rustdoc "error: unresolved link to" struct

TL;DR: Make the link target visible from the linking module. rustdoc resolves intra-doc links against the scope of the item containing them, so [StructName] fails when the struct is not imported, is not public, or is only reachable by a longer path. Import the item with use, or write the full path like [crate::models::StructName], then re-run cargo doc.

error: unresolved link to `StructName`

1. Reproduce and locate the broken links:

   cargo doc --no-deps 2>&1 | grep "unresolved link"

   Expected: one error per broken link, naming the link text and the file.

2. Check the target: is it declared pub, and is it reachable from the module that contains the link?

3. Fix the link by importing the item or using its full path:

   /// See [crate::models::StructName] for details.

   If the linking module already has the right use in scope, the short name works as written.

4. Re-run:

   cargo doc --no-deps

   Expected: exit code 0 with no unresolved-link errors.

5. Open the rendered HTML and confirm the link points at the struct's page rather than rendering as dead text.

Use this when

• cargo doc fails with "unresolved link to" naming a struct or other item
• An intra-doc link works in one module but fails in another
• You moved an item and its doc links broke

Not for this skill when

• The link points at an external URL - those are never resolved against the crate
• The target is intentionally private - describe it in prose instead of linking
• rustdoc warns about a broken link but still succeeds - same fix, lower urgency

Variant phrasings

• "rustdoc unresolved link"
• "error: unresolved link to"
• "rustdoc intra-doc link failed to resolve"

Why it happens

Intra-doc links are resolved like ordinary Rust paths, in the scope where the doc comment sits. A name that resolves in the defining module often does not resolve in a different module's docs, and private items are never linkable from public documentation.

Edge cases

• Re-exported items link fine through the re-export path, but the canonical path is more stable across refactors.
• Same-named items in different namespaces (a struct and a module) need the namespace path to disambiguate.
• Links in docs of macro-generated code resolve in the macro's scope, not the call site's.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstLUgToedRdIGls0DVCx03A

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstLUgToedRdIGls0DVCx03A

Thread query: rustdoc "error: unresolved link to" struct

TL;DR: