api-link-builder

API Link Builder

Scan documentation pages and API reference pages to find and create bi-directional cross-links, producing a more integrated experience for users navigating between conceptual docs and API reference.

Inputs

• $ARGUMENTS: Optional. A specific file path, directory, or topic to focus on. If omitted, scan the entire docs/ directory.
  • Examples: docs/data-binding, docs/app-development/threading.md, Button, Avalonia.Controls

Key resources

• Xref index: .apiref/generated/xref-index.json contains all API entries with uid, name, fullName, and href fields. Use this as the master lookup for mapping type/member names to API page URLs.
• Docs directory: docs/ contains human-written documentation (.md and .mdx files).
• API directory: api/ contains generated API reference pages (.mdx files) with frontmatter including uid, slug, namespace, apiKind.
• Controls directory: controls/ contains control-specific documentation.

Link format conventions

Links from docs to API

Use relative paths to the local /api route (not external api-docs.avaloniaui.net URLs):

[`Button`](/api/avalonia/controls/button)
[`Dispatcher.InvokeAsync`](/api/avalonia/threading/dispatcher#uid-9073eca221)

For inline mentions of types, wrap in backticks and link:

The [`TextBox`](/api/avalonia/controls/textbox) control provides...

For "See also" sections at the end of doc pages:

## See also

- [`Button` API reference](/api/avalonia/controls/button)
- [`ICommand` API reference](/api/avalonia/input/icommand)

Links from API to docs

API pages are generated .mdx files. Add a "Documentation" or "Learn more" section that links back to the relevant doc page using a docs-link admonition block. Insert it after the lead description div and before the first content section (Constructors, Properties, Methods, etc.):

<div className="apiref-page__docs-links">

:::info Documentation
For conceptual guidance and examples, see:
- [Threading model](/docs/app-development/threading)
- [How to access the UI thread](/docs/how-to/access-ui-thread)
:::

</div>

Workflow

Step 1: Load the xref index

Read the xref index file at .apiref/generated/xref-index.json. Parse it to build a lookup map of:

• Type name to API href (e.g., Button -> /api/avalonia/controls/button)
• Fully qualified name to API href (e.g., Avalonia.Controls.Button -> /api/avalonia/controls/button)

Filter to only Class, Struct, Interface, Enum, and Delegate entries (skip individual members, constructors, and method overloads for the initial scan). This keeps the matching focused on top-level types.

Read(file_path: .apiref/generated/xref-index.json)

Note: This file is large (~107K lines). Read it and parse the JSON entries array. Build a dictionary keyed by name and fullName for quick lookup.

Step 2: Determine scope

Based on $ARGUMENTS:

Step 3: Scan doc pages for linking opportunities

For each doc file in scope:

1. Read the file and identify all Avalonia type and member references:

   • Types already in backticks but not linked (e.g., `Button` without a hyperlink)
   • Fully qualified type names in prose (e.g., Avalonia.Controls.Button)
   • Type names in code blocks (these are informational, do not link inside code blocks)
   • Class/interface/enum names mentioned in explanatory text
   • Types used in XAML examples (e.g., <Button>, <TextBox>)

2. Cross-reference with the xref index to find which mentions have corresponding API pages.

3. Check existing links in the file:

   • Already linked to the local /api/ route? Skip.
   • Linked to external api-docs.avaloniaui.net? Flag for migration to local /api/ route.
   • Not linked at all? Flag as a linking opportunity.

4. Categorize each opportunity:

5. Prioritize opportunities:
   • High: Types that are the primary subject of the doc page (mentioned in title, H1, or first paragraph)
   • Medium: Types referenced multiple times in the page body
   • Low: Types mentioned once in passing

Step 4: Scan API pages for back-link opportunities

For each API type page that corresponds to a type referenced in the scanned docs:

1. Read the API page frontmatter to get uid, namespace, apiKind, and slug.

2. Search for related doc pages using the type name and namespace:

   • Grep for the type name across docs/ and controls/
   • Check if there is a dedicated doc page (e.g., controls/button.md for Avalonia.Controls.Button)
   • Look for how-to guides, tutorials, or explanations that feature this type

3. Check if back-links already exist in the API page. Look for:

   • Existing apiref-page__docs-links div
   • Any links pointing to /docs/ or /controls/

4. Identify missing back-links: If the API page has no documentation links but related docs exist, flag it.

Step 5: Generate report

Present findings before making changes:

## API Link Builder Report

**Scope**: [what was scanned]
**Date**: [today's date]

### Summary
- Doc pages scanned: [N]
- API pages checked: [N]
- New doc-to-API links found: [N]
- New API-to-doc links found: [N]
- External links to migrate: [N]

### Doc-to-API linking opportunities

#### [doc-file-path]
| Type | Current state | Proposed link | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| `Button` | Unlinked backtick mention | [`Button`](/api/avalonia/controls/button) | High |
| `ICommand` | External link | Migrate to `/api/avalonia/input/icommand` | Medium |

