Configuration File V2

Read the Docs supports configuring your documentation builds with a YAML file. The configuration file 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:

# .readthedocs.yaml
# Read the Docs configuration file
# See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config-file/v2.html for details

# Required
version: 2

# Set the version of Python and other tools you might need
build:
  os: ubuntu-20.04
  tools:
    python: "3.9"
    # You can also specify other tool versions:
    # nodejs: "16"
    # rust: "1.55"
    # golang: "1.17"

# Build documentation in the docs/ directory with Sphinx
sphinx:
   configuration: docs/conf.py

# If using Sphinx, optionally build your docs in additional formats such as PDF
# formats:
#    - pdf

# Optionally declare the Python requirements required to build your docs
python:
   install:
   - requirements: docs/requirements.txt

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

Required

true

Example:

version: 2

Warning

If you don’t provide the version, 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.

python

Configuration of the Python environment to be used.

version: 2

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

python.version

Warning

This option is now deprecated and replaced by build.tools.python. See 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

true

Example:

version: 2

python:
  version: "3.7"
  install:
    - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
    - requirements: requirements.txt

Warning

If you are using a 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 python setup.py install or pip install.

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

Key

path

Type

path

Required

true

The installation method.

Key

method

Options

pip, setuptools

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:
  version: "3.7"
  install:
    - method: pip
      path: .
      extra_requirements:
        - docs
    - method: setuptools
      path: package

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

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 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

true

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-20.04
  tools:
    python: "3.9"
    nodejs: "16"
    rust: "1.55"
    golang: "1.17"

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 Conda Support 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

build.tools.rust

Rust version to use.

Type

string

Options

  • 1.55

  • 1.61

build.tools.golang

Go version to use.

Type

string

Options

  • 1.17

  • 1.18

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), use pip or Conda instead.

build.jobs

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

version: 2

build:
  os: ubuntu-22.04
  tools:
    python: "3.10"
  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 pre-defined build jobs will be executed. (see 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 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: "3.10"
  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 Requirements file and 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 Packages). This also allows you to override the default pinning done by Read the Docs if your project was created before October 2020.

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 (-W and --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 Requirements file and 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 Packages). This also allows you to override the default pinning done by Read the Docs if your project was created before March 2021.

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.

Schema

You can see the complete schema here.

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 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 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 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 version.

  • The default value of the 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 Requirements file.

  • The setting conda.file was renamed to conda.environment. See conda.environment.

  • The build.image setting has been replaced by build.os. See 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 Packages.

  • The setting python.use_system_site_packages was renamed to python.system_packages. See 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 Migrating from the web interface if you have settings there.

New settings

Migrating from the web interface

This should be pretty straightforward, just go to the Admin > Advanced settings, and find their respective setting in here.

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