Sphinx Skill

Expert knowledge for maintaining and expanding Sphinx documentation workspaces.

Quick Reference

conf.py Setup

# docs/conf.py
project = "MyProject"
copyright = "2025, My Org"
author = "My Org"

extensions = [
    "sphinx.ext.autodoc",
    "sphinx.ext.intersphinx",
    "sphinx.ext.napoleon",
    "sphinx.ext.viewcode",
    "sphinx_copybutton",
    "sphinx_design",
]

# Theme (choose one)
html_theme = "shibuya"  # or "sphinx_immaterial"
html_static_path = ["_static"]

# Autodoc
autodoc_member_order = "bysource"
autodoc_typehints = "description"
autodoc_class_signature = "separated"

# Intersphinx (cross-project links)
intersphinx_mapping = {
    "python": ("https://docs.python.org/3", None),
    "sqlalchemy": ("https://docs.sqlalchemy.org/en/20/", None),
}

Key RST Patterns

.. Title and sections (heading hierarchy)
==========
Page Title
==========

Section
-------

Subsection
^^^^^^^^^^

.. Cross-references
:ref:`label-name`
:doc:`other-page`
:func:`mymodule.myfunction`

.. Autodoc directives
.. automodule:: mypackage.module
   :members:
   :undoc-members:
   :show-inheritance:

.. autoclass:: mypackage.MyClass
   :members:
   :special-members: __init__

.. Code blocks
.. code-block:: python

   def hello():
       print("world")

.. Include from file with markers
.. literalinclude:: ../../examples/demo.py
   :language: python
   :start-after: # start-example
   :end-before: # end-example

.. Admonitions
.. note::
   Important information here.

.. warning::
   Dangerous operation ahead.

Autodoc Configuration

• autodoc_member_order = "bysource" -- preserves source order (not alphabetical).
• autodoc_typehints = "description" -- puts type hints in parameter descriptions, not signatures.
• napoleon extension -- enables Google-style and NumPy-style docstrings.
• intersphinx -- links to external project docs (Python stdlib, SQLAlchemy, etc.) without duplicating content.

<workflow>

Workflow

Step 1: Project Structure

Set up the docs directory with conf.py, index.rst, and section directories. Use a hidden toctree in index.rst for navigation.

docs/
├── conf.py
├── index.rst
├── getting-started/
│   ├── index.rst
│   └── installation.rst
├── api/
│   ├── index.rst
│   └── modules.rst
├── _static/
└── _templates/

Step 2: Configure Extensions

Enable autodoc, intersphinx, napoleon, viewcode, and theme-specific extensions. Pin Sphinx and extension versions in pyproject.toml.

Step 3: Write Content

Split long guides into per-topic pages. Keep each page scoped to one concept. Use literalinclude with markers for code examples. Prefer sphinx_design grids and cards for navigation hubs.

Step 4: Build and Test

# Local build
sphinx-build -b html docs/ docs/_build/html -W --keep-going

# Watch mode (with sphinx-autobuild)
sphinx-autobuild docs/ docs/_build/html

Step 5: CI/CD Integration

Add a GitHub Actions workflow that builds docs on every PR. Fail the build on warnings (-W flag). Deploy to GitHub Pages or ReadTheDocs on merge to main.

</workflow> <guardrails>

Guardrails

• Pin Sphinx version -- specify sphinx>=8.0,<9 in pyproject.toml to prevent surprise breaking changes. Pin extension versions too.
• Use intersphinx for cross-project links -- never hardcode URLs to external docs. Use :func:, :class:, :doc: roles with intersphinx mappings.
• Test builds in CI -- run sphinx-build -W (warnings as errors) in CI. Catch broken references, missing modules, and RST syntax errors before merge.
• autodoc_typehints = "description" -- keeps signatures readable; type info appears in parameter docs.
• One concept per page -- split long guides into focused pages linked via toctree. Readers find content faster.
• literalinclude over inline code -- keeps examples runnable and testable. Use start-after/end-before markers.

</guardrails> <validation>

Validation Checkpoint

Before delivering Sphinx configurations, verify:

• Sphinx and extension versions are pinned in pyproject.toml
• intersphinx_mapping is configured for all external references
• sphinx-build -W completes without warnings
• Autodoc picks up all public modules/classes
• Cross-references (:ref:, :doc:, :func:) resolve correctly
• CI workflow builds docs and fails on warnings

</validation> <example>

Example

Task: Minimal conf.py and RST page with autodoc.

docs/conf.py:

project = "Acme"
extensions = [
    "sphinx.ext.autodoc",
    "sphinx.ext.intersphinx",
    "sphinx.ext.napoleon",
    "sphinx.ext.viewcode",
    "sphinx_copybutton",
    "sphinx_design",
]

html_theme = "shibuya"

autodoc_member_order = "bysource"
autodoc_typehints = "description"

intersphinx_mapping = {
    "python": ("https://docs.python.org/3", None),
}

docs/index.rst:

=====
Acme
=====

Welcome to Acme's documentation.

.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :maxdepth: 2

   getting-started/index
   api/index

docs/api/index.rst:

=============
API Reference
=============

.. automodule:: acme.core
   :members:
   :undoc-members:
   :show-inheritance:

.. autoclass:: acme.client.AcmeClient
   :members:
   :special-members: __init__

</example>

---

References Index

For detailed guides on specific themes and extensions, refer to the following documents:

Themes

• Sphinx Immaterial Theme -- Configuration for the Material Design theme.
• Shibuya Theme -- Configuration for the Shibuya theme.

Extensions & Demos

• Wasm Playground -- Integrating interactive Wasm playgrounds.
• VHS Terminal Recordings -- Guidelines for creating and embedding VHS recordings.

Infrastructure

• CI/CD Pipelines -- GitHub Actions workflows for building and deploying documentation.

---

Official References

• https://www.sphinx-doc.org/
• https://sphinx-immaterial.readthedocs.io/
• https://shibuya.lepture.com/

Shared Styleguide Baseline

• Use shared styleguides for generic language/framework rules to reduce duplication in this skill.
• General Principles
• Python
• Keep this skill focused on tool-specific workflows, edge cases, and integration details.