sphinx

name	sphinx
description	Generate comprehensive Python documentation with Sphinx. Covers autodoc for API extraction, Napoleon for Google/NumPy docstrings, intersphinx for cross-references, and multiple output formats including HTML, PDF, and ePub.
version	1.0.0
category	development
type	skill
capabilities	["Automatic API documentation from docstrings","reStructuredText and MyST Markdown support","Napoleon extension for Google/NumPy docstrings","Cross-project references with intersphinx","Multiple output formats (HTML, PDF, ePub, man pages)","Read the Docs theme integration","Code documentation with viewcode","Type hint documentation with autodoc_typehints","Custom domain extensions","Internationalization (i18n) support"]
tools	["sphinx","sphinx-rtd-theme","sphinx-autodoc-typehints","myst-parser","sphinx-copybutton","sphinxcontrib-napoleon","sphinx-autoapi"]
tags	["documentation","python","api-reference","autodoc","rst","pdf","readthedocs"]
platforms	["linux","macos","windows"]
related_skills	["mkdocs","pandoc","docusaurus"]

Sphinx

When to Use This Skill

USE When

• Building Python library or package documentation
• Need automatic API reference from docstrings
• Require PDF or ePub documentation output
• Using Google or NumPy docstring styles
• Need cross-references between documentation projects
• Deploying to Read the Docs
• Building scientific or academic documentation
• Need versioned API documentation
• Working with large Python codebases
• Require internationalized documentation

DON'T USE When

• Simple project documentation without API docs (use MkDocs)
• Non-Python projects (use MkDocs or Docusaurus)
• Need React components in docs (use Docusaurus)
• Quick format conversion only (use Pandoc)
• Building presentation slides (use Marp)
• Collaborative wiki-style docs (use GitBook)

Prerequisites

Installation

# Core Sphinx installation
pip install sphinx

# With common extensions
pip install sphinx \
    sphinx-rtd-theme \
    sphinx-autodoc-typehints \
    sphinx-copybutton \
    myst-parser \

*See sub-skills for full details.*
### System Requirements

- Python 3.8 or higher
- pip or uv package manager
- LaTeX distribution (for PDF output)
- Graphviz (optional, for diagrams)

## Version History

### v1.0.0 (2026-01-17)

- Initial skill creation
- Autodoc configuration for Python API
- Napoleon support for Google/NumPy docstrings
- Intersphinx cross-references
- Multiple output formats (HTML, PDF, ePub)
- Read the Docs configuration
- MyST Markdown support
- Custom extensions guide
- GitHub Actions deployment

## Sub-Skills

- [1. Project Initialization (+1)](1-project-initialization/SKILL.md)
- [3. Index and Table of Contents](3-index-and-table-of-contents/SKILL.md)
- [4. Autodoc - Automatic API Documentation](4-autodoc-automatic-api-documentation/SKILL.md)
- [5. Generate API Documentation (+1)](5-generate-api-documentation/SKILL.md)
- [Integration with pyproject.toml (+2)](integration-with-pyprojecttoml/SKILL.md)
- [1. Docstring Style Guide (+3)](1-docstring-style-guide/SKILL.md)
- [Common Issues (+1)](common-issues/SKILL.md)

## Sub-Skills

- [Features](features/SKILL.md)
- [Quick Example](quick-example/SKILL.md)
- [Admonitions](admonitions/SKILL.md)
- [Cross-References](cross-references/SKILL.md)
- [Math Support](math-support/SKILL.md)
- [Task Lists](task-lists/SKILL.md)
- [7. Intersphinx Cross-References (+5)](7-intersphinx-cross-references/SKILL.md)
- [Related Resources](related-resources/SKILL.md)