---
title: documentation-index-orphaned-document
description: Reports a relevant direct child document omitted from its Index Section.
---

[← All Rules](/rules/)

## What it does

Reports a relevant direct child Recognized Document that has no member entry in its owning Index Section.

## Why it matters

Every relevant direct document needs a described route from its directory's authored inventory.

## Examples

Given both `docs/api.md` and `docs/guide.md`:

### Non-passing

```md title="AGENTS.md"
# Source Of Truth Map

- [Guide](docs/guide.md) — Load for contributor guidance.
```

### Passing

```md title="AGENTS.md"
# Source Of Truth Map

- [API](docs/api.md) — Load for the API contract.
- [Guide](docs/guide.md) — Load for contributor guidance.
```

## When it applies

This Rule belongs to the configurable `documentation-indexes` group and runs for enabled Index Policies. Index Documents and direct `TEMPLATE.md` support files are excluded from their own inventories.

## References

See [Concepts](/concepts/) for Orphaned Documents and [`src/check/evaluate-index.ts`](https://github.com/evilkiwi/presswork/blob/main/src/check/evaluate-index.ts) for member discovery.