---
phase: 08-mkdocs-infrastructure
verified: 2026-03-20T16:20:29Z
status: human_needed
score: 9/10 must-haves verified
re_verification: false
human_verification:
  - test: "Visit https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/ after the PR merges to develop and the Deploy Docs workflow completes"
    expected: "Site renders MkDocs/shadcn theme (not the old Just the Docs theme); dark/light mode toggle present; search bar present; navigation shows exactly 13 items; https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/backlog/ returns 404"
    why_human: "Live GitHub Pages deployment and gh-pages branch switch are post-merge manual steps that cannot be verified against a local checkout"
---

# Phase 8: MkDocs Infrastructure Verification Report

**Phase Goal:** The docs site builds and deploys from MkDocs + mkdocs-shadcn with no internal planning artifacts visible to the public
**Verified:** 2026-03-20T16:20:29Z
**Status:** human_needed (all automated checks passed; one live-deployment check pending)
**Re-verification:** No — initial verification

## Goal Achievement

### Observable Truths

| #  | Truth                                                                      | Status     | Evidence                                                                     |
|----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1  | `docs/backlog.md`, `research-mapping.md`, `roadmap.md` do not exist       | VERIFIED   | `test ! -f` passes for all three; absent from site/ output                  |
| 2  | `docs/index.md` links only to files that exist — no dead links            | VERIFIED   | `grep "roadmap.md\|research-mapping.md\|backlog.md" docs/index.md` = 0 matches; section intact with 3 valid links |
| 3  | `mkdocs.yml` exists at project root with `theme: name: shadcn`            | VERIFIED   | File at project root, line 10: `name: shadcn`                               |
| 4  | `docs/_config.yml` is deleted                                              | VERIFIED   | `test ! -f docs/_config.yml` passes                                          |
| 5  | No `docs/*.md` file contains `nav_order:` in front matter                 | VERIFIED   | `grep -rn "nav_order" docs/*.md` returns no matches                          |
| 6  | `pyproject.toml` dev group includes mkdocs, mkdocs-shadcn, mkdocs-redirects | VERIFIED | Lines 78-80: `mkdocs>=1.6.1`, `mkdocs-shadcn>=0.10.2`, `mkdocs-redirects>=1.2.2` |
| 7  | `mkdocs build --strict` exits 0 with no warnings                          | VERIFIED   | Build completed: "Documentation built in 0.46 seconds" — no warnings output  |
| 8  | `docs/plans/` content does not appear in site/ build output               | VERIFIED   | `test ! -d site/plans` passes; `exclude_docs: | plans/` in mkdocs.yml       |
| 9  | `.github/workflows/docs.yml` triggers on push to develop with `contents: write` and `mkdocs gh-deploy --force` | VERIFIED | File confirmed with all required fields: trigger, permission, deploy command, pinned versions |
| 10 | Live site at https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/ renders MkDocs/shadcn theme | UNCERTAIN | Post-merge manual step: Pages source switch from `develop/docs/` to `gh-pages` branch required |

**Score:** 9/10 truths verified (1 requires human confirmation after merge)

### Required Artifacts

| Artifact                           | Expected                              | Status     | Details                                                        |
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| `mkdocs.yml`                       | MkDocs site configuration             | VERIFIED   | All required fields: site_name, docs_dir, theme shadcn, exclude_docs, nav (13 pages), plugins (search + redirects), markdown_extensions |
| `pyproject.toml`                   | Dev dependency declarations           | VERIFIED   | mkdocs, mkdocs-shadcn, mkdocs-redirects all present in dev group |
| `.github/workflows/docs.yml`       | GitHub Actions MkDocs deploy workflow | VERIFIED   | push:branches:[develop] + workflow_dispatch, contents:write, fetch-depth:0, pip install pinned versions, mkdocs gh-deploy --force |
| `docs/index.md`                    | Landing page with no broken internal links | VERIFIED | "For Developers and Agents" has exactly 3 valid links; all internal md links resolve to existing files |
| `docs/backlog.md` (absent)         | Internal artifact deleted             | VERIFIED   | File absent from repo and from site/ output                    |
| `docs/research-mapping.md` (absent)| Internal artifact deleted             | VERIFIED   | File absent from repo and from site/ output                    |
| `docs/roadmap.md` (absent)         | Internal artifact deleted             | VERIFIED   | File absent from repo and from site/ output                    |
| `docs/_config.yml` (absent)        | Jekyll config deleted                 | VERIFIED   | File absent from repo                                          |

