@writedocs/generator 0.9.4 → 0.10.1

package/astro.config.mjs

@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@ import { remarkExtractInlineReactComponents } from './src/lib/mdx-inline-react.j
 import { writedocsTempDir, writedocsBuildStagingDir } from './src/lib/writedocs-temp-dir.js';
 import { stylesAssetFallback } from './src/lib/styles-asset-integration.js';
 import { mcpDevServer } from './src/lib/mcp-dev-integration.js';
+import { configReload } from './src/lib/config-reload-integration.js';
 import { canonicalPath } from './src/lib/canonical-path.js';
+import { folderAddresses } from './src/lib/folder-redirects.js';
 import { report } from './src/lib/cli-report.js';
 import {
   loadDocsConfig,
@@ -152,12 +154,14 @@ function collectNoindexIds(rootContentDir) {
   // redirect-only route [...slug].astro synthesizes (noindex, pointing at
   // the first page) - which doesn't belong in the sitemap either.
   let rootIsPage = false;
+  const pageIds = [];
 
   for (const relativeId of findAllPages(rootContentDir)) {
     const file = path.join(rootContentDir, relativeId);
     const { data } = matter(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
     const pageId = normalizeEntryId(data?.slug ?? relativeId.replace(/\.mdx?$/i, '').replace(/\/index$/, ''));
     if (pageId === 'index') rootIsPage = true;
+    pageIds.push(pageId);
     // Top-level `noindex` is Mintlify's spelling, and a Mintlify `hidden`
     // page is noindexed too - content.config.ts folds both into
     // `seo.noindex` the same way (an explicit value wins).
@@ -172,9 +176,13 @@ function collectNoindexIds(rootContentDir) {
   for (const file of walkMdFiles(generatedDocsDir)) {
     const { data } = matter(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf-8'));
     if (data?.slug && normalizeEntryId(data.slug) === 'index') rootIsPage = true;
+    if (data?.slug) pageIds.push(normalizeEntryId(data.slug));
     if ((data?.seo?.noindex ?? data?.noindex ?? data?.hidden === true) && data.slug) ids.add(normalizeEntryId(data.slug));
   }
   if (!rootIsPage) ids.add('index');
+  // Folder addresses with no page of their own redirect to one under them
+  // (lib/folder-redirects.js) - redirects, so not in the sitemap either.
+  for (const folder of folderAddresses(pageIds)) ids.add(folder);
   return ids;
 }
 
@@ -317,6 +325,8 @@ export default defineConfig({
     // /mcp in `writedocs dev`, as the build's dist/_worker.js serves it -
     // see src/lib/mcp-dev-integration.js.
     mcpDevServer({ version: JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(packageRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf-8')).version }),
+    // writedocs dev: an edit to writedocs.json reloads the open tab.
+    configReload({ configPath: path.join(contentDir, 'writedocs.json') }),
   ],
   output: 'static',
   // Dual Shiki themes for fenced code blocks (```) in MDX content, so

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@writedocs/generator",
-  "version": "0.9.4",
+  "version": "0.10.1",
   "description": "Static site generator for docs — a writedocs.json + MDX folder in, a static site out.",
   "type": "module",
   "bin": {

package/src/cli/dev.js

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { reportApiPages } from './api-pages-output.js';
 import { runningPreview, writeLock, removeLock } from './dev-lock.js';
 import { showUpdateNotice } from './update-check.js';
 import { shouldOpenBrowser, openBrowser } from './open-browser.js';
+import { watchPageList } from './page-list-watch.js';
 
 // The same problem tends to arrive more than once in a row - Vite and
 // Astro each log a failed page, and a page compiles for more than one
@@ -39,9 +40,13 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
   reportApiPages(api);
   api.warnings.forEach((message) => log.warn(message));
 
