diff --git a/api.js b/api.js
index f23d0d9d..f8d1cdca 100644
--- a/api.js
+++ b/api.js
@@ -581,7 +581,18 @@ module.exports = done => {
         );
     }
 
-    server.pre(restifyApiGenerate.restifyApiGenerate(server, restifyApiGenerateConfig));
+    if (process.env.GENERATE_API_DOCS === 'true') {
+        server.pre(restifyApiGenerate.restifyApiGenerate(server, restifyApiGenerateConfig));
+    }
+
+    if (process.env.REGENERATE_API_DOCS === 'true') {
+        // allow 2.5 seconds for services to start and the api doc to be generated, after that exit process
+        (async function () {
+            const sleep = ms => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+            await sleep(2500);
+            process.exit(0);
+        })();
+    }
 
     server.on('error', err => {
         if (!started) {
@@ -605,6 +616,7 @@ module.exports = done => {
         }
         started = true;
         log.info('API', 'Server listening on %s:%s', config.api.host || '0.0.0.0', config.api.port);
+
         done(null, server);
     });
 };
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 16d00153..232d8fbb 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
         "apidoc": "apidoc -i lib/api/ -o docs/api/",
         "show": "NODE_CONFIG_ONLY=true node server.js",
         "start": "node server.js",
-        "update": "rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json && ncu -u && npm install"
+        "update": "rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json && ncu -u && npm install",
+        "generate-api-docs": "GENERATE_API_DOCS=true REGENERATE_API_DOCS=true node server.js"
     },
     "keywords": [
         "imap",