sphinx-notfound-page
Sphinx extension to build a 404 page with absolute URLs
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you maintain Sphinx documentation and need a reliable 404 page. The extension is lightweight, has no security vulnerabilities, and integrates with minimal configuration. The aging maintenance status is not a blocker for a stable, focused tool—but monitor the repository if you rely on it for production documentation.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency on sphinx.
- Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2026-01-28 and no release in 563 days—but the repository remains active and the package is marked Production/Stable.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use and modify this extension freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
last release 2025-01-28 (563 days) · last repo commit 2026-01-19 · 71 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 867,343 downloads/mo, #4,854 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinx-notfound-page
Then in conf.py:
extensions = ['notfound.extension']- Whether the 404 page generation works correctly with all Sphinx theme variations and configurations.
- How the extension handles dynamic documentation builds or multi-version documentation setups.
What it is and what it does
sphinx-notfound-page is a Sphinx extension that automates the creation of a 404 error page for documentation sites. When a reader lands on a missing page, this extension serves a custom 404 page with absolute URLs hardcoded, ensuring navigation links work correctly even when the page doesn't exist. The extension integrates directly into Sphinx's build process via a simple configuration entry.
The package depends only on Sphinx itself and supports Python 3.8 through 3.12. It is marked Production/Stable and has been in use since 2019, though recent maintenance activity has slowed. The extension is particularly useful for documentation hosted on Read the Docs or similar platforms where 404 handling needs to be explicit and reliable.
Use it for
- Build a custom 404 page for Sphinx documentation that guides users back to the main site with working links.
- Ensure broken documentation links in search engines or external references land on a helpful error page instead of a generic server error.
- Customize the 404 experience for multi-version or multi-language documentation builds where navigation must remain functional.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you maintain Sphinx documentation and need a reliable 404 page.
The extension is lightweight, has no security vulnerabilities, and integrates with minimal configuration. The aging maintenance status is not a blocker for a stable, focused tool—but monitor the repository if you rely on it for production documentation.
Install
sphinx-notfound-page on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency on sphinx. Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2026-01-28 and no release in 563 days—but the repository remains active and the package is marked Production/Stable.
License in practice
Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use and modify this extension freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
Quickstart
pip install sphinx-notfound-page
Then in conf.py:
extensions = ['notfound.extension']Verify before relying
- Whether the 404 page generation works correctly with all Sphinx theme variations and configurations.
- How the extension handles dynamic documentation builds or multi-version documentation setups.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagesphinx |
| Maintenance | Aging 563 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 867,343 / month, #4,854 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableFramework :: SphinxFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Documentation :: SphinxTopic :: Software Development :: Documentation |
Evidence: sphinx_notfound_page-1.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
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