diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index fc6e29d054..8b01a4ad0e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ my_logger.csv
 /dist/
 /docs/_build
 /docs/_theme
-/docs/examples.rst
+/docs/license.rst
 /docs/release_notes.rst
 /examples/vhdl/array_axis_vcs/src/test/data/out.csv
 /tests/acceptance/*_out
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 490b1daef8..3a9f2ea3ab 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
-import os
-import sys
+from sys import path as sys_path
+from os.path import abspath
 from pathlib import Path
 
+sys_path.insert(0, abspath("."))
+
 # -- Sphinx Options -----------------------------------------------------------
 
 # If your project needs a minimal Sphinx version, state it here.
@@ -15,6 +17,7 @@
     "sphinx.ext.intersphinx",
     "sphinx.ext.todo",
     "sphinxarg.ext",  # Automatic argparse command line argument documentation
+    "exec",
 ]
 
 autodoc_default_options = {
diff --git a/tools/docs_utils.py b/docs/examples.py
similarity index 63%
rename from tools/docs_utils.py
rename to docs/examples.py
index 1f2ddff9c9..e3d342c3ab 100644
--- a/tools/docs_utils.py
+++ b/docs/examples.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
 # This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
 # You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
@@ -5,7 +7,7 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2014-2021, Lars Asplund lars.anders.asplund@gmail.com
 
 """
-Helper functions to generate examples.rst from docstrings in run.py files
+Helper functions to generate content in examples.rst from docstrings in run.py files
 """
 
 import sys
@@ -15,37 +17,35 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from subprocess import check_call
 
+from io import StringIO
+from contextlib import redirect_stdout
+from textwrap import indent
+
 
 ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "docs"
 
 
-def examples():
+def examples(debug=False):
     """
     Traverses the examples directory and generates examples.rst with the docstrings
     """
     eg_path = ROOT.parent / "examples"
-    egs_fptr = (ROOT / "examples.rst").open("w+")
-    egs_fptr.write(
-        "\n".join(
-            [
-                ".. _examples:\n",
-                "Examples",
-                "========\n",
-                ".. include:: examples_intro.rst\n",
-            ]
-        )
-    )
     for language, subdir in {"VHDL": "vhdl", "SystemVerilog": "verilog"}.items():
-        egs_fptr.write("\n".join([language, "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~", "\n"]))
+        print("\n".join([language, "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~", "\n"]))
         for item in listdir(str(eg_path / subdir)):
             loc = eg_path / subdir / item
             if loc.is_dir():
-                _data = _get_eg_doc(
-                    loc,
-                    "https://github.com/VUnit/vunit/tree/master/examples/%s/%s" % (subdir, item),
-                )
+                f = StringIO()
+                with redirect_stdout(f):
+                    _data = _get_eg_doc(
+                        loc,
+                        "https://github.com/VUnit/vunit/tree/master/examples/%s/%s" % (subdir, item),
+                    )
+                if debug:
+                    print(".. NOTE::")
+                    print(indent(f.getvalue(), "  * "))
                 if _data:
-                    egs_fptr.write(_data)
+                    print(_data)
 
 
 def _get_eg_doc(location: Path, ref):
@@ -81,16 +81,5 @@ def _get_eg_doc(location: Path, ref):
     return "\n".join([title, "-" * len(title), eg_doc.split("---\n", 1)[1], "\n"])
 
 
-def get_theme(path: Path, url: str):
-    """
-    Check if the theme is available locally, retrieve it with curl and tar otherwise
-    """
-    tpath = path / "_theme"
-    if not tpath.is_dir() or not (tpath / "theme.conf").is_file():
-        if not tpath.is_dir():
-            tpath.mkdir()
-        zpath = path / "theme.tgz"
-        if not zpath.is_file():
-            check_call(["curl", "-fsSL", url, "-o", str(zpath)])
-        tar_cmd = ["tar", "--strip-components=1", "-C", str(tpath), "-xvzf", str(zpath)]
-        check_call(tar_cmd)
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    examples(True)
diff --git a/docs/examples_intro.rst b/docs/examples.rst
similarity index 85%
rename from docs/examples_intro.rst
rename to docs/examples.rst
index 913aa5c656..59152dc264 100644
--- a/docs/examples_intro.rst
+++ b/docs/examples.rst
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+.. _examples:
+
+Examples
+========
+
 .. HINT::
   Most of the examples expect the simulator to support several VHDL 2008 features.
   This is made explicit by using ``context`` instead of multiple ``use`` statements.
@@ -5,3 +10,7 @@
   handle contexts.
   In those cases, replacing ``context vunit_lib.vunit_context`` with the content of :vunit_file:`vunit/vhdl/vunit_context.vhd`
   and :vunit_file:`vunit/vhdl/data_types/src/data_types_context.vhd` might work.
+
+.. exec::
+  from examples import examples
+  examples()
diff --git a/docs/exec.py b/docs/exec.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cbfbb43e0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/exec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7250659/how-to-use-python-to-programmatically-generate-part-of-sphinx-documentation/18143318
+
+import sys
+from os.path import basename
+
+try:
+    from StringIO import StringIO
+except ImportError:
+    from io import StringIO
+
+from docutils.parsers.rst import Directive
+from docutils import nodes, statemachine
+
+
+class ExecDirective(Directive):
+    """Execute the specified python code and insert the output into the document"""
+
+    has_content = True
+
+    def run(self):
+        oldStdout, sys.stdout = sys.stdout, StringIO()
+
+        tab_width = self.options.get("tab-width", self.state.document.settings.tab_width)
+        source = self.state_machine.input_lines.source(self.lineno - self.state_machine.input_offset - 1)
+
+        try:
+            exec("\n".join(self.content))
+            text = sys.stdout.getvalue()
+            lines = statemachine.string2lines(text, tab_width, convert_whitespace=True)
+            self.state_machine.insert_input(lines, source)
+            return []
+        except Exception:
+            return [
+                nodes.error(
+                    None,
+                    nodes.paragraph(text="Unable to execute python code at %s:%d:" % (basename(source), self.lineno)),
+                    nodes.paragraph(text=str(sys.exc_info()[1])),
+                )
+            ]
+        finally:
+            sys.stdout = oldStdout
+
+
+def setup(app):
+    app.add_directive("exec", ExecDirective)
diff --git a/tools/build_docs.py b/tools/build_docs.py
index daa1437a10..6212225acd 100644
--- a/tools/build_docs.py
+++ b/tools/build_docs.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
 # This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
 # You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
@@ -14,18 +16,31 @@
 from sys import argv
 from shutil import copyfile
 from create_release_notes import create_release_notes
-from docs_utils import examples, get_theme
 
 
 DROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent / 'docs'
 
 
+def get_theme(path: Path, url: str):
+    """
+    Check if the theme is available locally, retrieve it with curl and tar otherwise
+    """
+    tpath = path / "_theme"
+    if not tpath.is_dir() or not (tpath / "theme.conf").is_file():
+        if not tpath.is_dir():
+            tpath.mkdir()
+        zpath = path / "theme.tgz"
+        if not zpath.is_file():
+            check_call(["curl", "-fsSL", url, "-o", str(zpath)])
+        tar_cmd = ["tar", "--strip-components=1", "-C", str(tpath), "-xvzf", str(zpath)]
+        check_call(tar_cmd)
+
+
 def main():
     """
     Build documentation/website
     """
     create_release_notes()
-    examples()
     copyfile(str(DROOT / '..' / 'LICENSE.rst'), str(DROOT / 'license.rst'))
     get_theme(
         DROOT,