sphinx-substitution-extensions
Extensions for Sphinx which allow for substitutions.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Active maintenance, low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and permissive MIT license. Install if you maintain Sphinx documentation with repeated variable values in code examples or file paths. Skip if your documentation is static and does not benefit from templating.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.11 or later and Sphinx 8.2.0 or later.
- Low friction install with a wheel distribution.
- Active maintenance as of 2026-08-14 with recent release.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits use in open-source and commercial projects with minimal restrictions; attribution required.
last release 2026-08-13 (1 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 41 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 253,757 downloads/mo, #8,509 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinx-substitution-extensions
# In conf.py:
extensions = ["sphinx_substitution_extensions"]
rst_prolog = """
.. |version| replace:: 1.0
.. |author| replace:: Jane
"""
# In your .rst file:
.. code-block:: shell
:substitutions:
echo "|author| released |version|"- Whether substitution syntax conflicts with existing Sphinx extensions in real projects
- Performance impact when substitutions_default_enabled is true on large documentation sets
- Exact scope of MyST Markdown support beyond the documented examples
What it is and what it does
This package extends Sphinx with directives that perform variable substitution in documentation content. It works by registering new options (`:substitutions:`, `:content-substitutions:`, `:path-substitutions:`) on Sphinx's built-in directives like `code-block`, `literalinclude`, `include`, and `image`, plus adds new directives like `:substitution-code:` and `:substitution-download:`. Substitutions are defined in `conf.py` via `rst_prolog` for reStructuredText or `myst_substitutions` for MyST Markdown.
The package supports both reStructuredText and MyST Markdown syntax. Variables can be scoped globally (in `rst_prolog` or `myst_substitutions`) or per-document (in frontmatter for Markdown). By default, substitution flags must be added explicitly to each directive; a `substitutions_default_enabled` setting applies them automatically across all compatible directives. It depends on sphinx, docutils, myst-parser, and beartype, and requires Python 3.11 or later.
Use it for
- Document version numbers and release dates that appear in code examples and download links without manual updates
- Replace author names, product names, or environment-specific values across code blocks and file paths in multi-author or multi-environment docs
- Generate dynamic file paths in `literalinclude` and `include` directives based on substitution variables
- Maintain consistent branding or configuration values in inline code snippets and hyperlink targets
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Active maintenance, low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and permissive MIT license. Install if you maintain Sphinx documentation with repeated variable values in code examples or file paths. Skip if your documentation is static and does not benefit from templating.
Install
sphinx-substitution-extensions on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with a wheel distribution. Active maintenance as of 2026-08-14 with recent release. Depends on sphinx, docutils, myst-parser, and beartype—all standard documentation tooling.
Requires Python 3.11 or later and Sphinx 8.2.0 or later.
License in practice
MIT license permits use in open-source and commercial projects with minimal restrictions; attribution required.
Quickstart
pip install sphinx-substitution-extensions
# In conf.py:
extensions = ["sphinx_substitution_extensions"]
rst_prolog = """
.. |version| replace:: 1.0
.. |author| replace:: Jane
"""
# In your .rst file:
.. code-block:: shell
:substitutions:
echo "|author| released |version|"Verify before relying
- Whether substitution syntax conflicts with existing Sphinx extensions in real projects
- Performance impact when substitutions_default_enabled is true on large documentation sets
- Exact scope of MyST Markdown support beyond the documented examples
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.11 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagesbeartypedocutilsmyst-parsersphinx |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 1 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 253,757 / month, #8,509 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/StableEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: PytestOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14 |
Evidence: sphinx_substitution_extensions-2026.8.13.1-py3-none-any.whl
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