v2.rst

Configuration file v2

Read the Docs supports configuring your documentation builds with a YAML file. The :doc:`configuration file <index>` must be in the root directory of your project and be named .readthedocs.yaml.

All options are applied to the version containing this file. Below is an example YAML file which shows the most common configuration options:

.. tabs::

   .. tab:: Sphinx

        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/sphinx/.readthedocs.yaml
              :language: yaml
              :linenos:
              :caption: .readthedocs.yaml

   .. tab:: MkDocs

        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/mkdocs/.readthedocs.yaml
           :language: yaml
           :linenos:
           :caption: .readthedocs.yaml

Supported settings

Read the Docs validates every configuration file. Any configuration option that isn't supported will make the build fail. This is to avoid typos and provide feedback on invalid configurations.

Warning

When using a v2 configuration file, the local settings from the web interface are ignored.

• version
• formats
• python
  • python.version
  • python.install
    • Requirements file
    • Packages
  • python.system_packages
• conda
  • conda.environment
• build
  • build.os
  • build.tools
  • build.tools.python
  • build.tools.nodejs
  • build.tools.rust
  • build.tools.golang
  • build.apt_packages
  • build.jobs
  • build.commands
• sphinx
  • sphinx.builder
  • sphinx.configuration
  • sphinx.fail_on_warning
• mkdocs
  • mkdocs.configuration
  • mkdocs.fail_on_warning
• submodules
  • submodules.include
  • submodules.exclude
  • submodules.recursive
• search
  • search.ranking
  • search.ignore

version

Required:	true

Example:

version: 2

Warning

If you don't provide the version, :doc:`v1 <v1>` will be used.

formats

Additional formats of the documentation to be built, apart from the default HTML.

Type:	list
Options:	htmlzip, pdf, epub, all
Default:	[]

Example:

version: 2

# Default
formats: []

version: 2

# Build PDF & ePub
formats:
  - epub
  - pdf

Note

You can use the all keyword to indicate all formats.

version: 2

# Build all formats
formats: all

Warning

At the moment, only Sphinx supports additional formats. pdf, epub, and htmlzip output is not yet supported when using MkDocs.

With :doc:`builds from pull requests </pull-requests>`, only HTML formats are generated. Other formats are resource intensive and will be built after merging.

python

Configuration of the Python environment to be used.

version: 2

python:
  install:
    - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
    - method: pip
      path: .
      extra_requirements:
        - docs
    - method: pip
      path: another/package
  system_packages: true

python.version

Warning

This option is now deprecated and replaced by :ref:`config-file/v2:build.tools.python`. See :ref:`config-file/v2:python.version (legacy)` for the description of this option.

python.install

List of installation methods of packages and requirements. You can have several of the following methods.

Type:	list
Default:	[]

Requirements file

Install packages from a requirements file.

The path to the requirements file, relative to the root of the project.

Key:	requirements
Type:	path
Required:	false

Example:

version: 2

python:
  install:
    - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
    - requirements: requirements.txt

Warning

If you are using a :ref:`Conda <config-file/v2:conda>` environment to manage the build, this setting will not have any effect. Instead add the extra requirements to the environment file of Conda.

Packages

Install the project using pip install (recommended) or python setup.py install (deprecated).

The path to the package, relative to the root of the project.

Key:	path
Type:	path
Required:	false

The installation method.

Key:	method
Options:	pip, setuptools (deprecated)
Default:	pip

Extra requirements section to install in addition to the package dependencies.

Warning

You need to install your project with pip to use extra_requirements.

Key:	extra_requirements
Type:	list
Default:	[]

Example:

version: 2

python:
  install:
    - method: pip
      path: .
      extra_requirements:
        - docs
    - method: pip
      path: package

With the previous settings, Read the Docs will execute the next commands:

.. prompt:: bash $

   pip install .[docs]
   python package/setup.py install

python.system_packages

Give the virtual environment access to the global site-packages directory.

