diff --git a/docs/source/reference/release_notes.rst b/docs/source/reference/release_notes.rst
index c17babdb6..34dec016a 100644
--- a/docs/source/reference/release_notes.rst
+++ b/docs/source/reference/release_notes.rst
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ Changes
   within ophyd methods.
 * Deprecate ``DetectorBase.dispatch`` in favor of newly added
   ``DetectorBase.generate_datum``
-
+* ``obj.collect_asset_docs`` will now recurse to children by default at the
+  Device level
 
 
 1.6.4 (2022-04-08)
diff --git a/ophyd/areadetector/detectors.py b/ophyd/areadetector/detectors.py
index 357148640..8385900f2 100644
--- a/ophyd/areadetector/detectors.py
+++ b/ophyd/areadetector/detectors.py
@@ -108,12 +108,6 @@ def make_data_key(self):
         return dict(shape=shape, source=source, dtype='array',
                     external='FILESTORE:')
 
-    def collect_asset_docs(self):
-        file_plugins = [s for s in self._signals.values() if
-                        hasattr(s, 'collect_asset_docs')]
-        for p in file_plugins:
-            yield from p.collect_asset_docs()
-
 
 class AreaDetector(DetectorBase):
     cam = C(cam.AreaDetectorCam, 'cam1:')
diff --git a/ophyd/device.py b/ophyd/device.py
index bfb812e2e..684ca528f 100644
--- a/ophyd/device.py
+++ b/ophyd/device.py
@@ -1299,6 +1299,11 @@ def read(self):
             res.update(component.read())
         return res
 
+    def collect_asset_docs(self):
+        for _, component in self._get_components_of_kind(Kind.normal):
+            if hasattr(component, 'collect_asset_docs'):
+                yield from component.collect_asset_docs()
+
     def read_configuration(self) -> OrderedDictType[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
         """Dictionary mapping names to value dicts with keys: value, timestamp