator-cli -g
# or
brew install openapi-generator

Generate TypeScript Client

openapi-generator-cli generate \
  -i api.yaml \
  -g typescript-fetch \
  -o ./generated/api \
  --additional-properties=supportsES6=true,typescriptThreePlus=true

Generate TypeScript Axios Client

openapi-generator-cli generate \
  -i api.yaml \
  -g typescript-axios \
  -o ./generated/api

Generate Java Client

openapi-generator-cli generate \
  -i api.yaml \
  -g java \
  -o ./generated/api \
  --additional-properties=library=webclient,dateLibrary=java8

Generate Spring Server

openapi-generator-cli generate \
  -i api.yaml \
  -g spring \
  -o ./generated/server \
  --additional-properties=interfaceOnly=true,useSpringBoot3=true

NPM Script Integration

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "generate:api": "openapi-generator-cli generate -i ./api/openapi.yaml -g typescript-fetch -o ./src/generated/api"
  }
}

Maven Plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.openapitools</groupId>
    <artifactId>openapi-generator-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>7.0.0</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>generate</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <inputSpec>${project.basedir}/src/main/resources/api.yaml</inputSpec>
                <generatorName>spring</generatorName>
                <configOptions>
                    <interfaceOnly>true</interfaceOnly>
                    <useSpringBoot3>true</useSpringBoot3>
                </configOptions>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Common Generators

Generator	Description
typescript-fetch	TypeScript with Fetch API
typescript-axios	TypeScript with Axios
java	Java client
spring	Spring Boot server
python	Python client
go	Go client

When NOT to Use This Skill

TypeScript-only projects (use openapi-codegen with openapi-typescript instead)
Writing OpenAPI specifications (use openapi skill)
GraphQL code generation (use graphql-codegen skill)
tRPC projects (use trpc skill)
Simple type-only generation (openapi-typescript is lighter)

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It's Bad	Solution
Committing generated code	Merge conflicts, stale code	Add to .gitignore, generate in build
Not pinning generator version	Breaking changes between versions	Lock version in package.json/pom.xml
Editing generated files	Lost on regeneration	Extend classes or use custom templates
No spec validation before generation	Invalid code generated	Use @redocly/cli lint first
Generating entire API for one endpoint	Bloated client	Use tags or paths filter
Missing operationId in spec	Poor method names	Add operationId to all operations
Not configuring additional properties	Suboptimal output	Use additionalProperties for customization
Generating without .openapi-generator-ignore	Overwrites custom files	Add ignore file for manual code

Quick Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
Generation fails	Invalid OpenAPI spec	Validate with `@redocly/cli lint`
Missing methods	No operationId in spec	Add operationId to all paths
Compilation errors in generated code	Spec type mismatch	Check schema types, run with --skip-validate-spec to debug
Wrong package names	Config not set	Use --additional-properties for package config
Duplicate model names	Same schema name in different tags	Rename schemas or use x-model-name
Maven plugin not running	Wrong phase or configuration	Check plugin execution phase
NPM global command not found	Not installed globally	Install with npm install -g or use npx
Generated code has wrong types	Generator doesn't support type	Use custom templates or different generator