#### [next-doc-file-path]
...

### API-to-doc back-links

#### [api-page-path]
| Related doc | Relevance |
|---|---|
| /docs/app-development/threading | Primary topic match |
| /docs/how-to/access-ui-thread | How-to guide |

#### [next-api-page-path]
...

### External API links to migrate
| File | Current URL | Proposed local path |
|---|---|---|
| docs/app-development/threading.md | https://api-docs.avaloniaui.net/docs/T_... | /api/avalonia/threading/dispatcher |

Step 6: Apply changes

After presenting the report, proceed with changes:

6.1 Add doc-to-API links

For each doc file with opportunities:

1. First mention linking: On the first substantive mention of each type in body text (outside code blocks and headings), convert the backtick mention to a linked backtick mention. Do NOT link:

   • Inside fenced code blocks
   • Inside inline code that is part of a code example
   • Every single mention (only the first in each major section or the first overall)
   • Types that are obvious .NET base types (e.g., string, int, object)

2. See also section: If the page has a "See also" or equivalent section, add API reference links for the primary types discussed. If no "See also" section exists and the page discusses API types extensively, add one.

3. Migrate external links: Replace https://api-docs.avaloniaui.net/docs/T_Avalonia_... URLs with the corresponding local /api/... paths using the xref index for lookup.

6.2 Add API-to-doc back-links

For each API page that needs back-links:

1. Read the current API page content.
2. Insert a docs-link block after the apiref-page__lead div and before the next section. Use this format:

<div className="apiref-page__docs-links">

:::info Documentation
For conceptual guidance and examples, see:
- [Page title](/docs/path/to/page)
:::

</div>

3. Only add links to pages that provide substantial coverage of the type (not passing mentions).
4. Limit to 3-5 most relevant doc links per API page.
5. Use descriptive link text that tells the user what they will find (e.g., "Threading model" not "Click here").

Step 7: Verify changes

After applying all changes:

1. Check all new links resolve: For each added link, verify the target file exists:

   • For /api/... links, check that a corresponding .mdx file exists under the api/ directory
   • For /docs/... links, check that a corresponding .md or .mdx file exists under the docs/ directory

2. Check for broken patterns: Ensure no links were added inside code blocks or XAML examples.

3. Report final summary:

## Changes applied

- Doc pages modified: [N]
- API pages modified: [N]
- Links added (doc-to-API): [N]
- Links added (API-to-doc): [N]
- External links migrated: [N]
- Broken link targets found: [N] (list any)

Rules and constraints

1. Never modify code blocks: Do not add links inside fenced code blocks (```) or XAML examples.
2. First-mention linking only: In body text, only link the first substantive mention of a type per page (or per major section for long pages). Subsequent mentions can remain as plain backtick code.
3. No self-referential links: An API page for Button should not link to itself.
4. No marketing language: Follow the project's anti-marketing rules. Link text should be factual and descriptive.
5. No em/en dashes: Follow MIC-006. Use commas, colons, or separate sentences.
6. Respect generated content: API pages are generated by dotnet-apiref. Place doc-links in a clearly separated block that can survive regeneration. Use the apiref-page__docs-links div class for easy identification and preservation.
7. Prefer quality over quantity: A few well-placed links are better than linking every type mention. Focus on links that genuinely help users navigate.
8. Controls directory: The controls/ directory may also contain relevant documentation. Include it when searching for back-link targets.
9. Verify before linking: Always confirm the target path exists before adding a link. Use Glob to verify file existence.
10. Preserve existing links: Do not remove or change existing valid links unless migrating from external to local paths.

Matching strategy

When matching type names from docs to API entries:

1. Exact match: Button matches xref entry with name: "Button" and fullName: "Avalonia.Controls.Button"
2. Qualified match: Avalonia.Controls.Button matches fullName directly
3. Disambiguation: If a name matches multiple entries (e.g., Control exists in multiple namespaces), use context from the doc page (surrounding text, imports, namespace mentions) to pick the correct one. If ambiguous, prefer Avalonia.Controls namespace types as they are most commonly documented.
4. Skip common conflicts: Skip linking for extremely common names that could be ambiguous (e.g., Control, Panel) unless the context clearly indicates the Avalonia type.

Notes

• The xref index is large. Focus on Class, Interface, Enum, and Delegate apiKind entries for the main linking pass.
• Some API pages may not have meaningful doc counterparts. That is expected for internal or less-documented types.
• If $ARGUMENTS specifies a topic rather than a path, use Grep to find all related doc pages before scanning.
• After making changes, consider running /docs-style-lint on modified doc files to ensure compliance with house style rules.
• This skill is designed to be run incrementally. Running it on a subdirectory or single file is preferred over running on the entire docs tree, to keep changes reviewable.