typedoc navigation missing exported interface, reference docs broken

Not specified by the original author.

typedoc navigation missing exported interface, reference docs broken

TL;DR

Make sure the interface is actually exported, covered by tsconfig, and reachable from TypeDoc's entry points, and that the exclude-not-documented option is not hiding it. Then rebuild and confirm the interface shows in the nav. Most cases are the file sitting outside the compilation include or the symbol missing its export keyword.

The error

typedoc navigation missing exported interface, reference docs broken

Steps

1. Confirm the interface is exported. Search the source for the declaration:

grep -rn "export interface INTERFACE_NAME" src/

Expected: exactly one exported declaration. If the export keyword is missing, add it.

2. Check that tsconfig includes the file. Run the compiler in config-dump mode:

npx tsc --showConfig

Expected: the interface's file matches one of the include globs. If it is excluded, widen the include or move the file.

3. Check the TypeDoc config. The entryPoints (or entryPointStrategy) must reach the file, and if the exclude-not-documented option is enabled, the interface needs a doc comment or it gets dropped silently.

Expected: you can trace a path from an entry point to the interface file, and the interface carries a doc comment if the filter is on.

4. Rebuild and verify in the output:

npx typedoc

Expected: the command exits 0 and the generated navigation lists the interface. Open its page and confirm it renders with its members.

Use this when

• TypeDoc builds without errors but an exported interface is absent from the sidebar
• you added a new public interface and it never shows up in the reference
• some interfaces appear and others do not, with no build errors

Not for this skill when

• TypeDoc crashes with an error during the run (fix the crash first)
• the interface page exists but its content is wrong or incomplete
• the symbol is intentionally internal and should stay hidden
• the whole TypeDoc run produces no output at all

Variant phrasings

typedoc not showing interface in sidebar

Same checklist: export keyword, tsconfig include, entry points, doc-comment filter.

exported type missing from typedoc output

Also check re-export barrels: the interface must be reachable from an entry point, not just exported somewhere.

typedoc entry point not picking up new file

Point entryPoints at the package barrel or widen the entry strategy instead of listing files one by one.

Why it happens

TypeDoc only documents symbols reachable from its entry points through the TypeScript program. Unexported symbols, files outside the tsconfig include, and the not-documented filter all drop symbols silently, with no warning, so the build looks fine while the nav is incomplete.

Edge cases

• Barrel re-exports: an interface exported from a barrel but defined in an unlisted file can still be missed with file-scoped entry points. Point entryPoints at the barrel or the package.
• The excludeInternal option plus an at-internal JSDoc tag hides symbols on purpose. Remove the tag if the symbol should be public.
• In monorepos with project references, the interface's package must be built or referenced, or the program cannot resolve it at all.
• Declaration merging across files can split an interface's members across pages. Check that all merged parts are reachable.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_GaipoJZKxQGA3upaJ0NLVA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_GaipoJZKxQGA3upaJ0NLVA

Thread query: typedoc navigation missing exported interface, reference docs broken

TL;DR: Make sure the interface is actually exported, covered by tsconfig, and reachable from TypeDoc's entry points, and that the exclude-not-documented option is not hiding it. Then rebuild and confirm the interface shows in the nav. Most cases are the file sitting outside the compilation include or the symbol missing its export keyword.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Ensure the overload signatures (not just the implementation) are exported and visible to TypeDoc. TypeDoc documents what TypeScript exposes; hidden overloads stay hidden.

Error

(reference shows one call signature; the method has three overloads in source; no warning)

Steps

1. Check the source: overloads are the multiple signature lines above the implementation. Confirm they exist and are exported. Expected: the overloads located in source.
2. Check tsconfig and TypeDoc settings: stripInternal and exclude filters can hide overloads marked internal. Expected: no filter removes them.
3. Verify TypeScript itself sees the overloads (hover in an editor); if the language service shows one signature, the source is the problem, not TypeDoc. Expected: the source of truth confirmed.
4. Re-run npx typedoc and check the method page lists all variants. Expected: every overload documented.

When to use

• Generated reference shows fewer overloads than the source
• A docs agent summarized the method instead of listing variants
• Overloads were recently added

When not to use

• TypeDoc errors on the file (fix the error first)
• The "overloads" are actually different methods (a naming confusion)
• You want only the implementation documented (then the output is correct)

Tool compatibility

TypeDoc 0.24 through 0.28 with TypeScript 5.x.

Variant phrasings

overloads documented but the implementation signature leaks through

TypeDoc hides implementation signatures by default; if one appears, check the config.

overloads missing only in one module

That module's tsconfig include or TypeDoc exclude is filtering the file with the overloads.

Why it happens

TypeDoc reflects the TypeScript program's view of the API. Overloads that are not exported, are filtered, or live in excluded files are invisible to it, so the reference shows a subset.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_w5lfiob6-w0O8Gc3k1Ly0w

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_w5lfiob6-w0O8Gc3k1Ly0w

Thread query: docs agent's typedoc output missed overloaded method variants

TL;DR: Ensure the overload signatures (not just the implementation) are exported and visible to TypeDoc. TypeDoc documents what TypeScript exposes; hidden overloads stay hidden.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Extract generics from the type declarations, not the runtime code. The agent parsed the emitted JavaScript where type parameters do not exist, so every generic rendered as a non-generic. Fix: run extraction against the TypeScript source or declaration files with the type checker, and render each type parameter with its name, constraint, and default.

The error

docs agent failed: lost type info on generic parameters

Steps

1. Pick a generic the docs render wrong, e.g. a class declared as Container of [T], and check what the docs page shows. Expected: the docs show the type with no type parameter listed.

2. Check what the extractor parses: if it reads compiled .js output or a plain JS AST, generics were erased before extraction began. Expected: you confirm the extractor input has no type information to begin with.

3. Point the extractor at the TypeScript source (or the generated .d.ts files) and use the TypeScript compiler API type checker to read type parameters, constraints, and defaults. Expected: the extractor now sees names like [T], constraints like extends [Base], and defaults.

4. Render each generic with its parameter list: name, constraint, and default, plus the type arguments at each use site. Expected: the Container page documents [T] with its constraint and default.

5. Re-run generation and spot-check generic functions, classes, and interfaces. Expected: no generic renders as a bare non-generic type.

Use this when

• reference docs show generic types without their type parameters
• constraints and defaults on type parameters are missing from the docs
• the pipeline extracts from compiled JS instead of TS source

Not for this skill when

• the language has no generics (the type info was never there)
• generics parse fine but overloads are wrong (a different extraction bug)
• you need runtime type reflection rather than static docs

Variant phrasings

• doc generator strips type parameters from generics
• reference docs missing generic constraints
• extractor ignores type arguments on generic classes
• typedoc-style output lost generics info

Why it happens

TypeScript erases generics at compile time, so any extractor reading JavaScript output or a JS-only AST sees a world where generics never existed. Only the type checker, working from source or declaration files, knows the type parameters.

Edge cases

• Declaration files out of sync with source: regenerate .d.ts from the current source before extracting.
• Generic defaults that reference other type parameters: render the default expression verbatim rather than trying to resolve it.
• Higher-kinded or conditional types: show the constraint text as written; do not attempt to simplify it.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ZKROWNtZK6hJZxWF8sbgww

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ZKROWNtZK6hJZxWF8sbgww

Thread query: docs agent failed: lost type info on generic parameters

TL;DR: Extract generics from the type declarations, not the runtime code. The agent parsed the emitted JavaScript where type parameters do not exist, so every generic rendered as a non-generic. Fix: run extraction against the TypeScript source or declaration files with the type checker, and render each type parameter with its name, constraint, and default.