Documentation Site Guide Pages Return 404 Error
Hey there! It looks like we've hit a bit of a snag with our documentation site. Specifically, the pages dedicated to automation and operations guides are currently returning a 404 error. This means that anyone trying to access these crucial guides will be met with a "Page Not Found" message, which isn't ideal, to say the least. Our end-to-end (E2E) tests, which are supposed to validate the accessibility of these pages after a successful build and deployment, are failing. They expect these guides to be readily available with a 200 OK status, but instead, they're getting a 404. This is a pretty significant issue because these guides are essential for users looking to understand and implement automation and operational procedures. The build and deployment process itself seems to be completing without errors, and other parts of the documentation site, like the homepage, index, navigation, footer, and search functionality, are working perfectly fine. Even the RSS/Atom feeds are up and running. The problem is isolated to these specific guide sections, which is why it's crucial to get this sorted out quickly.
The severity of this issue has been assessed as HIGH because it directly blocks our documentation deployment pipeline. This effectively prevents any updates or new information within these guides from reaching our users. It's a blocker for our Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) validation gate, meaning that any changes intended for these guides can't be pushed live until this 404 error is resolved. Imagine trying to release an important update, only to be stopped in your tracks because the supporting documentation isn't accessible – that's the situation we're in. We need to ensure that our documentation is not only accurate and up-to-date but also reliably accessible to everyone who needs it. The current situation leaves a gap in our knowledge base, potentially causing confusion or hindering users from effectively utilizing our platform's automation and operational features.
Analyzing the Documentation Site 404 Error
We've been digging into why our automation and operations guide pages are returning a 404 error on the documentation site. The latest E2E test failures, which occurred on 2025-11-16T00:23 UTC, clearly indicate the problem: the tests expected to find these guides with a 200 OK status but instead received a 404. This happened despite the 'Publish Documentation Site' workflow (#19397658933) reporting a successful build and deployment to the site URL: https://nyphon.de/.screeps-gpt/. It's quite puzzling because the homepage, documentation index, navigation, footer, search, and even RSS/Atom feeds are all working as expected. This suggests the issue is localized to specific subdirectories or routing within the documentation structure.
The impact of this problem is significant, hence the HIGH severity rating. It's a direct blocker for our documentation deployment pipeline. This means that any updates, fixes, or new content related to automation and operations cannot be pushed live. Essentially, our users are cut off from potentially vital information. This also breaks our CI/CD validation gate, a crucial step in ensuring that our deployed documentation meets quality standards before going public. We cannot proceed with further documentation updates until this 404 error is resolved. The accessibility of automation and operations guides is paramount for users who rely on this information to manage and optimize their systems. The current situation creates an information black hole, potentially leading to outdated practices or difficulties in troubleshooting.
Potential Root Causes for Missing Guide Pages
We've identified a few potential root causes for the 404 error plaguing our automation and operations guide pages. The first and most direct possibility is that the source files for these guides are simply missing from the documentation build process. It's possible they were accidentally excluded or failed to be included during a recent update. Another common culprit could be incorrect path references within our E2E tests. The tests might be looking for the files in a location that no longer exists or has been renamed, leading to a false positive failure report. We also need to consider if the build process is correctly copying all necessary subdirectories. Sometimes, build configurations are set up to only include top-level files or specific directories, inadvertently omitting nested content like our guide subdirectories.
Finally, there might be an issue with our URL routing configuration. The web server or the application handling the documentation site might not be configured to correctly map the URLs for the automation and operations guides to their corresponding files. This could be due to a change in the site's structure or a misconfiguration during the deployment process. Without the correct routing, even if the files are present and built correctly, they won't be accessible via the expected URLs, resulting in that frustrating 404. Each of these scenarios requires careful investigation to pinpoint the exact cause and implement the appropriate fix. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but with a systematic approach, we're confident we can locate and resolve the issue.
Investigating and Fixing the Documentation 404 Errors
To tackle the documentation site 404 error for our automation and operations guides, we've outlined a clear investigation and potential fix strategy. First, we need to dive deep into the source files. **Step 1: Check if automation/operations guide source files exist.** We'll be verifying that the actual markdown or source files for these guides are present in their expected locations within our project structure. If they are indeed missing, that points us towards a file management issue.
