sphinx-multitoc-numbering

What it is and what it does

sphinx-multitoc-numbering is a Sphinx extension that solves a specific documentation problem: when you split a large document into multiple table-of-contents (toctree) structures—common in jupyter-book projects with separate parts or sections—the default Sphinx behavior resets section numbering at each toctree boundary. This extension maintains continuous numbering across those boundaries, so chapters and sections are numbered sequentially throughout the entire document.

You install it as a standard Sphinx extension by adding it to the extensions list in conf.py. It has only one runtime dependency: Sphinx itself. The extension integrates directly into Sphinx's HTML generation pipeline and requires no additional configuration beyond activation. However, the package has not been updated since 2021-03-15, which means it may have compatibility issues with recent Sphinx releases and will not receive maintenance fixes.

Use it for:

• Multi-part jupyter-book projects where you want chapters numbered continuously across separate parts instead of restarting at each part.
• Large Sphinx documentation split into multiple toctrees where section numbers should flow sequentially rather than reset.
• Academic or technical documents with chapters organized across different toctree structures that need unified numbering.
• Documentation projects that need Sphinx to maintain continuous numbering across organizational boundaries.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

A Sphinx extension that maintains continuous section numbering across multiple table-of-contents structures in HTML output, useful for multi-part documents and jupyter-book projects.

Yes, if your Sphinx version is compatible with the 0.1.3 release from 2021-03-15. The extension solves a real problem with minimal install friction and permissive licensing. However, verify compatibility with your Sphinx version first, as the abandoned status means no updates for newer releases. If you encounter issues with current Sphinx versions, check for community forks or consider whether the numbering problem can be solved another way.

Install

sphinx-multitoc-numbering on PyPI

pip install sphinx-multitoc-numbering

uv add sphinx-multitoc-numbering

poetry add sphinx-multitoc-numbering

Installing sphinx-multitoc-numbering

Before you install

Installation is straightforward with no complex dependencies beyond Sphinx itself. However, the package has been abandoned since its last release on 2021-03-15, so it will not receive bug fixes or compatibility updates for newer Sphinx versions.

License in practice

Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart

pip install sphinx-multitoc-numbering

Then in conf.py:
extensions = ["sphinx_multitoc_numbering"]

Requires an existing Sphinx documentation project with conf.py.

Verify before relying

• Compatibility with Sphinx versions released after 2021-03-15
• Whether the extension works with current stable Sphinx releases
• Active maintenance status or community forks that may have continued development

Package facts

Evidence: sphinx_multitoc_numbering-0.1.3-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Sphinx packages