Type:	bool
Default:	false

Warning

If you are using a :ref:`Conda <config-file/v2:conda>` environment to manage the build, this setting will not have any effect, since the virtual environment creation is managed by Conda.

conda

Configuration for Conda support.

version: 2

conda:
  environment: environment.yml

conda.environment

The path to the Conda environment file, relative to the root of the project.

Type:	path
Required:	false

build

Configuration for the documentation build process. This allows you to specify the base Read the Docs image used to build the documentation, and control the versions of several tools: Python, Node.js, Rust, and Go.

version: 2

build:
  os: ubuntu-22.04
  tools:
    python: "3.11"
    nodejs: "18"
    rust: "1.64"
    golang: "1.19"

build.os

The Docker image used for building the docs. Image names refer to the operating system Read the Docs uses to build them.

Note

Arbitrary Docker images are not supported.

Type:	string
Options:	ubuntu-20.04, ubuntu-22.04
Required:	true

build.tools

Version specifiers for each tool. It must contain at least one tool.

Type:	dict
Options:	python, nodejs, rust, golang
Required:	true

build.tools.python

Python version to use. You can use several interpreters and versions, from CPython, PyPy, Miniconda, and Mamba.

Note

If you use Miniconda3 or Mambaforge, you can select the Python version using the environment.yml file. See our :doc:`/guides/conda` guide for more information.

Type:	string
Options:	2.7 3 (last stable CPython version) 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 pypy3.7 pypy3.8 pypy3.9 miniconda3-4.7 mambaforge-4.10

build.tools.nodejs

Node.js version to use.

Type:	string
Options:	14 16 18 19

build.tools.rust

Rust version to use.

Type:	string
Options:	1.55 1.61 1.64

build.tools.golang

Go version to use.

Type:	string
Options:	1.17 1.18 1.19

build.apt_packages

List of APT packages to install. Our build servers run Ubuntu 18.04, with the default set of package repositories installed. We don't currently support PPA's or other custom repositories.

Type:	list
Default:	[]

version: 2

build:
  apt_packages:
    - libclang
    - cmake

Note

When possible avoid installing Python packages using apt (python3-numpy for example), :doc:`use pip or conda instead </guides/reproducible-builds>`.

Warning

Currently, it's not possible to use this option when using :ref:`config-file/v2:build.commands`.

build.jobs

Commands to be run before or after a Read the Docs :term:`pre-defined build jobs`. This allows you to run custom commands at a particular moment in the build process. See :doc:`/build-customization` for more details.

version: 2

build:
  os: ubuntu-22.04
  tools:
    python: "3.11"
  jobs:
    pre_create_environment:
      - echo "Command run at 'pre_create_environment' step"
    post_build:
      - echo "Command run at 'post_build' step"
      - echo `date`

Note

Each key under build.jobs must be a list of strings. build.os and build.tools are also required to use build.jobs.

Type:	dict
Allowed keys:	post_checkout, pre_system_dependencies, post_system_dependencies, pre_create_environment, post_create_environment, pre_install, post_install, pre_build, post_build
Required:	false
Default:	{}

build.commands

Specify a list of commands that Read the Docs will run on the build process. When build.commands is used, none of the :term:`pre-defined build jobs` will be executed. (see :doc:`/build-customization` for more details). This allows you to run custom commands and control the build process completely. The _readthedocs/html directory (relative to the checkout's path) will be uploaded and hosted by Read the Docs.

Warning

This feature is in a beta phase and could suffer incompatible changes or even removed completely in the near feature. It does not yet support some of the Read the Docs' integrations like the :term:`flyout menu`, search and ads. However, integrating all of them is part of the plan. Use it under your own responsibility.

version: 2

build:
  os: ubuntu-22.04
  tools:
    python: "3.11"
  commands:
    - pip install pelican
    - pelican --settings docs/pelicanconf.py --output _readthedocs/html/ docs/

Note

build.os and build.tools are also required when using build.commands.