-  const starting = step('Starting local preview');
+  let starting = step('Starting local preview');
   let ready = false;
   let browserOpened = false;
+  // Restarting after pages were added or removed (see the watcher below):
+  // when that restart began, and the port to come back on.
+  let restartStarted = null;
+  let currentPort = port;
 
   const lastShown = new Map();
   const once = (key, print) => {
@@ -82,11 +87,7 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
 
   let fatal = null;
   const rawTail = [];
-  const { child, exited } = runAstro('dev', {
-    packageRoot,
-    contentDir,
-    port,
-    onEvent(event) {
+  const onEvent = (event) => {
       if (verbose) {
         const line = verboseLine(event);
         if (line !== null) log.line(color.dim(line));
@@ -94,11 +95,24 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
       switch (event.type) {
         case 'ready': {
           ready = true;
-          starting.succeed(`Preview ready ${color.dim(`in ${duration(Date.now() - started)}`)}`);
           const [local] = event.urls?.local ?? [];
           writeLock(packageRoot, { contentDir, url: local ?? null });
           const wanted = Number(port ?? 4321);
           const actual = local ? Number(new URL(local).port) : wanted;
+          currentPort = actual;
+          // Pages changed while it was starting: restart now that it's up.
+          if (restartPending) {
+            const change = restartPending;
+            restartPending = false;
+            setTimeout(() => restartForPages(change), 0);
+          }
+          // Back after a restart: one line - the open tab reloads by itself.
+          if (restartStarted !== null) {
+            starting.succeed(`Preview updated ${color.dim(`in ${duration(Date.now() - restartStarted)}`)}`);
+            restartStarted = null;
+            return;
+          }
+          starting.succeed(`Preview ready ${color.dim(`in ${duration(Date.now() - started)}`)}`);
           log.line();
           log.line(`  ${color.bold('Local:')}  ${color.cyan(local ?? `http://localhost:${wanted}/`)}`);
           if (actual !== wanted) log.line(color.dim(`          Port ${wanted} was in use, so the preview is on ${actual}.`));
@@ -129,6 +143,14 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
           if (rawTail.length > 40) rawTail.shift();
           return;
         case 'astro-log': {
+          // A page file just deleted: Astro's list of page modules
+          // (.astro/content-modules.mjs) still points at it for a moment -
+          // "Failed to load url ... Does the file exist?" - until the restart
+          // the page-list watcher starts brings in a fresh list. Noise, not a
+          // problem in the site. Every other error still shows, and a
+          // preview that can't start still reports through 'fatal'.
+          if (event.level === 'error' && /content-modules\.mjs/.test(event.message) && /Does the file exist/.test(event.message)) return;
+          if (restartStarted !== null && event.level === 'error') return;
           if (event.level === 'error') {
             showError(describeError(stripAnsi(event.message), contentDir, { root: packageRoot }));
             return;
@@ -145,7 +167,36 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
           return;
         }
       }
-    },
+  };
+
+  // Pages added or removed while the preview runs: its page list is read
+  // when it starts, so it restarts - on the same port; the open tab
+  // reconnects and reloads by itself. Edits to pages and to writedocs.json
+  // don't need this (lib/config-reload-integration.js).
+  let child = null;
+  let restarting = false;
+  let restartPending = false;
+  const restartForPages = ({ added, removed }) => {
+    const what = [
+      ...added.slice(0, 3).map((file) => `${file} added`),
+      ...removed.slice(0, 3).map((file) => `${file} removed`),
+    ];
+    const more = added.length + removed.length - what.length;
+    log.info(`${what.join(', ')}${more > 0 ? ` and ${more} more` : ''} - restarting the preview so the page list is current.`);
+    restarting = true;
+    ready = false;
+    restartStarted = Date.now();
+    starting = step('Restarting the preview');
+    child?.kill();
+  };
+  const pageWatch = watchPageList(contentDir, (change) => {
+    if (stopping || restarting) return;
+    // Still starting: restart once it's up, not halfway.
+    if (!ready) {
+      restartPending = change;
+      return;
+    }
+    restartForPages(change);
   });
 
