Retrieve all README files from Chef Server

gistfile1.rb

def cookbook_urls
  cookbooks = api.get("/cookbooks")
  cookbooks.keys.map do |cb|
    cookbooks[cb]['versions'].last['url']
  end
end

def fetch_readme_url(cookbook_version_path)
  print "."
  cb_hash = api.get("/#{cookbook_version_path}").to_hash
  results = cb_hash['root_files'].select { |f| f['name'] == 'README.md' }

  if results.empty?
    nil
  else
    results.first['url']
  end
end

def readmes
  readme_urls = cookbook_urls.map do |cookbook_url|
    path = cookbook_url.split('/')[-3, 3].join('/')
    { 
      :name => path.split('/')[1],
      :url => fetch_readme_url(path)
    }
  end
  puts "\n===> Preparing to download READMEs."
  readme_urls.reject! { |h| h[:url].nil? }
end

puts "===> Fetching metadata from Chef Server..."
readmes.each do |readme|
  puts "===> Fetching #{readme[:name]} ..."
  %x[curl -s -o README-#{readme[:name]}.md '#{readme[:url]}']
end

We can haz your READMEs

$ knife exec get_readmes.rb
===> Fetching metadata from Chef Server...
................
===> Preparing to download READMEs.
===> Fetching ips ...
===> Fetching solaris ...
===> Fetching sudo ...
===> Fetching application ...
===> Fetching git ...
===> Fetching users ...
===> Fetching rvm ...

$ ls -l *md
total 6
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta   234 Nov 10 07:41 README-application.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta  2483 Nov 10 07:41 README-git.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta  1338 Nov 10 07:41 README-ips.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta 31863 Nov 10 07:41 README-rvm.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta  1075 Nov 10 07:41 README-solaris.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta  2616 Nov 10 07:41 README-sudo.md
-rw-rw-r-- 1 atalanta atalanta  3426 Nov 10 07:41 README-users.md