### Key Link Verification

| From                          | To                  | Via                      | Status   | Details                                                         |
|-------------------------------|---------------------|--------------------------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| `mkdocs.yml`                  | `docs/`             | `docs_dir: docs`         | WIRED    | Line 7: `docs_dir: docs`                                        |
| `mkdocs.yml`                  | `docs/plans/`       | `exclude_docs`           | WIRED    | Lines 18-19: `exclude_docs: |\n  plans/` — block scalar correct |
| `mkdocs.yml`                  | `plugins`           | `redirects` plugin       | WIRED    | Plugin listed with `redirect_maps: {}` — mkdocs-redirects active with empty map |
| `.github/workflows/docs.yml`  | `gh-pages` branch   | `mkdocs gh-deploy --force` | WIRED  | Line 35: `run: mkdocs gh-deploy --force`                        |
| `docs/index.md`               | `agentic-workflows.md`, `development.md`, `troubleshooting.md` | markdown links | WIRED | All three target files exist in docs/; links confirmed present |

### Requirements Coverage

| Requirement | Source Plan | Description                                                                        | Status        | Evidence                                                                 |
|-------------|-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| INFR-01     | 08-02       | Migrate from Jekyll + Just the Docs to MkDocs + mkdocs-shadcn theme with dark mode, modern shadcn/ui aesthetic | SATISFIED | mkdocs.yml with `name: shadcn`; pygments_style with shadcn-light/github-dark; `mkdocs build --strict` passes |
| INFR-02     | 08-01       | Remove internal planning artifacts from public docs site (backlog.md, research-mapping.md, internal roadmap.md) | SATISFIED | All three deleted via git rm; site/ output confirmed clean; index.md repaired |
| INFR-03     | 08-02       | Exclude docs/plans/ directory from published site via mkdocs.yml config            | SATISFIED     | `exclude_docs: | plans/` in mkdocs.yml; `test ! -d site/plans` passes        |
| INFR-04     | 08-03       | Set up GitHub Actions workflow for MkDocs gh-deploy to GitHub Pages                | SATISFIED     | `.github/workflows/docs.yml` created; all 9 acceptance criteria pass (trigger, permissions, fetch-depth, deploy command, pinned versions, YAML valid) |
| INFR-05     | 08-02       | Add redirect handling for changed URLs to preserve existing links                  | SATISFIED     | `mkdocs-redirects>=1.2.2` in pyproject.toml; plugin wired in mkdocs.yml with `redirect_maps: {}`; no URL changes in Phase 8 so empty map is correct |

No orphaned requirements — all 5 Phase 8 IDs (INFR-01 through INFR-05) appear in plan frontmatter and are covered.

### Anti-Patterns Found

| File | Line | Pattern | Severity | Impact |
|------|------|---------|----------|--------|
| None | —    | —       | —        | —      |

No TODOs, FIXMEs, placeholders, empty implementations, or stub returns found in mkdocs.yml or .github/workflows/docs.yml.

### Human Verification Required

#### 1. Live site renders MkDocs/shadcn theme after merge

**Test:** After the PR merges to develop and the "Deploy Docs" GitHub Actions workflow completes successfully:
1. Go to https://github.com/ThatDevStudio/ztlctl/settings/pages — change Source from "Deploy from a branch: develop / docs" to "Deploy from a branch: gh-pages / (root)" and save
2. Wait ~60 seconds, then visit https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/

**Expected:**
- Site shows shadcn theme (not the old Just the Docs theme)
- Dark/light mode toggle is present (confirms shadcn theme loaded)
- Search bar is present (confirms search plugin wired correctly)
- Navigation shows exactly 13 items: Home, Installation, Quick Start, Tutorial, Core Concepts, Knowledge Paradigms, Obsidian Starter Kit, Command Reference, Configuration, MCP Server, Agentic Workflows, Troubleshooting, Development
- https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/backlog/ returns 404 (internal artifact correctly excluded)
- https://thatdevstudio.github.io/ztlctl/plans/ returns 404 (plans/ directory correctly excluded)

**Why human:** The gh-pages branch switch is a one-time manual GitHub UI step. The live site state post-deploy cannot be verified from a local checkout. The GitHub Actions workflow must actually run and push to gh-pages before the site exists.

### Gaps Summary

No gaps. All automated checks pass:

- 3 internal artifacts deleted from docs/ and absent from site/ output
- docs/index.md repaired with no dead links, "For Developers and Agents" section intact
- mkdocs.yml at project root: shadcn theme, docs_dir, nav (13 pages), exclude_docs for plans/, search + redirects plugins, markdown extensions
- docs/_config.yml deleted (Jekyll config gone)
- nav_order stripped from all 13 public docs files
- pyproject.toml dev group has all 3 mkdocs deps at correct versions
- `mkdocs build --strict` exits 0 with no warnings
- site/ output: 12/13 pages built as directories (index renders at root as index.html, correct), plans/ absent
- .github/workflows/docs.yml: correct trigger, permissions, fetch-depth, pinned versions, deploy command
- All 4 commit hashes from summaries (96e6a58, c53fa88, c5e63bf, dad0645) confirmed in git log

One item (live site rendering) requires human confirmation after the PR merges. The phase goal is achievable — all infrastructure is correctly wired for automatic deployment.

---

_Verified: 2026-03-20T16:20:29Z_
_Verifier: Claude (gsd-verifier)_