   // Ctrl+C: stop the server quietly. (The child gets the same signal from
@@ -155,12 +206,23 @@ export async function runDev({ contentDir, packageRoot, port, verbose = false, o
   const stop = () => {
     if (stopping) process.exit(130);
     stopping = true;
-    child.kill();
+    pageWatch.close();
+    child?.kill();
   };
   process.on('SIGINT', stop);
   process.on('SIGTERM', stop);
 
-  const code = await exited;
+  let code;
+  for (;;) {
+    fatal = null;
+    rawTail.length = 0;
+    const run = runAstro('dev', { packageRoot, contentDir, port: currentPort, onEvent });
+    child = run.child;
+    code = await run.exited;
+    if (stopping || !restarting) break;
+    restarting = false;
+  }
+  pageWatch.close();
   if (stopping) {
     if (ready) log.line(color.dim('Preview stopped.'));
     return;

package/src/cli/page-list-watch.js

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// `writedocs dev`: noticing pages added or removed. The preview's list of page
+// files is read once, when it starts (content.config.ts hands findAllPages()'s
+// list to Astro) - an edit to a page shows up at once, but a new page stays
+// "not found" and a deleted one keeps being served. So this watches the
+// content folder, and when the list findAllPages() gives changes, calls
+// `onChange` - cli/dev.js restarts the preview then.
+//
+// It compares the list itself, not file events: a Markdown file that isn't
+// a page (no frontmatter, not in the navigation), an edit to a page, or a
+// save that writes a file twice doesn't restart anything.
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import { findAllPages, EXCLUDED_TOP_LEVEL_DIRS } from '../lib/pages.js';
+
+/** Wait this long after the last file event before checking - a rename, a
+ *  copy of several files or an editor's save arrive as a burst of events. */
+export const SETTLE_MS = 400;
+
+/** Whether a changed file can change the page list: a .md/.mdx file, or
+ *  writedocs.json (it lists pages that have no frontmatter), outside the
+ *  folders findAllPages() never looks in. */
+export function mayChangePages(relative) {
+  if (!relative) return true;
+  const parts = String(relative).split(/[\\/]/);
+  if (EXCLUDED_TOP_LEVEL_DIRS.has(parts[0]) || parts.some((part) => part.startsWith('.'))) return false;
+  const name = parts[parts.length - 1];
+  return /\.mdx?$/i.test(name) || name === 'writedocs.json';
+}
+
+/** Starts watching; returns `{ close }`. `onChange({ added, removed })` gets
+ *  the page files (relative paths) that came and went. */
+export function watchPageList(contentDir, onChange, { settleMs = SETTLE_MS } = {}) {
+  let current = new Set(findAllPages(contentDir));
+  let timer = null;
+  const check = () => {
+    let next;
+    try {
+      next = new Set(findAllPages(contentDir));
+    } catch {
+      return; // mid-save, or a folder being moved - the next event checks again
+    }
+    const added = [...next].filter((file) => !current.has(file));
+    const removed = [...current].filter((file) => !next.has(file));
+    if (!added.length && !removed.length) return;
+    current = next;
+    onChange({ added, removed });
+  };
+  let watcher;
+  try {
+    watcher = fs.watch(contentDir, { recursive: true }, (_event, filename) => {
+      if (!mayChangePages(filename)) return;
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      timer = setTimeout(check, settleMs);
+    });
+    watcher.on('error', () => {});
+  } catch {
+    // A file system without recursive watching: pages added while `dev`
+    // runs need a restart, as before.
+    return { close() {} };
+  }
+  return {
+    close() {
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      watcher.close();
+    },
+  };
+}

package/src/cli/run-pagefind.js

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import path from 'node:path';
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import { pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
 