Type:	list
Required:	false
Default:	[]

sphinx

Configuration for Sphinx documentation (this is the default documentation type).

version: 2

sphinx:
  builder: html
  configuration: conf.py
  fail_on_warning: true

Note

If you want to pin Sphinx to a specific version, use a requirements.txt or environment.yml file (see :ref:`config-file/v2:requirements file` and :ref:`config-file/v2:conda.environment`). If you are using a metadata file to describe code dependencies like setup.py, pyproject.toml, or similar, you can use the extra_requirements option (see :ref:`config-file/v2:packages`). This also allows you to override :ref:`the default pinning done by Read the Docs if your project was created before October 2020 <build-default-versions:external dependencies>`.

sphinx.builder

The builder type for the Sphinx documentation.

Type:	string
Options:	html, dirhtml, singlehtml
Default:	html

Note

The htmldir builder option was renamed to dirhtml to use the same name as sphinx. Configurations using the old name will continue working.

sphinx.configuration

The path to the conf.py file, relative to the root of the project.

Type:	path
Default:	null

If the value is null, Read the Docs will try to find a conf.py file in your project.

sphinx.fail_on_warning

Turn warnings into errors (:option:`-W <sphinx:sphinx-build.-W>` and :option:`--keep-going <sphinx:sphinx-build.--keep-going>` options). This means the build fails if there is a warning and exits with exit status 1.

Type:	bool
Default:	false

mkdocs

Configuration for MkDocs documentation.

version: 2

mkdocs:
  configuration: mkdocs.yml
  fail_on_warning: false

Note

If you want to pin MkDocs to a specific version, use a requirements.txt or environment.yml file (see :ref:`config-file/v2:requirements file` and :ref:`config-file/v2:conda.environment`). If you are using a metadata file to describe code dependencies like setup.py, pyproject.toml, or similar, you can use the extra_requirements option (see :ref:`config-file/v2:packages`). This also allows you to override :ref:`the default pinning done by Read the Docs if your project was created before March 2021 <build-default-versions:external dependencies>`.

mkdocs.configuration

The path to the mkdocs.yml file, relative to the root of the project.

Type:	path
Default:	null

If the value is null, Read the Docs will try to find a mkdocs.yml file in your project.

mkdocs.fail_on_warning

Turn warnings into errors. This means that the build stops at the first warning and exits with exit status 1.

Type:	bool
Default:	false

submodules

VCS submodules configuration.

Note

Only Git is supported at the moment.

Warning

You can't use include and exclude settings for submodules at the same time.

version: 2

submodules:
  include:
    - one
    - two
  recursive: true

submodules.include

List of submodules to be included.

Type:	list
Default:	[]

Note

You can use the all keyword to include all submodules.

version: 2

submodules:
  include: all

submodules.exclude

List of submodules to be excluded.

Type:	list
Default:	[]

Note

You can use the all keyword to exclude all submodules. This is the same as include: [].

version: 2

submodules:
  exclude: all

submodules.recursive

Do a recursive clone of the submodules.

Type:	bool
Default:	false

Note

This is ignored if there aren't submodules to clone.

search

Settings for more control over :doc:`/server-side-search/index`.

version: 2

search:
  ranking:
    api/v1/*: -1
    api/v2/*: 4
  ignore:
    - 404.html

search.ranking

Set a custom search rank over pages matching a pattern.

Type:	map of patterns to ranks
Default:	{}

Patterns are matched against the final html pages produced by the build (you should try to match index.html, not docs/index.rst). Patterns can include some special characters:

• * matches everything
• ? matches any single character
• [seq] matches any character in seq

The rank can be an integer number between -10 and 10 (inclusive). Pages with a rank closer to -10 will appear further down the list of results, and pages with a rank closer to 10 will appear higher in the list of results. Note that 0 means normal rank, not no rank.

If you are looking to completely ignore a page, check :ref:`config-file/v2:search.ignore`.

version: 2

search:
  ranking:
    # Match a single file
    tutorial.html: 2

    # Match all files under the api/v1 directory
    api/v1/*: -5

    # Match all files that end with tutorial.html
    '*/tutorial.html': 3

Note

The final rank will be the last pattern to match the page.

Tip

Is better to decrease the rank of pages you want to deprecate, rather than increasing the rank of the other pages.

search.ignore

List of paths to ignore and exclude from the search index. Paths matched will not be included in search results.

