sphinx_tippy
Get rich tool tips in your sphinx documentation!
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you use Sphinx and want to add interactive tooltips with minimal setup. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and has no known vulnerabilities. The Beta status is typical for documentation extensions and should not be a blocker for production use.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Sphinx to be installed and a Sphinx project already initialized; Python 3.8 or later.
- Low friction install with four common runtime dependencies (sphinx, beautifulsoup4, jinja2, requests).
- Actively maintained as of August 2026 with recent commits, though the project is in Beta status.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe for both open-source and commercial documentation projects.
last release 2024-04-23 (843 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 41 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 97,628 downloads/mo, #13,139 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinx-tippy
# In conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinx_tippy']
# In .rst file:
:tippy:`hover text` with tooltip content- Whether tooltips work across all Sphinx themes or require theme-specific configuration
- Performance impact when documentation contains many tooltips
- Browser compatibility details beyond what Tippy.js itself supports
What it is and what it does
sphinx-tippy is a Sphinx extension that integrates Tippy.js into your documentation build to render interactive tooltips. It lets you annotate documentation with rich, styled tips that appear on user interaction, enhancing readability and providing contextual help without cluttering the main text.
The package depends on sphinx as its core framework, beautifulsoup4 for HTML parsing, jinja2 for templating, and requests for HTTP operations. It's designed for developers building Sphinx-based documentation who want to add a layer of interactivity for explaining terms, showing examples, or providing supplementary information inline.
Use it for
- Add hover tooltips to API documentation explaining parameter types and constraints
- Annotate technical terms in guides with definitions that appear on click
- Provide code examples or warnings as tooltips without interrupting reading flow
- Create interactive glossaries where terms link to expandable tooltip definitions
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you use Sphinx and want to add interactive tooltips with minimal setup.
The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive MIT license, and has no known vulnerabilities. The Beta status is typical for documentation extensions and should not be a blocker for production use.
Install
sphinx-tippy on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with four common runtime dependencies (sphinx, beautifulsoup4, jinja2, requests). Actively maintained as of August 2026 with recent commits, though the project is in Beta status.
Requires Sphinx to be installed and a Sphinx project already initialized; Python 3.8 or later.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it safe for both open-source and commercial documentation projects.
Quickstart
pip install sphinx-tippy
# In conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinx_tippy']
# In .rst file:
:tippy:`hover text` with tooltip contentVerify before relying
- Whether tooltips work across all Sphinx themes or require theme-specific configuration
- Performance impact when documentation contains many tooltips
- Browser compatibility details beyond what Tippy.js itself supports
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagessphinxbeautifulsoup4jinja2requests |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 843 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 97,628 / month, #13,139 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 |
Evidence: sphinx_tippy-0.4.3-py3-none-any.whl
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