 /**
  * Locates the installed pagefind package by walking up node_modules
@@ -53,7 +54,77 @@ function resolvePagefindBin(packageRoot) {
  * Pagefind's output is captured, not printed: the CLI prints its own step
  * line, and Pagefind's text only when it fails (in the rejected Error).
  */
-export function runPagefind(siteDir, { packageRoot }) {
+export async function runPagefind(siteDir, { packageRoot }) {
+  const groups = searchSpaces(siteDir);
+  if (groups) return indexBySpace(siteDir, packageRoot, groups);
+  return indexWholeSite(siteDir, packageRoot);
+}
+
+// Pages under a hidden navigation item name their search space in their
+// markup ([...slug].astro, lib/hidden-sections.js).
+const SPACE = /data-wd-search-space="([^"]+)"/;
+const SEARCH_PUBLIC = /data-wd-search-public="true"/;
+
+/** The site's pages by search space - `{ public, spaces }` - or null when
+ *  no page is in a hidden space (the whole site is one index, as ever).
+ *  Only pages Pagefind would index: those with a data-pagefind-body. */
+function searchSpaces(siteDir) {
+  const publicPages = [];
+  const spaces = new Map();
+  const walk = (dir) => {
+    for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+      const full = path.join(dir, entry.name);
+      if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+        if (!['_astro', 'pagefind', 'pagefind-spaces'].includes(entry.name)) walk(full);
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!entry.name.endsWith('.html')) continue;
+      const content = fs.readFileSync(full, 'utf8');
+      if (!content.includes('data-pagefind-body')) continue;
+      const page = { rel: path.relative(siteDir, full).split(path.sep).join('/'), content };
+      const space = SPACE.exec(content)?.[1];
+      if (!space) {
+        publicPages.push(page);
+        continue;
+      }
+      const group = spaces.get(space) ?? { searchPublic: false, pages: [] };
+      group.searchPublic ||= SEARCH_PUBLIC.test(content);
+      group.pages.push(page);
+      spaces.set(space, group);
+    }
+  };
+  walk(siteDir);
+  return spaces.size ? { public: publicPages, spaces } : null;
+}
+
+/** One index for the public pages (dist/pagefind/) and one per hidden
+ *  space (dist/pagefind-spaces/<id>/) - so the public search never finds a
+ *  hidden page, and a hidden space's search finds only its own pages, plus
+ *  the public ones when it sets `searchPublic`. src/scripts/search.ts loads
+ *  the index of the page's space. */
+async function indexBySpace(siteDir, packageRoot, groups) {
+  const pagefind = await import(pathToFileURL(path.join(findPagefindDir(packageRoot), 'lib', 'index.js')).href);
+  const check = (result, what) => {
+    if (result.errors?.length) throw new Error(`pagefind (${what}): ${result.errors.join('; ')}`);
+    return result;
+  };
+  const write = async (pages, outputPath, what) => {
+    const { index } = check(await pagefind.createIndex({}), what);
+    for (const page of pages) check(await index.addHTMLFile({ sourcePath: page.rel, content: page.content }), `${what}: ${page.rel}`);
+    check(await index.writeFiles({ outputPath }), what);
+  };
+  try {
+    await write(groups.public, path.join(siteDir, 'pagefind'), 'public pages');
+    for (const [id, space] of groups.spaces) {
+      const pages = space.searchPublic ? [...space.pages, ...groups.public] : space.pages;
+      await write(pages, path.join(siteDir, 'pagefind-spaces', id), `hidden space ${id}`);
+    }
+  } finally {
+    await pagefind.close();
+  }
+}
+
+function indexWholeSite(siteDir, packageRoot) {
   const bin = resolvePagefindBin(packageRoot);
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const child = spawn(process.execPath, [bin, '--site', siteDir, '--quiet'], {

package/src/cli/write-redirects-file.js

@@ -63,6 +63,17 @@ export function writeRedirectsFile(distDir, contentDir) {
     if (match) lines.push(`/ ${match[1]} 302`);
   }
 
