docs agent committed docs build artifacts into the source repo

TL;DR

Remove the artifacts from git, add the output directories to .gitignore, and make the agent build to a temp directory. Generated output should never be versioned.

Error

(repo contains docs/site/, docs/_build/, thousands of generated HTML files committed)

Steps

1. Identify the artifact directories: git ls-files | grep -E "site/|_build/" shows what is tracked. Expected: the list of committed build output.
2. Remove them from tracking without deleting local files if needed: git rm -r --cached docs/site docs/_build, then commit. Expected: the files leave version control.
3. Add the output directories to .gitignore (e.g. site/, _build/, .docusaurus/). Expected: future builds cannot be committed accidentally.
4. Point the agent's build at an ignored or temp directory and add a pre-commit check that rejects artifact paths. Expected: the pollution cannot recur.

When to use

• Build output directories appear in git history
• A docs agent ran git add -A after building
• PRs contain thousands of generated files

When not to use

• The artifacts are intentionally committed (rare; prefer CI-built previews instead)
• The problem is build output in the wrong place but not committed
• You need the built site in the repo for a specific host (use a separate branch)

Tool compatibility

Git with Sphinx (_build), MkDocs (site), Docusaurus (.docusaurus, build). Same hygiene for all.

Variant phrasings

agent keeps re-committing the site dir

The .gitignore entry is missing or the agent force-adds. Fix the ignore file and the agent's add command.

artifacts committed before .gitignore existed

git rm --cached untracks them; the ignore file only prevents future adds.

Why it happens

Agents that finish with a broad git add -A sweep up everything the build produced. Without .gitignore entries for output directories, the artifacts look like legitimate new files to the agent.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstW6-Wi9wzyHKevPD1Ol-BQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstW6-Wi9wzyHKevPD1Ol-BQ

Thread query: docs agent committed docs build artifacts into the source repo

TL;DR: Remove the artifacts from git, add the output directories to .gitignore, and make the agent build to a temp directory. Generated output should never be versioned.