VitePress Search Functionality Diagnostic Guide

Overview

This guide helps diagnose and fix search functionality issues in VitePress v1.6.3 documentation sites.

Common Search Configuration Issues

1. Missing Search Configuration

VitePress 1.6+ uses Algolia DocSearch or Local Search. The search needs to be explicitly configured in config.mts.

2. Local Search Configuration (Recommended)

For VitePress 1.6.3, the built-in local search is the simplest option:

// .vitepress/config.mts
import { defineConfig } from 'vitepress'

export default defineConfig({
  // ... other config
  
  themeConfig: {
    search: {
      provider: 'local',
      options: {
        locales: {
          root: {
            translations: {
              button: {
                buttonText: 'Search',
                buttonAriaLabel: 'Search'
              },
              modal: {
                searchBox: {
                  resetButtonTitle: 'Clear search query',
                  resetButtonAriaLabel: 'Clear search query',
                  cancelButtonText: 'Cancel',
                  cancelButtonAriaLabel: 'Cancel'
                },
                startScreen: {
                  recentSearchesTitle: 'Search History',
                  noRecentSearchesText: 'No recent searches',
                  saveRecentSearchButtonTitle: 'Save to search history',
                  removeRecentSearchButtonTitle: 'Remove from search history',
                  favoriteSearchesTitle: 'Favorites',
                  removeFavoriteSearchButtonTitle: 'Remove from favorites'
                },
                errorScreen: {
                  titleText: 'Unable to fetch results',
                  helpText: 'You might want to check your network connection.'
                },
                footer: {
                  selectText: 'to select',
                  navigateText: 'to navigate',
                  closeText: 'to close',
                  searchByText: 'Search by'
                },
                noResultsScreen: {
                  noResultsText: 'No results for',
                  suggestedQueryText: 'Try searching for',
                  reportMissingResultsText: 'Believe this query should return results?',
                  reportMissingResultsLinkText: 'Let us know.'
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
})

3. Algolia DocSearch Configuration

If using Algolia DocSearch (free for open source):

// .vitepress/config.mts
export default defineConfig({
  themeConfig: {
    search: {
      provider: 'algolia',
      options: {
        appId: 'YOUR_APP_ID',
        apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
        indexName: 'YOUR_INDEX_NAME'
      }
    }
  }
})

Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1: Check if Search is Configured

1. Open .vitepress/config.mts
2. Look for themeConfig.search configuration
3. Verify the provider is set to either 'local' or 'algolia'

Step 2: Verify Build Process

After adding search configuration:

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the site
npm run docs:build

# Test locally
npm run docs:dev

Step 3: Check for Version-Specific Issues

VitePress 1.6.3 may have specific requirements:

• Ensure you're using the correct import syntax
• Verify all dependencies are up to date
• Check for any breaking changes in the changelog

Step 4: Common Fixes

Fix 1: Add Missing Search Config

If search is completely missing, add the local search provider:

import { defineConfig } from 'vitepress'

export default defineConfig({
  title: 'StratiqX Docs',
  description: 'Strategic Intelligence Documentation',
  
  themeConfig: {
    search: {
      provider: 'local'
    },
    
    nav: [
      // your nav items
    ],
    
    sidebar: {
      // your sidebar config
    }
  }
})

Fix 2: Clear Cache and Rebuild

# Remove cache
rm -rf .vitepress/cache
rm -rf .vitepress/dist

# Reinstall dependencies
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

# Build fresh
npm run docs:build

Fix 3: Check Markdown Frontmatter

Ensure your markdown files don't have search: false in their frontmatter:

---
title: Page Title
# Make sure this is not set to false
search: true
---

Version-Specific Notes for VitePress 1.6.3

Breaking Changes from 1.5.x to 1.6.x

• Search configuration moved to themeConfig.search
• Local search is now the default and recommended option
• Algolia configuration structure may have changed

Recommended Configuration for StratiqX Docs

// .vitepress/config.mts
import { defineConfig } from 'vitepress'

export default defineConfig({
  title: 'StratiqX Docs',
  description: 'Strategic Intelligence Hub Documentation',
  base: '/',
  
  themeConfig: {
    // Enable local search
    search: {
      provider: 'local',
      options: {
        miniSearch: {
          /**
           * @type {Pick<import('minisearch').Options, 'extractField' | 'tokenize' | 'processTerm'>}
           */
          searchOptions: {
            fuzzy: 0.2,
            prefix: true,
            boost: { title: 4, text: 2, titles: 1 }
          }
        }
      }
    },
    
    nav: [
      { text: 'Home', link: '/' },
      { text: 'Documentation', link: '/v1/' }
    ],
    
    sidebar: {
      '/v1/': [
        {
          text: 'Getting Started',
          items: [
            { text: 'Overview', link: '/v1/' },
            // Add more items
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
})

Testing Search Functionality

1. Local Development Test

npm run docs:dev

• Navigate to your local dev server
• Press / or Ctrl+K to open search
• Type a query and verify results appear

2. Production Build Test

npm run docs:build
npm run docs:preview

• Test the search in the production build
• Verify it works on all pages

3. Deployment Test

• After deploying to docs.stratiqx.ai
• Clear browser cache
• Test search functionality on live site

Additional Resources

• VitePress Search Documentation
• Local Search Guide
• Algolia DocSearch

Next Steps

1. Review current .vitepress/config.mts configuration
2. Add or update search configuration
3. Clear cache and rebuild
4. Test locally before deploying
5. Deploy and verify on production site

Support

If issues persist after following this guide:

1. Check VitePress GitHub issues for known bugs
2. Verify Node.js version compatibility (recommend Node 18+)
3. Review browser console for JavaScript errors
4. Check network tab for failed search index requests