+  // Folder addresses redirecting to the first page under them
+  // (lib/folder-redirects.js). Read back from the built pages like "/"
+  // above: Astro writes a temporary (302) redirect's page with a 2-second
+  // refresh and a permanent one's with 0 - writedocs.json's own redirects
+  // and `url` pages are permanent, so the 2-second ones are exactly the
+  // automatic folder redirects. (Read before rewrite-redirect-pages.js makes
+  // every redirect page go at once.)
+  for (const { url, target } of temporaryRedirectPages(distDir)) {
+    lines.push(`${url} ${target} 302`, `${url.replace(/\/$/, '')} ${target} 302`);
+  }
+
   if (lines.length === 0) return;
 
   const generated = [
@@ -81,3 +92,25 @@ export function writeRedirectsFile(distDir, contentDir) {
   const existing = fs.existsSync(redirectsPath) ? fs.readFileSync(redirectsPath, 'utf8').replace(/\s*$/, '\n\n') : '';
   fs.writeFileSync(redirectsPath, existing + generated);
 }
+
+/** Astro's pages for temporary redirects below the site's root, as
+ *  `{ url: "/docs/creator/", target }`. */
+function temporaryRedirectPages(distDir) {
+  const found = [];
+  const walk = (dir) => {
+    for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+      const full = path.join(dir, entry.name);
+      if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+        if (!['_astro', 'pagefind', 'pagefind-spaces'].includes(entry.name)) walk(full);
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (entry.name !== 'index.html' || dir === distDir) continue;
+      const html = fs.readFileSync(full, 'utf8');
+      if (!html.includes('<title>Redirecting to:')) continue;
+      const match = html.match(/<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="2;\s*url=([^"]+)"/i);
+      if (match) found.push({ url: `/${path.relative(distDir, dir).split(path.sep).join('/')}/`, target: match[1] });
+    }
+  };
+  walk(distDir);
+  return found.sort((a, b) => a.url.localeCompare(b.url));
+}

package/src/layout/components/MobileMenu.astro

@@ -98,9 +98,9 @@ const showMenu = hasMobileMenu({ sidebar: showSidebarCol, selectors, globalDropd
         </button>
       </div>
       <div class="wd-mobile-menu-scroll">
-        {(selectors.length > 0 || globalDropdowns.length > 0) && (
+        {(selectors.some((sel) => !sel.hidden) || globalDropdowns.length > 0) && (
           <div class="wd-mobile-menu-selectors">
-            {selectors.map((sel) => {
+            {selectors.filter((sel) => !sel.hidden).map((sel) => {
               const current = sel.options.find((o) => o.active) ?? sel.options[0];
               return (
                 <details class="wd-mobile-accordion" name="wd-mobile-accordion">

package/src/layout/components/TopBar.astro

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const { config, selectors, globalDropdowns, showSidebarCol, logoLight, logoDark,
 const placements = selectorPlacements(selectors, { sidebar: showSidebarCol });
 const showMenuButton = hasMobileMenu({ sidebar: showSidebarCol, selectors, globalDropdowns });
 const switcherSelectors = selectors.filter((_, i) => placements[i] === 'topbar');
-const tabSelectors = selectors.filter((sel) => sel.kind === 'tab');
+const tabSelectors = selectors.filter((_, i) => placements[i] === 'tabs');
 // One row per level of tabs: a tab holding its own tabs gets a second row
 // underneath, with that tab's tabs. The global dropdowns stay in the first
 // row, which renders on its own when there are only those.