**Step 2: Verify build process includes these directories.** Assuming the files are there, the next step is to confirm that our documentation build process is configured to include them. We'll be scrutinizing the build scripts and configuration files (like `packages/docs/package.json` or any custom build scripts) to ensure that these specific directories are not being accidentally excluded. This is a common pitfall where build tools might have defaults that don't cover all necessary content.
**Step 3: Review E2E test URL expectations vs actual site structure.** If the files are present and the build process *should* be including them, we'll examine our E2E tests. We need to make sure that the URLs the tests are trying to access perfectly match the actual structure and output of the built documentation site. Sometimes, documentation structures change, and the tests don't get updated accordingly, leading to spurious failures. We'll be looking at `tests/e2e/docs-site.test.ts` for any discrepancies.
**Step 4: Test locally with `bun run build:docs-site`.** Before deploying any potential fixes, it's crucial to replicate the build process locally. Running `bun run build:docs-site` on our development machines will allow us to see if the guides are generated correctly and are accessible on a local version of the site. This is a vital step for rapid iteration and debugging.
Based on the investigation, we've identified three potential fix options:
Option A: Missing Files. If our investigation confirms that the source files for the automation and operations guides are missing, the fix is straightforward. We'll need to recreate these directories and potentially placeholder files if the original content is lost, using commands like `mkdir -p packages/docs/docs/automation` and `mkdir -p packages/docs/docs/operations`. This ensures the structure is in place for the build process.
Option B: Build Configuration. If the files are present but the build process isn't picking them up, we'll need to adjust the build configuration. This might involve modifying `packages/docs/package.json` or other relevant build scripts to explicitly include the `automation` and `operations` directories. The goal is to ensure the build process correctly bundles all necessary documentation assets.
Option C: Test URL Correction. If the site structure has legitimately changed and the build process is correct, but the tests are outdated, we'll need to update the E2E tests. This involves modifying the expected URLs in `tests/e2e/docs-site.test.ts` to align with the current site structure. This ensures our validation accurately reflects the deployed documentation.
Validating the Documentation Site Fix
Once we've implemented a fix for the documentation site 404 error affecting the automation and operations guides, rigorous validation is essential. Our primary success criteria revolve around ensuring that the documentation pipeline can now complete without issues and that the affected pages are accessible. **Success Criterion 1: E2E tests pass: automation guides accessible (200 OK).** This is a direct measure of whether the fix has resolved the accessibility problem for the automation guides. **Success Criterion 2: E2E tests pass: operations documentation accessible (200 OK).** Similarly, this validates the accessibility of the operations guides.
**Success Criterion 3: Documentation publish workflow completes successfully.** Beyond just the specific tests for the guide pages, we need to ensure that the entire documentation publishing workflow, which was previously blocked, now runs to completion without any errors. This indicates that the fix hasn't introduced new problems into the deployment process. **Success Criterion 4: All 22 E2E tests pass.** This is the ultimate confirmation that the fix is comprehensive and hasn't negatively impacted any other part of the documentation site's functionality. We need the full suite of E2E tests to pass to be confident in the stability of our documentation deployment.
To perform this validation, we have clear methods outlined. **Validation Method 1: After fix, run E2E tests.** We can execute the E2E tests specifically targeting the documentation site using the command `bun run test:e2e tests/e2e/docs-site.test.ts`. This provides immediate feedback on the accessibility of the guide pages. **Validation Method 2: Check workflow run.** For a comprehensive overview and to confirm the entire deployment pipeline is green, we can monitor the GitHub Actions workflow run using a command like `gh run watch
This issue has been blocking our documentation deployment since November 16th, 2025, around 00:22 UTC. Fortunately, there are no other open issues directly related to the documentation site's structure, which suggests this is an isolated incident that we can address directly. We are committed to ensuring our documentation is always up-to-date and easily accessible for all our users. For more information on documentation best practices, you can refer to the **** and ****.
