Back to Work
Software Development

Local LLM Orchestration for Automated Technical Documentation

Executive Summary

We built a fully local, secure automation pipeline for a technology SMB to process and document entire codebases. Using n8n to orchestrate local LLMs, we transformed raw code into a searchable, interactive knowledge base without any proprietary data leaving the client's infrastructure.

1The Challenge

A technology SMB struggled with "documentation debt"—hundreds of repositories with insufficient comments and no centralized way to search for technical logic. Traditional AI tools like ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot were ruled out due to strict security policies against sending proprietary source code to external cloud servers. The client needed a way to automate documentation while maintaining absolute data sovereignty.

2The Solution

We implemented a self-hosted AI lab that turned the client's internal servers into an intelligent documentation engine:

  • Local Orchestration (n8n): We designed a workflow that automatically traverses repositories file-by-file.
  • Private Inference (Ollama & Llama 11B): Using Ollama, we ran the Llama 3 11B model locally. The AI was tasked with two jobs:
    • In-line Commenting: Injecting meaningful, context-aware comments directly into the source code.
    • Metadata Extraction: Generating high-level descriptions, functional tags, and architectural summaries.
  • Searchable Knowledge Base: The extracted metadata was pushed to a PostgreSQL database, which powered a custom internal search box and a technical chatbot. This allowed developers to ask questions like "Which modules handle the payment gateway logic?" and get instant, cited answers.

3The Result

The SMB eliminated their documentation backlog while keeping their intellectual property 100% private:

  • Zero Data Leakage: High-performance AI analysis performed entirely on-premise.
  • Searchability: Reduced developer onboarding time by 30% through the searchable technical knowledge base.
  • Maintenance Efficiency: Automated in-line comments ensured that legacy code became readable and maintainable for new team members instantly.

The Tech Stack

  • n8n
  • Ollama
  • Llama 3 11B
  • PostgreSQL
  • Docker

Key Takeaway

High-end AI doesn't require the cloud. With the right orchestration, local models can provide enterprise-grade intelligence with absolute data sovereignty.