Type:	list of patterns
Default:	['search.html', 'search/index.html', '404.html', '404/index.html']

Patterns are matched against the relative path of html files produced by the build (you should try to match index.html, not docs/index.rst). Patterns can include some special characters:

• * matches everything
• ? matches any single character
• [seq] matches any character in seq

version: 2

search:
   ignore:
     # Ignore a single file in the root of the output directory
     - 404.html

     # Ignore all files under the search/ directory
     - search/*

     # Ignore all files named ref.html nested inside one or more sub-folders
     - '*/ref.html'

version: 2

search:
   ignore:
     # Custom files to ignore
     - file.html
     - api/v1/*

     # Defaults
     - search.html
     - search/index.html
     - 404.html
     - 404/index.html'

Note

Since Read the Docs fallbacks to the original search engine when no results are found, you may still see search results from ignored pages.

Schema

You can see the complete schema here. This schema is available at Schema Store, use it with your favorite editor for validation and autocompletion.

Legacy build specification

The legacy build specification used a different set of Docker images, and only allowed you to specify the Python version. It remains supported for backwards compatibility reasons. Check out the :ref:`config-file/v2:build` above for an alternative method that is more flexible.

version: 2

build:
  image: latest
  apt_packages:
    - libclang
    - cmake

python:
  version: "3.7"

The legacy build specification also supports the apt_packages key described above.

Warning

When using the new specification, the build.image and python.version options cannot be used. Doing so will error the build.

build (legacy)

build.image (legacy)

The Docker image used for building the docs.

Type:	string
Options:	stable, latest
Default:	latest

Each image support different Python versions and has different packages installed, as defined here:

• stable: 2, 2.7, 3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, pypy3.5
• latest: 2, 2.7, 3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, pypy3.5

python.version (legacy)

The Python version (this depends on :ref:`config-file/v2:build.image (legacy)`).

Type:	string
Default:	3

Note

Make sure to use quotes (") to make it a string. We previously supported using numbers here, but that approach is deprecated.

Warning

If you are using a :ref:`Conda <config-file/v2:conda>` environment to manage the build, this setting will not have any effect, as the Python version is managed by Conda.

Migrating from v1

Changes

• The version setting is required. See :ref:`config-file/v2:version`.
• The default value of the :ref:`config-file/v2:formats` setting has changed to [] and it doesn't include the values from the web interface.
• The top setting requirements_file was moved to python.install and we don't try to find a requirements file if the option isn't present. See :ref:`config-file/v2:Requirements file`.
• The setting conda.file was renamed to conda.environment. See :ref:`config-file/v2:conda.environment`.
• The build.image setting has been replaced by build.os. See :ref:`config-file/v2:build.os`. Alternatively, you can use the legacy build.image that now has only two options: latest (default) and stable.
• The settings python.setup_py_install and python.pip_install were replaced by python.install. And now it accepts a path to the package. See :ref:`config-file/v2:Packages`.
• The setting python.use_system_site_packages was renamed to python.system_packages. See :ref:`config-file/v2:python.system_packages`.
• The build will fail if there are invalid keys (strict mode).

Warning

Some values from the web interface are no longer respected, please see :ref:`config-file/v2:Migrating from the web interface` if you have settings there.

New settings

• :ref:`config-file/v2:sphinx`
• :ref:`config-file/v2:mkdocs`
• :ref:`config-file/v2:submodules`
• :ref:`config-file/v2:python.install`
• :ref:`config-file/v2:search`

Migrating from the web interface

This should be pretty straightforward, just go to the :guilabel:`Admin` > :guilabel:`Advanced settings`, and find their respective setting in :ref:`here <config-file/v2:Supported settings>`.

Not all settings in the web interface are per version, but are per project. These settings aren't supported via the configuration file.

• Name
• Repository URL
• Repository type
• Language
• Programming language
• Project homepage
• Tags
• Single version
• Default branch
• Default version
• Show versions warning
• Privacy level
• Analytics code