Navigation controls how readers move through your docs. It also controls which MDX pages are included in the built site.
Use this page when you are editing docs.json directly. Use dashboard
Manage navigation when you want to
organize pages without editing JSON.
Choose one navigation mode
navigation must contain exactly one top-level mode:
| Mode | Use it when |
|---|---|
pages | Your docs use one sidebar structure |
menu | Your docs need multiple top-level sections |
tabs | Your docs need primary sections above the sidebar |
openapi | The site is primarily a generated API reference |
Do not combine top-level modes in the same navigation object.
Pages mode
Use pages for most documentation sites.
Page paths are relative to the docs root. Do not start them with /, and do
not include .mdx.
Page objects
Use a page object when a navigation entry needs a custom title, icon, or tag.
title changes the navigation label. The rendered page heading can still come
from the page frontmatter.
Groups
Use groups to organize related pages in the sidebar.
Groups must include a pages array. Groups can include icon, expanded, and
tag.
Nested groups
Groups can be nested, but keep the structure shallow. Radiant supports groups up to two levels deep.
Avoid deeper nesting. If a page is hard to place within two group levels, the section may need clearer names or a separate top-level menu.
Menus
Use navigation.menu when a docs site needs multiple top-level areas, such as
Guides and API Reference.
menu.type can be dropdown or segmented. If omitted, it defaults to
dropdown.
Each menu item needs a label and exactly one content key: pages or
openapi.
Tabs
Use navigation.tabs when a site needs primary sections above the sidebar. A
tab can go straight to pages, hold a menu, or generate an OpenAPI reference.
Each tab needs a label and exactly one content key: pages, menu, or
openapi. Use slug when the URL segment should differ from the label.
tabs.presentation controls where the tab bar appears:
| Presentation | Behavior |
|---|---|
topbar | Shows a full-width tab bar below the navbar. This is the default. |
sidebar | Shows the tab bar above the sidebar navigation, constrained to sidebar width on desktop. |
OpenAPI navigation
Use openapi when Radiant should generate API reference pages from an OpenAPI
source.
OpenAPI sources can also be used inside menu items or as individual endpoint page items. See API reference for the full OpenAPI configuration model, including how to link from MDX prose to generated endpoint pages.
Tags
Use tags sparingly for status, freshness, or plan labels.
Tags can be strings or objects with text and optional color.
Icons
Navigation icons can use:
- Iconify names, such as
lucide:book-open. - HTTP or HTTPS image URLs.
- Local image paths inside the docs root.
Use lucide icons for most navigation. Use simple-icons only for recognizable
brand or product logos.
OpenAPI endpoint page items cannot have icons. Radiant shows method badges for those pages automatically.