package/src/lib/config-reload-integration.js

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// `writedocs dev`: an edit to writedocs.json reloads the open tab. The server
+// already renders with the new file on the next request (lib/config.ts reads
+// it each time), but nothing told the browser - the tab kept the old
+// navigation until reloaded by hand. writedocs.json sits in the content
+// folder, outside what Vite watches, so it's added to the watcher here, and
+// a change sends Vite's full-reload.
+//
+// Pages added or removed need more than a reload - see cli/page-list-watch.js.
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+/** Wait this long after the last change before reloading - an editor's save
+ *  can arrive as more than one write. */
+export const RELOAD_DELAY_MS = 150;
+
+export function configReload({ configPath }) {
+  return {
+    name: 'writedocs-config-reload',
+    hooks: {
+      'astro:server:setup': ({ server }) => {
+        const target = path.resolve(configPath);
+        const same = (file) => path.resolve(file).toLowerCase() === target.toLowerCase();
+        server.watcher.add(target);
+        let timer = null;
+        server.watcher.on('change', (file) => {
+          if (!same(file)) return;
+          clearTimeout(timer);
+          timer = setTimeout(() => server.ws.send({ type: 'full-reload', path: '*' }), RELOAD_DELAY_MS);
+        });
+      },
+    },
+  };
+}

package/src/lib/config-schema.js

@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ const navLinkSchema = z.object({ label: z.string(), href: z.string() }).strict()
 const navItemSchema = z.lazy(
   () => z.union([navPageSchema, navGroupSchema, navLinkSchema])
 );
-function withChildren(base) {
+function withChildren(ownFields) {
+  const base = { ...ownFields, hidden: z.boolean().optional(), searchPublic: z.boolean().optional() };
   return z.union([
     z.object({ ...base, pages: z.array(navItemSchema) }).strict(),
     z.object({ ...base, tabs: z.array(tabSchema).min(1) }).strict(),
@@ -97,6 +98,14 @@ const navigationSchema = z.union([
         continue;
       }
       items.forEach((item, i) => {
+        const own2 = item;
+        if (own2?.searchPublic === true && own2.hidden !== true) {
+          ctx.addIssue({
+            code: "custom",
+            path: [...path, key, i, "searchPublic"],
+            message: '`searchPublic` only applies to a hidden item - add "hidden": true, or remove `searchPublic`.'
+          });
+        }
         const inner = key === "languages" ? String(item?.language ?? "") : language;
         const tab = item?.tab;
         walk(item, [...path, key, i], inner, key === "tabs" ? [...tabs, String(tab ?? "")] : tabs);

package/src/lib/config-schema.ts

@@ -129,11 +129,17 @@ export type NavChildren =
   | { products: ProductItem[] }
   | { href: string };
 
-export type TabItem = { tab: string; icon?: string } & NavChildren;
-export type VersionItem = { version: string; label?: string; tag?: string; default?: boolean } & NavChildren;
-export type LanguageItem = { language: string; label?: string } & NavChildren;
-export type DropdownItem = { dropdown: string; icon?: string } & NavChildren;
-export type ProductItem = { product: string; icon?: string; description?: string } & NavChildren;
+/** Any navigation item can be hidden: reachable only by its address - no
+ *  switcher, tab or menu lists it, and its pages search only among
+ *  themselves (plus the public ones, with `searchPublic`). See
+ *  lib/hidden-sections.js. */
+export type Hideable = { hidden?: boolean; searchPublic?: boolean };
+
+export type TabItem = { tab: string; icon?: string } & Hideable & NavChildren;
+export type VersionItem = { version: string; label?: string; tag?: string; default?: boolean } & Hideable & NavChildren;
+export type LanguageItem = { language: string; label?: string } & Hideable & NavChildren;
+export type DropdownItem = { dropdown: string; icon?: string } & Hideable & NavChildren;
+export type ProductItem = { product: string; icon?: string; description?: string } & Hideable & NavChildren;
 
