Principle:Openclaw Openclaw Documentation Site Configuration

Knowledge Sources	Mintlify Configuration
Domains	Documentation, Configuration, Navigation
Last Updated	2026-02-06 12:00 GMT

Overview

A centralized declarative configuration pattern that defines the complete structure, navigation, theming, and routing of a documentation site from a single JSON manifest.

Description

Documentation Site Configuration addresses the need to maintain a large, well-organized documentation site where navigation structure, URL routing, visual theming, and i18n support are all defined in one place. Rather than scattering configuration across multiple files or inferring structure from the filesystem, a single JSON manifest serves as the source of truth.

This pattern provides:

1. Navigation hierarchy: Tabbed sections with nested sidebar groups and ordered page lists.
2. URL redirects: Declarative mappings from legacy paths to current locations, preventing broken links.
3. Theming: Colors, fonts, logos, and icons defined once and applied site-wide.
4. API integration: OpenAPI spec paths and base URLs for interactive API reference pages.

The advantage over filesystem-based routing is explicit control over page ordering, grouping, and discoverability. New pages must be added to the manifest to appear in navigation.

Usage

Use this principle when operating a documentation site with non-trivial navigation (multiple sections, tabs, nested groups) where page ordering and URL stability matter. The configuration file is edited when adding pages, reorganizing sections, or updating site-wide appearance.

Theoretical Basis

The pattern is a declarative site manifest:

# Abstract structure (NOT real implementation)
site_config = {
    "name": "Project Name",
    "theme": { "colors": {...}, "fonts": {...} },
    "navigation": [
        { "group": "Getting Started", "pages": ["intro", "quickstart"] },
        { "group": "API Reference", "pages": ["auth", "endpoints"] },
    ],
    "redirects": [
        { "source": "/old-path", "destination": "/new-path" },
    ],
    "tabs": [
        { "name": "Guides", "url": "guides" },
        { "name": "API", "url": "api" },
    ],
}
# Build system reads this and generates the site structure

Key properties:

• Single source of truth: All navigation decisions live in one file.
• Explicit ordering: Pages appear in the order listed, not alphabetical/filesystem order.
• Redirect stability: Old URLs continue to work through declarative redirect rules.
• Schema validation: JSON schema enforces structural correctness at build time.

Related Pages

• Implementation:Openclaw_Openclaw_Docs_Navigation_Config