diff --git a/.docforge/manifest.yaml b/.docforge/manifest.yaml
index 4f37afd2b3d..6d8f0d598cc 100644
--- a/.docforge/manifest.yaml
+++ b/.docforge/manifest.yaml
@@ -3,11 +3,19 @@
 structure:
 - name: _index.md
   source: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/blob/{{$defaultBranch}}/README.md
+- name: api-reference
+  properties:
+    frontmatter:
+      title: API Reference
+      weight: 1
+  nodes:
+  - nodesSelector:
+      path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/api-reference
 - name: concepts
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Concepts
-      weight: 1
+      weight: 2
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/concepts
@@ -15,7 +23,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Deployment
-      weight: 2
+      weight: 3
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/deployment
@@ -23,7 +31,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Development
-      weight: 3
+      weight: 4
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/development
@@ -31,7 +39,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Extensions
-      weight: 4
+      weight: 5
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/extensions
@@ -39,7 +47,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Monitoring
-      weight: 5
+      weight: 6
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/monitoring
@@ -47,7 +55,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Proposals
-      weight: 6
+      weight: 7
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/proposals
@@ -55,7 +63,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Testing
-      weight: 7
+      weight: 8
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/testing
@@ -63,7 +71,7 @@ structure:
   properties:
     frontmatter:
       title: Usage
-      weight: 8
+      weight: 9
   nodes:
   - nodesSelector:
       path: https://github.com/gardener/gardener/tree/{{$defaultBranch}}/docs/usage
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/authentication.md b/docs/api-reference/authentication.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/authentication.md
rename to docs/api-reference/authentication.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/core.md b/docs/api-reference/core.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/core.md
rename to docs/api-reference/core.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/extensions.md b/docs/api-reference/extensions.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/extensions.md
rename to docs/api-reference/extensions.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/operations.md b/docs/api-reference/operations.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/operations.md
rename to docs/api-reference/operations.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/resources.md b/docs/api-reference/resources.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/resources.md
rename to docs/api-reference/resources.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/seedmanagement.md b/docs/api-reference/seedmanagement.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/seedmanagement.md
rename to docs/api-reference/seedmanagement.md
diff --git a/hack/api-reference/settings.md b/docs/api-reference/settings.md
similarity index 100%
rename from hack/api-reference/settings.md
rename to docs/api-reference/settings.md
diff --git a/hack/clean.sh b/hack/clean.sh
index 833cc73cd73..bb04f86e7f4 100755
--- a/hack/clean.sh
+++ b/hack/clean.sh
@@ -29,6 +29,6 @@ for source_tree in $@; do
   grep -lr '// Code generated by lister-gen. DO NOT EDIT' "$(dirname "$source_tree")" | xargs rm -f
 done
 
-if [ -d "$PWD/hack/api-reference" ]; then
-  find ./hack/api-reference/ -type f -name "*.md" -exec rm '{}' \;
+if [ -d "$PWD/docs/api-reference" ]; then
+  find ./docs/api-reference/ -type f -name "*.md" -exec rm '{}' \;
 fi
diff --git a/pkg/apis/authentication/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/authentication/v1alpha1/doc.go
index 19fbeede3aa..c49e8088570 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/authentication/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/authentication/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 // +k8s:protobuf-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/authentication-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/authentication.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/authentication-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/authentication.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 is a version of the API.
 // +groupName=authentication.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/core/v1beta1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/core/v1beta1/doc.go
index 7b83248db92..05dd4594f4d 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/core/v1beta1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/core/v1beta1/doc.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 // +k8s:protobuf-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/core-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/core.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/core-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/core.md
 
 // Package v1beta1 is a version of the API.
 // +groupName=core.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/extensions/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/extensions/v1alpha1/doc.go
index eceb2a6d06a..6ffa98abc38 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/extensions/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/extensions/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 // +k8s:deepcopy-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/extensions-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/extensions.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/extensions-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/extensions.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 is the v1alpha1 version of the API.
 // +groupName=extensions.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/operations/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/operations/v1alpha1/doc.go
index c0f26f68039..740ea2e7fe1 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/operations/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/operations/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 // +k8s:protobuf-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/operations-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/operations.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/operations-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/operations.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 is a version of the API.
 // +groupName=operations.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/resources/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/resources/v1alpha1/doc.go
index ee1a587ac78..640dbae3644 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/resources/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/resources/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 // +k8s:openapi-gen=true
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/resources-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/resources.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/resources-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/resources.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 contains the configuration of the Gardener Resource Manager.
 // +groupName=resources.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/seedmanagement/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/seedmanagement/v1alpha1/doc.go
index d5b1cb98ead..67e1e223a00 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/seedmanagement/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/seedmanagement/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 // +k8s:protobuf-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/seedmanagement-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/seedmanagement.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/seedmanagement-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/seedmanagement.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 is a version of the API.
 // +groupName=seedmanagement.gardener.cloud
diff --git a/pkg/apis/settings/v1alpha1/doc.go b/pkg/apis/settings/v1alpha1/doc.go
index 7ce0b2eeff8..348524d09af 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/settings/v1alpha1/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/settings/v1alpha1/doc.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 // +k8s:defaulter-gen=TypeMeta
 // +k8s:protobuf-gen=package
 
-//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/settings-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../hack/api-reference/settings.md
+//go:generate gen-crd-api-reference-docs -api-dir . -config ../../../../hack/api-reference/settings-config.json -template-dir ../../../../hack/api-reference/template -out-file ../../../../docs/api-reference/settings.md
 
 // Package v1alpha1 is a version of the API.
 // +groupName=settings.gardener.cloud