diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cfc78c6bd..1a027178c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 	"description": "Gulp based script content builder",
 	"main": "gulpfile.js",
 	"scripts": {
-	  "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
+	  "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
+	  "getcommands": "node scripts/getcommands.js"
 	},
 	"repository": {
 	  "type": "git",
diff --git a/scripts/getcommands.js b/scripts/getcommands.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..72012f81f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/getcommands.js
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+let fs = require('fs');
+
+let commands = [];
+let cmdindex = {};
+
+let inFile = 0;
+
+function mytrim(text){
+    text = text.trim();
+    if (text.startsWith('"')) text = text.slice(1, -1);
+    return text;
+}
+
+
+function getFolder(name, cb){
+    //console.log('dir:'+name);
+
+    let list = fs.readdirSync(name);
+    for (let i = 0; i < list.length; i++){
+        let file = name + '/' + list[i];
+        let s = fs.statSync(file);
+
+        if (s.isDirectory()){
+            getFolder(file, cb);
+        } else {
+            if (file.toLowerCase().endsWith('.c') || 
+                file.toLowerCase().endsWith('.cpp')){
+                inFile++;
+                //console.log('file:'+file);
+                let data = fs.readFileSync(file);
+                let text = data.toString('utf-8');
+                let lines = text.split('\n');
+                let newlines = [];
+                let modified = 0;
+                for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++){
+                    let line = lines[i].trim();
+                    // like CMD_RegisterCommand("SetChannel", "", CMD_SetChannel, "qqqqq0", NULL);
+                    if (line.startsWith('//cmddetail:')){
+                        let commentlines = [];
+                        let j;
+                        for (j = i; j < lines.length; j++){
+                            let l = lines[j].trim();
+                            if (l.startsWith('//cmddetail:')){
+                                l = l.slice(12);
+                                commentlines.push(l);
+                                newlines.push(lines[j]);
+                            } else {
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        // move our parsing forward to skip all found
+                        i = j;
+                        let json = commentlines.join('\n');
+                        try{
+                            let cmd = JSON.parse(json);
+                            if (cmdindex[cmd.name]){
+                                console.error('duplicate command docs at file: '+file+' line: '+line);
+                                console.error(line);
+                            } else {
+                                commands.push(cmd);
+                                cmdindex[cmd.name] = cmd;
+                            }
+                        } catch(e) {
+                            console.error('error in json at file: '+file+' line: '+line);
+                            console.error(json);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    // i may have changed...
+                    line = lines[i].trim();
+
+                    if (line.startsWith('CMD_RegisterCommand(')){
+                        line = line.slice('CMD_RegisterCommand('.length);
+                        parts = line.split(',');
+                        //cmddetail:{"name":"SetChannel", "args":"TODO", "fn":"CMD_SetChannel", "descr":"qqqqq0", "example":"", "file":"");
+
+                        let cmd = {
+                            name: mytrim(parts[0]),
+                            args: mytrim(parts[1]),
+                            descr: mytrim(parts[3]),
+                            fn: mytrim(parts[2]),
+                            file: file.slice(6),
+                            requires:"",
+                            examples: "",
+                        };
+
+                        if (cmd.descr !== 'NULL'){
+                            console.log('replace "'+cmd.descr+'" with NULL');
+                            lines[i] = lines[i].replace('"'+cmd.descr+'"', 'NULL');
+                            modified++;
+                        }
+
+                        if (!cmdindex[cmd.name]){
+                            // it did not have a doc line before
+                            let json = JSON.stringify(cmd);
+                            // insert CR at "fn":
+                            json = json.split('"descr":');
+                            json = json.join('\n"descr":');
+                            json = json.split('"fn":');
+                            json = json.join('\n"fn":');
+                            json = json.split('"examples":');
+                            json = json.join('\n"examples":');
+                            let jsonlines = json.split('\n');
+                            for (let j = 0; j < jsonlines.length; j++){
+                                jsonlines[j] = '\t//cmddetail:'+jsonlines[j];
+                            }
+                            newlines.push(... jsonlines);
+                            modified++;
+                            commands.push(cmd);
+                            cmdindex[cmd.name] = cmd;
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    newlines.push(lines[i]);
+                }
+                if (modified){
+                    let newdata = newlines.join('\n');
+                    try{
+                        fs.writeFileSync(file, newdata);
+                        console.log('updated '+file);
+                    } catch (e){
+                        console.error('failed to update '+file);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                inFile--;
+
+                if (!inFile){
+                    //if (cb) cb();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+
+console.log('starting');
+
+getFolder('./src');
+
+
+let mdshort = 
+`# Commands
+
+| Command        | Arguments          | Description  |
+|:------------- |:------------- | -----:|
+`;
+
+let mdlong = 
+`# Commands
+
+| Command        | Arguments          | Description  | Loc |
+|:------------- |:-------------:|:----- | ------:|
+`;
+
+for (let i = 0; i < commands.length; i++){
+
+    /* like:
+    | Command        | Arguments          | Description  | 
+    | ------------- |:-------------:| -----:|
+    | setChannel     | [ChannelIndex][ChannelValue] | Sets a raw channel to given value. Relay channels are using 1 and 0 values. PWM channels are within [0,100] range. Do not use this for LED control, because there is a better and more advanced LED driver with dimming and configuration memory (remembers setting after on/off), LED driver commands has "led_" prefix. |
+    | addChannel     | [ChannelIndex][ValueToAdd][ClampMin][ClampMax] | Ads a given value to the channel. Can be used to change PWM brightness. Clamp min and max arguments are optional. |
+    */
+    let cmd = commands[i];
+
+    let textshort = `| ${cmd.name} | ${cmd.args}${cmd.requires?'\nReq:'+cmd.requires:''} | ${cmd.descr}${cmd.examples?'\ne.g.:'+cmd.examples:''} |`;
+    let textlong = `| ${cmd.name} | ${cmd.args}${cmd.requires?'\nReq:'+cmd.requires:''} | ${cmd.descr}${cmd.examples?'\ne.g.:'+cmd.examples:''} | ${cmd.file}\n${cmd.fn} |`;
+
+    // allow multi-row entries in table entries.
+    textshort = textshort.replace(/\n/g, '<br/>');
+    textlong = textlong.replace(/\n/g, '<br/>');
+
+    mdshort += textshort;
+    mdshort += '\n';
+    mdlong += textlong;
+    mdlong += '\n';
+}
+
+mdshort += '\n';
+mdlong += '\n';
+
+fs.writeFileSync('docs/commands.md', mdshort);
+console.log('wrote commands.md');
+fs.writeFileSync('docs/commands-extended.md', mdlong);
+console.log('wrote commands-extended.md');
+