Common Issues & Troubleshooting Guide¶

This comprehensive troubleshooting guide covers common issues you may encounter with your MkDocs Material production website hosted on Netlify.

Quick Reference¶

Issue Type	Severity	Typical Resolution Time
Build Failures	High	5-30 minutes
Deployment Issues	High	10-60 minutes
DNS/Domain Problems	Medium	15 minutes - 24 hours
Performance Issues	Medium	30-120 minutes
Content Problems	Low	5-20 minutes

1. Build Failures¶

1.1 MkDocs Build Errors¶

Symptoms¶

Build fails in Netlify or local environment
Error messages in build logs
Site fails to generate

Common Causes¶

Invalid mkdocs.yml configuration
Missing dependencies in requirements.txt
Corrupted Python environment
Plugin incompatibilities

Diagnostic Steps¶

# Check MkDocs configuration locally
mkdocs build --strict

# Validate YAML syntax
python -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('mkdocs.yml'))"

# Check dependencies
pip list | grep mkdocs

Solutions¶

Invalid Configuration:

# Test configuration locally
mkdocs serve --strict

Missing Dependencies:

# Update requirements.txt
pip freeze > requirements.txt
git add requirements.txt
git commit -m "Update dependencies"

Plugin Conflicts:

# In mkdocs.yml, temporarily disable plugins
plugins: []
# Test build, then re-enable one by one

Prevention¶

Always test builds locally before pushing
Use --strict mode in development
Pin specific plugin versions in requirements.txt
Regular dependency updates with testing

When to Escalate¶

Persistent build failures after following all steps
Plugin-specific errors that require developer intervention

1.2 Jupyter Plugin Errors¶

Symptoms¶

Notebook files not rendering
Kernel execution errors
Missing notebook outputs

Common Causes¶

Missing Jupyter dependencies
Kernel not available
Large notebook files causing timeouts

Solutions¶

# Install missing Jupyter dependencies
pip install jupyter nbconvert ipykernel

# Check available kernels
jupyter kernelspec list

# For large notebooks, split into smaller files
# Or disable execution in mkdocs.yml:
plugins:
  - mkdocs-jupyter:
      execute: false

2. Deployment Issues¶

2.1 Netlify Deployment Failures¶

Symptoms¶

Deployment fails in Netlify dashboard
Build logs show errors
Site not updating after push

Common Causes¶

Build command misconfiguration
Environment variables missing
Node.js/Python version conflicts
Build time limits exceeded

Diagnostic Steps¶

# Check Netlify build settings
# Build command: mkdocs build
# Publish directory: site
# Python version: 3.11.10

# Check build logs in Netlify dashboard
# Look for specific error messages

Solutions¶

Build Command Issues:

# In netlify.toml
[build]
  command = "pip install -r requirements.txt && mkdocs build"
  publish = "site"

[build.environment]
  PYTHON_VERSION = "3.11.10"

Environment Variables: - Set in Netlify dashboard under Site settings > Environment variables - Common variables: PYTHON_VERSION, NODE_VERSION

Build Timeout:

# Optimize mkdocs.yml
plugins:
  - search:
      lang: en
  - minify:
      minify_html: true

Prevention¶

Test deployments on feature branches
Monitor build times and optimize heavy plugins
Use Netlify's deploy previews

When to Escalate¶

Netlify platform issues
Persistent timeouts despite optimization

2.2 GitHub Integration Problems¶

Symptoms¶

Pushes not triggering builds
Deploy hooks not working
Branch protection conflicts

Solutions¶

# Check webhook configuration in GitHub
# Repository > Settings > Webhooks
# Verify Netlify webhook is active

# Re-link repository in Netlify
# Site settings > Git repository > Change site's repository

3. DNS and Domain Problems¶

3.1 Domain Resolution Issues¶

Symptoms¶

Site not accessible via custom domain
DNS propagation delays
Certificate errors

Common Causes¶

Incorrect DNS records
Propagation delays (up to 48 hours)
Cloudflare proxy settings

Diagnostic Steps¶

# Check DNS resolution
nslookup www.albrittonanalytics.com
dig www.albrittonanalytics.com

# Check DNS propagation globally
# Use online tools like whatsmydns.net

Solutions¶

DNS Configuration:

# Correct DNS records for Netlify
Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: your-site-name.netlify.app

# For apex domain
Type: A
Name: @
Value: 75.2.60.5

SSL Certificate Issues: - Wait 24 hours for automatic certificate provisioning - Force certificate renewal in Netlify dashboard - Check for mixed content warnings

Prevention¶

Use DNS providers with fast propagation
Monitor certificate expiration dates
Set up monitoring alerts

When to Escalate¶

DNS provider configuration issues
SSL certificate problems after 48 hours

4. Performance Issues¶

4.1 Slow Loading Times¶

Symptoms¶

Page load times > 3 seconds
Poor Core Web Vitals scores
User complaints about speed

Common Causes¶

Large image files
Unoptimized CSS/JS
Too many plugins
Missing CDN configuration

Diagnostic Steps¶

# Test site performance
lighthouse https://www.albrittonanalytics.com

# Check image sizes
find docs/assets/images -name "*.png" -o -name "*.jpg" | xargs ls -lh

# Analyze bundle size
mkdocs build --verbose

Solutions¶

Image Optimization:

# Compress images
for img in docs/assets/images/*.png; do
    pngcrush -reduce "$img" "${img%.png}_compressed.png"
done

CSS/JS Optimization:

# In mkdocs.yml
plugins:
  - minify:
      minify_html: true
      minify_css: true
      minify_js: true

Plugin Optimization:

# Disable unnecessary plugins in production
plugins:
  - search
  - blog
  # Remove development-only plugins

Prevention¶

Regular performance audits
Automated image optimization in CI/CD
Performance budgets

