# Documentation Build

> Validates documentation builds successfully. Use when checking Sphinx/RTD build integrity or diagnosing build failures. Reports errors, warnings, and build configuration issues.

- Skill: `canonical/documentation-build-2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add canonical/documentation-build-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/canonical/documentation-build-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: canonical (https://skillmd.com/u/canonical)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/canonical/documentation-build-2

---


# Documentation Build Validation

## Scope

Build validation only: detect documentation build configuration,
run applicable build targets, collect all errors and warnings,
and categorise by severity.

## Inputs

- Repository root.

## Actions

1. **Identify documentation directory**: The `docs/` directory
   is the default location for Sphinx documentation.
   If not found, search common doc roots in this order:
   `doc/`, `documentation/`, `site/`, `docs-src/`.
   If still not found, perform a bounded search for `conf.py`
   (max depth 4) and use its parent as the docs root.

2. **Detect build configuration**: Check for the presence of:

   - `.readthedocs.yaml`
   - `docs/conf.py`
   - Makefile targets in the `docs/` directory

   If RTD artefacts are absent in the target repository,
   report "not applicable" in findings and exit cleanly.

3. **Run build targets** (when applicable):

   ```bash
   cd docs
   make clean
   make html
   ```

   Run additional checks for targets that exist.
   Check each target before running to avoid false failures:

   ```bash
   # Check and run each target if available
   for target in spelling linkcheck woke lint-md; do
     if make -n $target 2>/dev/null; then
       make $target
     fi
   done
   ```

4. **Capture output and handle failures**: If any command fails:

   1. Capture the full error output from stderr and stdout
   2. Run `make clean` to reset build state
   3. Retry the failed build command once
   4. If retry fails, STOP and report all captured errors
   5. Do not proceed to content analysis until build succeeds

   Warnings must be collected and reported, but are not blocking
   unless the repository explicitly treats warnings as errors.

5. **Categorise findings by severity**:

   - **Errors**: Build failures, broken links, missing files.
   - **Warnings**: Deprecation notices, missing references,
     formatting issues.
   - **Info**: Suggestions, minor notices.

6. **Verify completion**: Confirm the validation completed:

   - Build targets were executed (or determined not applicable)
   - Output was captured (errors and warnings)
   - Findings were categorized by severity

   State the completion status:
   - `✓ Build validation complete: [N] errors, [M] warnings found`
   - OR `✓ Build validation complete: No issues found`
   - OR `✓ Build validation: Not applicable - RTD artifacts not detected`

## Constraints

- Do not approve documentation that fails the Sphinx build.
- Build docs locally to catch build warnings.
- Do not invent Makefile targets;
  only use targets confirmed to exist in the target repository.

## Output

A build validation report listing all errors and warnings,
categorised by severity. If RTD artefacts are not detected,
report "Not applicable -- RTD artefacts not detected in target repo".