diff --git a/docs/conf/writing.md b/docs/conf/writing.md
index c7b3bfe296..4288d23b17 100644
--- a/docs/conf/writing.md
+++ b/docs/conf/writing.md
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ description: Documentation on Writing Backstage Configuration Files
 
 ## File Format
 
-Configuration is stored in YAML format in `app-config.yaml` files, looking
-something like this:
+Configuration is stored in YAML format in `app-config.yaml` files. This
+configuration is shared between the frontend and backend and it looks something
+like this:
 
 ```yaml
 app:
@@ -32,6 +33,15 @@ proxy:
 Configuration files are typically checked in and stored in the repo that houses
 the rest of the Backstage application.
 
+The particular configuration that is available to each Backstage app depends on
+what plugins and packages are installed. To view the configuration reference for
+your own project, including what configuration keys available and whether they
+are needed by the frontend, use the following command:
+
+```sh
+yarn backstage-cli config:docs
+```
+
 ## Environment Variable Overrides
 
 Individual configuration values can be overridden using environment variables