When to Escalate¶

Persistent performance issues after optimization
CDN configuration problems

5. Content Problems¶

5.1 Markdown Rendering Issues¶

Symptoms¶

Content not displaying correctly
Broken formatting
Missing elements

Common Causes¶

Invalid Markdown syntax
Extension conflicts
Special character encoding

Solutions¶

# Validate Markdown
markdownlint docs/**/*.md

# Check for encoding issues
file -bi docs/**/*.md

5.2 Broken Links¶

Symptoms¶

404 errors on internal links
External links not working
Navigation problems

Diagnostic Steps¶

# Check for broken links
mkdocs build --strict
# This will fail on broken internal links

# Use link checker
pip install linkchecker
linkchecker http://localhost:8000

Solutions¶

# Fix relative links
# Use absolute paths from docs root
[Link text](../other-section/page.md)

# Update navigation in mkdocs.yml
nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started:
    - Installation: getting-started/installation.md

6. Plugin Conflicts¶

6.1 Version Incompatibilities¶

Symptoms¶

Plugin import errors
Conflicting functionality
Build failures after updates

Solutions¶

# Pin specific versions
echo "mkdocs-material==9.5.3" >> requirements.txt
echo "mkdocs-jupyter==0.24.6" >> requirements.txt

# Create virtual environment for testing
python -m venv test-env
source test-env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
mkdocs build

6.2 Configuration Conflicts¶

Symptoms¶

Plugins not working as expected
Overlapping functionality issues

Solutions¶

# Order plugins correctly in mkdocs.yml
plugins:
  - search
  - blog
  - rss:
      match_path: blog/posts/**
  - social

7. Form and Interaction Issues¶

7.1 Netlify Forms Not Working¶

Symptoms¶

Form submissions not received
Spam protection blocking legitimate submissions
JavaScript form validation errors

Solutions¶

<!-- Ensure proper Netlify form attributes -->
<form name="contact" method="POST" data-netlify="true" netlify-honeypot="bot-field">
  <input type="hidden" name="form-name" value="contact" />
  <!-- Form fields -->
</form>

7.2 PWA Issues¶

Symptoms¶

Service worker not updating
Offline functionality broken
Install prompts not showing

Solutions¶

// Force service worker update
if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
  navigator.serviceWorker.register('/service-worker.js', {
    updateViaCache: 'none'
  });
}

8. Search Functionality¶

8.1 Search Index Problems¶

Symptoms¶

Search returns no results
Incomplete search index
Search suggestions not working

Solutions¶

# Configure search plugin properly
plugins:
  - search:
      lang: en
      separator: '[\s\-\.]+'
      indexing: 'full'

9. Security Issues¶

9.1 SSL Certificate Problems¶

Symptoms¶

Browser security warnings
Mixed content errors
Certificate expiration notices

Solutions¶

<!-- Ensure all resources use HTTPS -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Roboto">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mathjax@3/es5/tex-mml-chtml.js"></script>

9.2 Content Security Policy Violations¶

Symptoms¶

JavaScript errors in console
Blocked resources
Third-party integrations failing

Solutions¶

# Configure CSP in mkdocs.yml
extra:
  csp:
    script-src: "'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://cdn.jsdelivr.net"
    style-src: "'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.googleapis.com"

10. Mobile and Accessibility¶

10.1 Responsive Design Issues¶

Symptoms¶

Layout breaks on mobile devices
Touch targets too small
Horizontal scrolling

Solutions¶

/* Custom responsive fixes */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
  .md-content__inner {
    padding: 1rem;
  }

  .md-typeset table {
    font-size: 0.8rem;
  }
}

10.2 Accessibility Problems¶

Symptoms¶

Screen reader compatibility issues
Keyboard navigation problems
Color contrast failures

Solutions¶

# Enable accessibility features
theme:
  features:
    - navigation.tabs.sticky
    - navigation.sections
    - toc.follow
    - content.code.copy

11. Browser Compatibility¶

11.1 JavaScript Compatibility¶

Symptoms¶

Features not working in older browsers
Console errors in specific browsers
Polyfill issues

Solutions¶

// Add feature detection
if (!('IntersectionObserver' in window)) {
  // Load polyfill
  loadScript('https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/intersection-observer@0.12.0/intersection-observer.js');
}

12. Emergency Procedures¶

12.1 Site Down Scenarios¶

Immediate Actions (0-15 minutes)¶

Check Netlify status dashboard
Verify last deployment status
Check DNS resolution
Review recent commits for issues

Emergency Rollback¶

# Rollback to previous working deployment
git revert HEAD
git push origin main

# Or use Netlify dashboard:
# Deploys > Previous deploy > Publish deploy

12.2 Critical Error Recovery¶

Data Loss Prevention¶

# Create emergency backup
git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repo.git backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

Contact Information¶

Netlify Support: support@netlify.com
Domain Provider: [Your DNS provider support]
Emergency Contact: [Technical lead contact]

Monitoring and Prevention¶

Automated Monitoring¶

# Set up monitoring in Netlify
# Site settings > Build hooks > Add build hook
# Use with monitoring services like:
# - UptimeRobot
# - Pingdom
# - StatusCake

Regular Maintenance Checklist¶

Weekly: - [ ] Check site performance metrics - [ ] Review error logs - [ ] Test critical user journeys

Monthly: - [ ] Update dependencies - [ ] Review SSL certificate status - [ ] Backup configuration files - [ ] Test disaster recovery procedures

Quarterly: - [ ] Full security audit - [ ] Performance optimization review - [ ] Documentation updates - [ ] Team training on new procedures

Additional Resources¶

Last updated: {{ build.date.strftime('%B %d, %Y') }}

For issues not covered in this guide, please contact the technical team or create an issue in the GitHub repository.