diff --git a/example/CMakeLists.txt b/example/CMakeLists.txt
index 867bdd8..928bdfb 100644
--- a/example/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/example/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ function(_cppast_example name)
 endfunction()
 
 _cppast_example(ast_printer)
+_cppast_example(documentation_generator)
diff --git a/example/documentation_generator.cpp b/example/documentation_generator.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1278d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example/documentation_generator.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2017 Jonathan Müller <jonathanmueller.dev@gmail.com>
+// This file is subject to the license terms in the LICENSE file
+// found in the top-level directory of this distribution.
+
+/// \file
+/// A primitive documentation generator.
+
+#include <cppast/code_generator.hpp> // code_generator, generate_code()
+#include <cppast/visitor.hpp>        // visit()
+
+#include "example_parser.hpp"
+
+// don't show in code generation
+bool is_excluded_synopsis(const cppast::cpp_entity& e, cppast::cpp_access_specifier_kind access)
+{
+    // exclude privates and those marked for exclusion
+    return access == cppast::cpp_private || cppast::has_attribute(e, "documentation::exclude");
+}
+
+// don't show in documentation
+bool is_excluded_documentation(const cppast::cpp_entity&               e,
+                               const cppast::cpp_access_specifier_kind access)
+{
+    // exclude uninteresting entities
+    return e.kind() == cppast::cpp_entity_kind::access_specifier_t
+           || e.kind() == cppast::cpp_entity_kind::using_declaration_t
+           || e.kind() == cppast::cpp_entity_kind::using_directive_t
+           || e.kind() == cppast::cpp_entity_kind::static_assert_t
+           || e.kind() == cppast::cpp_entity_kind::include_directive_t
+           // and all excluded in synopsis
+           || is_excluded_synopsis(e, access);
+}
+
+// generates synopsis of an entity
+std::string generate_synopsis(const cppast::cpp_entity& e)
+{
+    // the generator for the synopsis
+    class synopsis_generator final : public cppast::code_generator
+    {
+    public:
+        // get the resulting string
+        std::string result()
+        {
+            return std::move(str_);
+        }
+
+    private:
+        // whether or not the entity is the main entity that is being documented
+        bool is_main_entity(const cppast::cpp_entity& e)
+        {
+            if (cppast::is_templated(e) || cppast::is_friended(e))
+                // need to ask the real entity
+                return is_main_entity(e.parent().value());
+            else
+                return &e == &this->main_entity();
+        }
+
+        // get some nicer formatting
+        cppast::formatting do_get_formatting() const override
+        {
+            return cppast::formatting_flags::brace_nl | cppast::formatting_flags::comma_ws
+                   | cppast::formatting_flags::operator_ws;
+        }
+
+        // calculate generation options
+        generation_options do_get_options(const cppast::cpp_entity&         e,
+                                          cppast::cpp_access_specifier_kind access) override
+        {
+            if (is_excluded_synopsis(e, access))
+                return cppast::code_generator::exclude;
+            else if (!is_main_entity(e))
+                // only generation declaration for the non-documented entity
+                return cppast::code_generator::declaration;
+            else
+                // default options
+                return {};
+        }
+
+        // update indendation level
+        void do_indent() override
+        {
+            ++indent_;
+        }
+        void do_unindent() override
+        {
+            if (indent_)
+                --indent_;
+        }
+
+        // write specified tokens
+        // need to change indentation for each newline
+        void do_write_token_seq(cppast::string_view tokens) override
+        {
+            if (was_newline_)
+            {
+                str_ += std::string(indent_ * 2u, ' ');
+                was_newline_ = false;
+            }
+
+            str_ += tokens.c_str();
+        }
+
+        // write + remember newline
+        void do_write_newline() override
+        {
+            str_ += "\n";
+            was_newline_ = true;
+        }
+
+        std::string str_;
+        unsigned    indent_      = 0;
+        bool        was_newline_ = false;
+    } generator;
+    cppast::generate_code(generator, e);
+    return generator.result();
+}
+
+void generate_documentation(const cppast::cpp_file& file)
+{
+    // visit each entity
+    cppast::visit(file,
+                  [](const cppast::cpp_entity& e, cppast::cpp_access_specifier_kind access) {
+                      if (is_excluded_documentation(e, access))
+                          // exclude this and all children
+                          return cppast::visit_filter::exclude_and_children;
+                      else if (cppast::is_templated(e) || cppast::is_friended(e))
+                          // continue on with children for a dummy entity
+                          return cppast::visit_filter::exclude;
+                      else
+                          return cppast::visit_filter::include;
+                  },
+                  [](const cppast::cpp_entity& e, const cppast::visitor_info& info) {
+                      if (info.is_old_entity())
+                          // already done
+                          return;
+
+                      // print name
+                      std::cout << "## " << cppast::to_string(e.kind()) << " '" << e.name()
+                                << "'\n";
+                      std::cout << '\n';
+
+                      // print synopsis
+                      std::cout << "```\n";
+                      std::cout << generate_synopsis(e);
+                      std::cout << "```\n\n";
+
+                      // print documentation comment
+                      if (e.comment())
+                          std::cout << e.comment().value() << '\n';
+
+                      // print separator
+                      std::cout << "\n---\n\n";
+                  });
+    std::cout << "\n\n";
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+    return example_main(argc, argv, {}, &generate_documentation);
+}