 // `.strict()` on every variant is load-bearing, not decoration: Zod
 // objects silently strip unrecognized keys by default, so without it a
@@ -142,7 +148,8 @@ export type ProductItem = { product: string; icon?: string; description?: string
 // rejected - defeating the entire "exactly one child kind per level"
 // rule this schema exists to enforce (mirroring Mintlify's own "a tab
 // cannot contain both anchors and groups at the same level").
-function withChildren<Base extends z.ZodRawShape>(base: Base) {
+function withChildren<Base extends z.ZodRawShape>(ownFields: Base) {
+  const base = { ...ownFields, hidden: z.boolean().optional(), searchPublic: z.boolean().optional() };
   return z.union([
     z.object({ ...base, pages: z.array(navItemSchema) }).strict(),
     z.object({ ...base, tabs: z.array(tabSchema).min(1) }).strict(),
@@ -247,6 +254,14 @@ const navigationSchema = z.union([
         continue;
       }
       items.forEach((item, i) => {
+        const own = item as { hidden?: unknown; searchPublic?: unknown };
+        if (own?.searchPublic === true && own.hidden !== true) {
+          ctx.addIssue({
+            code: 'custom',
+            path: [...path, key, i, 'searchPublic'],
+            message: '`searchPublic` only applies to a hidden item - add "hidden": true, or remove `searchPublic`.',
+          });
+        }
         const inner = key === 'languages' ? String((item as { language?: unknown })?.language ?? '') : language;
         const tab = (item as { tab?: unknown })?.tab;
         walk(item, [...path, key, i], inner, key === 'tabs' ? [...tabs, String(tab ?? '')] : tabs);

package/src/lib/config.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import { EXCLUDED_TOP_LEVEL_DIRS, navPageId } from './pages.js';
+import { isHidden } from './hidden-sections.js';
 import matter from 'gray-matter';
 import { writedocsTempDir } from './writedocs-temp-dir.js';
 import { readableTextOn } from './color.js';
@@ -787,6 +788,8 @@ export function resolveGlobalDropdowns(navigation: NavigationConfig): DropdownIt
  *  `{ tab: "Status", href: "..." }`). */
 function firstSlugAmong(items: Container[]): string | null {
   for (const item of items) {
+    // A hidden item is reached only by its address - never by default.
+    if (isHidden(item)) continue;
     const slug = firstSlugOf(item);
     if (slug !== null) return slug;
   }
@@ -944,6 +947,11 @@ export interface SelectorOption {
 export interface Selector {
   kind: PathSegment['kind'];
   options: SelectorOption[];
+  // The page sits inside a hidden item on this level: the level isn't
+  // shown (its switcher would list the other items). Kept in the list,
+  // not dropped, so the levels after it are placed by their real parent
+  // (lib/selector-placement.js).
+  hidden?: boolean;
 }
 
 /** An option's own `dropdowns` menu, if it has one (see SelectorOption.dropdown
@@ -958,12 +966,16 @@ function dropdownMenuOf(
   activeSegment: PathSegment | undefined
 ): SelectorOption[] | undefined {
   if (!('dropdowns' in node)) return undefined;
-  return node.dropdowns.map((d, i) => ({
-    label: d.dropdown,
-    icon: iconOf(d),
-    href: 'href' in d ? d.href : hrefForSlug(firstSlugOf(d) ?? 'index'),
-    active: activeSegment?.kind === 'dropdown' && activeSegment.index === i,
-  }));
+  return node.dropdowns
+    .map((d, i) => ({
+      label: d.dropdown,
+      icon: iconOf(d),
+      href: 'href' in d ? d.href : hrefForSlug(firstSlugOf(d) ?? 'index'),
+      active: activeSegment?.kind === 'dropdown' && activeSegment.index === i,
+      hidden: isHidden(d),
+    }))
+    .filter((d) => !d.hidden)
+    .map(({ hidden: _hidden, ...option }) => option);
 }
 
