--- name: "sphinx-build" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "python-sphinx" version: "9.1.0-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/sphinx-build" --- # sphinx-build(1) Sphinx documentation generator tool ## NAME sphinx-build - Sphinx documentation generator tool ## SYNOPSIS **sphinx-build** \[*options*\] \<*sourcedir*\> \<*outputdir*\> \[*filenames* ...\] ## DESCRIPTION **sphinx-build** generates documentation from the files in **\** and places it in the **\**. **sphinx-build** looks for **\/conf.py** for the configuration settings. **[sphinx-quickstart(1)](/sphinx-quickstart/1.md)** may be used to generate template files, including **conf.py**. **sphinx-build** can create documentation in different formats. A format is selected by specifying the builder name on the command line; it defaults to HTML. Builders can also perform other tasks related to documentation processing. For a list of available builders, refer to Builders \<\>. By default, everything that is outdated is built. Output only for selected files can be built by specifying individual filenames. ## OPTIONS - **-M buildername** Select a builder, using the *make-mode*. See Builders \<\> for a list of all of Sphinx's built-in builders. Extensions can add their own builders. **Important:** Sphinx only recognizes the **-M** option if it is used first, along with the source and output directories, before any other options are passed. For example: ``` sphinx-build -M html ./source ./build --fail-on-warning ``` The *make-mode* provides the same build functionality as a default Makefile or Make.bat, and provides the following additional build pipelines: - ***latexpdf*** Build LaTeX files and run them through **pdflatex**, or as per **latex\_engine** \<#confval-latex\_engine\> setting. If **language** \<#confval-language\> is set to **'ja'**, will use automatically the **platex/dvipdfmx** latex to PDF pipeline. - ***info*** Build Texinfo files and run them through **makeinfo**. - ***help*** Output a list of valid builder targets, and exit. **Note:** The default output directory locations when using *make-mode* differ from the defaults when using **-b**. - • doctrees are saved to **\/doctrees** - • output files are saved to **\/\** Added in version 1.2.1. - **-b buildername, --builder buildername** Selects a builder. See Builders \<\> for a list of all of Sphinx's built-in builders. Extensions can add their own builders. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--builder** long option. - **-a, --write-all** If given, always write all output files. The default is to only write output files for new and changed source files. (This may not apply to all builders.) **Note:** This option does not re-read source files. To read and re-process every file, use **--fresh-env** instead. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--write-all** long option. - **-E, --fresh-env** Don't use a saved environment \<#term-environment\> (the structure caching all cross-references), but rebuild it completely. The default is to only read and parse source files that are new or have changed since the last run. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--fresh-env** long option. - **-t tag, --tag tag** Define the tag *tag*. This is relevant for **only** \<#directive-only\> directives that include their content only if certain tags are set. See including content based on tags \<#tags\> for further detail. Added in version 0.6. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--tag** long option. - **-d path, --doctree-dir path** Since Sphinx has to read and parse all source files before it can write an output file, the parsed source files are cached as "doctree pickles". Normally, these files are put in a directory called **.doctrees** under the build directory; with this option you can select a different cache directory (the doctrees can be shared between all builders). Changed in version 7.3: Add **--doctree-dir** long option. - **-j N, --jobs N** Distribute the build over *N* processes in parallel, to make building on multiprocessor machines more effective. This feature only works on systems supporting "fork". Windows is not supported. Note that not all parts and not all builders of Sphinx can be parallelized. If **auto** argument is given, Sphinx uses the number of CPUs as *N*. Defaults to 1. Added in version 1.2: This option should be considered *experimental*. Changed in version 1.7: Support **auto** argument. Changed in version 6.2: Add **--jobs** long option. - **-c path, --conf-dir path** Don't look for the **conf.py** in the source directory, but use the given configuration directory instead. Note that various other files and paths given by configuration values are expected to be relative to the configuration directory, so they will have to be present at this location too. Added in version 0.3. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--conf-dir** long option. - **-C, --isolated** Don't look for a configuration file; only take options via the **--define** option. Added in version 0.5. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--isolated** long option. - **-D setting=value, --define setting=value** Override a configuration value set in the **conf.py** file. The value must be a number, string, list or dictionary value. For lists, you can separate elements with a comma like this: **-D** **html\_theme\_path=path1,path2**. For dictionary values, supply the setting name and key like this: **-D latex\_elements.docclass=scrartcl**. For boolean values, use **0** or **1** as the value. Changed in version 0.6: The value can now be a dictionary value. Changed in version 1.3: The value can now also be a list value. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--define** long option. - **-A name=value, --html-define name=value** Make the *name* assigned to *value* in the HTML templates. Added in version 0.5. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--html-define** long option. - **-n, --nitpicky** Run in nitpicky mode. Currently, this generates warnings for all missing references. See the config value **nitpick\_ignore** \<#confval-nitpick\_ignore\> for a way to exclude some references as "known missing". Changed in version 7.3: Add **--nitpicky** long option. - **-N, --no-color** Do not emit colored output. Changed in version 1.6: Add **--no-color** long option. - **--color** Emit colored output. Auto-detected by default. Added in version 1.6. - **-v, --verbose** Increase verbosity (log-level). This option can be given up to three times to get more debug logging output. It implies **-T**. Added in version 1.2. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--verbose** long option. - **-q, --quiet** Do not output anything on standard output, only write warnings and errors to standard error. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--quiet** long option. - **-Q, --silent** Do not output anything on standard output, also suppress warnings. Only errors are written to standard error. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--silent** long option. - **-w file, --warning-file file** Write warnings (and errors) to the given file, in addition to standard error. Changed in version 7.3: ANSI control sequences are stripped when writing to *file*. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--warning-file** long option. - **-W, --fail-on-warning** Turn warnings into errors. This means that **sphinx-build** exits with exit status 1 if any warnings are generated during the build. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--fail-on-warning** long option. Changed in version 8.1: **sphinx-build** no longer exits on the first warning, but instead runs the entire build and exits with exit status 1 if any warnings were generated. This behaviour was previously enabled with **--keep-going**. - **--keep-going** From Sphinx 8.1, **--keep-going** is always enabled. Previously, it was only applicable whilst using **--fail-on-warning**, which by default exited **sphinx-build** on the first warning. Using **--keep-going** runs **sphinx-build** to completion and exits with exit status 1 if errors are encountered. Added in version 1.8. Changed in version 8.1: **sphinx-build** no longer exits on the first warning, meaning that in effect **--keep-going** is always enabled. The option is retained for compatibility, but may be removed at some later date. - **-T, --show-traceback** Display the full traceback when an unhandled exception occurs. Otherwise, only a summary is displayed and the traceback information is saved to a file for further analysis. Added in version 1.2. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--show-traceback** long option. - **-P, --pdb** (Useful for debugging only.) Run the Python debugger, **pdb** \, if an unhandled exception occurs while building. Changed in version 7.3: Add **--pdb** long option. - **--exception-on-warning** Raise an exception when a warning is emitted during the build. This can be useful in combination with **--pdb** to debug warnings. Added in version 8.1. - **-h, --help, --version** Display usage summary or Sphinx version. Added in version 1.2. You can also give one or more filenames on the command line after the source and build directories. Sphinx will then try to build only these output files (and their dependencies). ## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES The **sphinx-build** refers following environment variables: - **MAKE** A path to make command. A command name is also allowed. **sphinx-build** uses it to invoke sub-build process on make-mode. Makefile Options The **Makefile** and **make.bat** files created by **sphinx-quickstart** usually run **sphinx-build** only with the **-b** and **-d** options. However, they support the following variables to customize behavior: - **PAPER** This sets the **'papersize'** key of **latex\_elements** \<#confval-latex\_elements\>: i.e. **PAPER=a4** sets it to **'a4paper'** and **PAPER=letter** to **'letterpaper'**. **Note:** Usage of this environment variable got broken at Sphinx 1.5 as **a4** or **letter** ended up as option to LaTeX document in place of the needed **a4paper**, resp. **letterpaper**. Fixed at 1.7.7. - **SPHINXBUILD** The command to use instead of **sphinx-build**. - **BUILDDIR** The build directory to use instead of the one chosen in **sphinx-quickstart**. - **SPHINXOPTS** Additional options for **sphinx-build**. These options can also be set via the shortcut variable **O** (capital 'o'). - **NO\_COLOR** When set (regardless of value), **sphinx-build** will not use color in terminal output. **NO\_COLOR** takes precedence over **FORCE\_COLOR**. See no-color.org \ for other libraries supporting this community standard. Added in version 4.5.0. - **FORCE\_COLOR** When set (regardless of value), **sphinx-build** will use color in terminal output. **NO\_COLOR** takes precedence over **FORCE\_COLOR**. Added in version 4.5.0. ## DEPRECATION WARNINGS If any deprecation warning like **RemovedInSphinxXXXWarning** are displayed when building a user's document, some Sphinx extension is using deprecated features. In that case, please report it to author of the extension. To disable the deprecation warnings, please set **PYTHONWARNINGS=** environment variable to your environment. For example: - • **PYTHONWARNINGS= make html** (Linux/Mac) - • **export PYTHONWARNINGS=** and do **make html** (Linux/Mac) - • **set PYTHONWARNINGS=** and do **make html** (Windows) - • modify your Makefile/make.bat and set the environment variable ## SEE ALSO **[sphinx-quickstart(1)](/sphinx-quickstart/1.md)** ## Copyright 2007-2026, the Sphinx developers