 /** `activePagePosition` is the reader's current page's own index within
@@ -986,7 +998,10 @@ export function buildSelectors(
     const remainingPath = path.slice(segIndex + 1);
     return {
       kind: segment.kind,
-      options: (segment.items as NamedContainer[]).map((item, i) => {
+      hidden: isHidden(segment.items[segment.index]),
+      options: (segment.items as NamedContainer[]).flatMap((item, i) => {
+        // A hidden item is never offered - not even to its own pages.
+        if (isHidden(item)) return [];
         const isActive = i === segment.index;
         const equivalentSlug = preservesPosition
           ? equivalentPageIn(item as Container, remainingPath, activePagePosition)

package/src/lib/content-check.js

@@ -411,6 +411,20 @@ export async function checkContent(contentDir, configText) {
         )
       );
     }
+    // Every top-level item hidden, and no home page: `/` never redirects into a
+    // hidden item (lib/hidden-sections.js), so the site's address has nothing.
+    const nav = config.navigation;
+    const topKey = nav && !Array.isArray(nav) ? ['tabs', 'versions', 'languages', 'dropdowns', 'products'].find((k) => Array.isArray(nav[k])) : null;
+    if (topKey && nav[topKey].length && nav[topKey].every((item) => item?.hidden === true || 'href' in (item ?? {})) && !ids.has('index')) {
+      warnings.push(
+        issue(
+          'writedocs.json',
+          locate(['navigation', topKey])?.line,
+          `Every item in navigation.${topKey} is hidden and there's no home page - the site's own address (/) shows "not found".`,
+          'Add an index.mdx at the project root for a home page, or leave one item not hidden.'
+        )
+      );
+    }
     // A redirect is one exact path - a Mintlify-style pattern (`/old/:slug`,
     // `/old/*`) becomes a literal page path, and the build fails on it.
     (Array.isArray(config.redirects) ? config.redirects : []).forEach((r, i) => {

package/src/lib/folder-redirects.js

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// Folder addresses - `/docs/creator/` when pages live at `/docs/creator/...`
+// but none at `/docs/creator/` itself - redirect to the first page under
+// them, as Mintlify does, instead of showing "not found". The same idea as
+// the automatic `/` redirect, one level down.
+//
+// "First" is the reader's order: [...slug].astro passes the pages in
+// navigation order, the public ones before those under a hidden item
+// (lib/hidden-sections.js) and pages outside the navigation last - so a
+// folder with both public and hidden pages under it goes to a public one.
+// A real page or a writedocs.json redirect at the address always wins.
+//
+// Temporary (302), like `/`: a browser doesn't keep it, so a page added at
+// that address later is seen. Also used by `writedocs broken-links` (a link
+// to a folder address leads somewhere) and the sitemap (which leaves them
+// out, like every redirect).
+//
+// Slugs are page addresses without their slashes: "docs/creator/home".
+
+/** First path segments writedocs itself serves - never a folder redirect. */
+export const RESERVED_FOLDERS = new Set(['_astro', 'pagefind', 'pagefind-spaces', 'llms', 'mcp']);
+
+/** Every folder above a page: "a/b/c" -> ["a", "a/b"]. */
+export function foldersOf(slug) {
+  const parts = slug.split('/').filter(Boolean);
+  return parts.slice(0, -1).map((_, i) => parts.slice(0, i + 1).join('/'));
+}
+
+/** The folder redirects for a site: folder -> the page it goes to.
+ *  `targets` - the pages, in the order to prefer them; `taken` - every
+ *  address already served (pages, redirects, `url` pages). */
+export function folderRedirects(targets, taken = new Set()) {
+  const redirects = new Map();
+  for (const slug of targets) {
+    if (slug === 'index') continue;
+    for (const folder of foldersOf(slug)) {
+      if (redirects.has(folder) || taken.has(folder) || RESERVED_FOLDERS.has(folder.split('/')[0])) continue;
+      redirects.set(folder, slug);
+    }
+  }
+  return redirects;
+}
+
+/** Just the folder addresses, for checks that don't need the targets. */
+export function folderAddresses(pageSlugs) {
+  const pages = new Set(pageSlugs);
+  return new Set([...folderRedirects(pageSlugs, pages).keys()]);
+}