objectstack-ai · os-project-manager · Aug 31, 2026 · Aug 31, 2026 · objectstack-ai · os-project-manager
diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",

diff --git a/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md b/.changeset/docs-meta-index-detaches-folder-index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/docs": patch
+---
+
+fix(docs): stop listing `"index"` in `meta.json` `pages` — it detaches the folder index and shortens 164 breadcrumb trails (#12352)
+
+Fumadocs attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's tree `index` node
+**only when the folder's `meta.json` does not list it** in `pages`. Listing it
+makes the page an ordinary child instead, and the folder node reaches every tree
+consumer with a `name` and no `url` — `loader-*.js`, `buildFolder()`:
+
+```js
+if (indexPath) {
+ if (excludedPaths.has(indexPath)) delete node.index; // "index" was listed
+ else excludedPaths.add(indexPath);
+}
+```
+
+Two surfaces read that one node, and both were degraded:
+
+- **Breadcrumb.** `getBreadcrumbItems()` links a folder crumb to `item.index?.url`,
+ so an un-linkable ancestor is dropped rather than emitted name-only (Google
+ requires `item` on every `BreadcrumbList` entry but the last). 172 of 404 doc
+ pages advertised a two-level site structure they do not have.
+- **Sidebar.** `node.index ? SidebarFolderLink : SidebarFolderTrigger` — the
+ section header was inert text, and the section's own overview page sat below it
+ as a child, in six cases under a label identical to the header's.
+
+`"index"` is removed from 16 of the 17 `meta.json` files that listed it. It was
+the first `pages` entry in 15 of them and the first entry after the
+`---Start Here---` separator in `getting-started`, so no other entry's position
+depends on it: the measured tree delta is exactly 16 folder headers going
+`TRIGGER` → `LINK` and 16 index children leaving the child list, with every
+removed child's URL now the header's `href` and no other line moved.
+
+Short trails: **172 → 8**. The remaining 8 are `content/docs/releases/`, which
+this PR does not touch — that directory is fenced by AGENTS.md, and its
+`meta.json` still lists `"index"`.
+
+No consumer-side change: `app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx` reconstructs no
+URLs, deliberately, so a producer defect of this shape stays visible.
diff --git a/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx b/apps/docs/app/[lang]/docs/[[...slug]]/page.tsx
@@ -39,23 +39,21 @@ type DocPage = NonNullable<ReturnType<typeof source.getPage>>;
  * `index` node. ⛔ Nothing here splits `page.url` on `/`, and nothing constructs a
  * URL the loader has not already produced.
  *
- * ⚠️ **An ancestor arrives without a URL more often than not, and this drops it.**
- * Measured against a local production build, not inferred: fumadocs attaches a
- * folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the folder's
- * `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`. 17 of the 35 `meta.json`
- * files under `content/docs` do list it, so their folder nodes carry a
- * `name` and no `url`, and 172 of 403 doc pages therefore ship a trail that skips
- * its section. Confirmed causally by deleting that one line from
- * `content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json` and rebuilding: the section crumb
- * appeared, linked, while an untouched control section stayed short.
+ * ⚠️ **An ancestor can arrive without a URL, and this drops it.** Fumadocs
+ * attaches a folder's `index.mdx` as that folder's `index` node only when the
+ * folder's `meta.json` does **not** list `"index"` in `pages`; a folder that
+ * lists it reaches this walk with a `name` and no `url`. That was once 17 of the
+ * 35 `meta.json` files under `content/docs`, shortening 172 of 404 trails. 16 of
+ * the 17 were fixed producer-side (#12352) and 8 short trails remain, all under
+ * `content/docs/releases/` — a directory AGENTS.md fences off, so its `meta.json`
+ * still lists `"index"`. The condition is therefore live, just rare.
  *
- * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here. The folder's index
- * page exists, is in the sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content
- * config that hides it from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that
- * re-derived it would make a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires
- * `item` on every crumb but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option
- * either. Filed separately; when it lands, these trails complete with no change to
- * this file.
+ * ⛔ The missing URL is deliberately **not** reconstructed here — that fence is
+ * the reason #12352 was fixable at all. The folder's index page exists, is in the
+ * sitemap and answers 200 — the defect is in the content config that hides it
+ * from the tree, not in this consumer, and a lookup that re-derived it would make
+ * a producer bug invisible and permanent. Google requires `item` on every crumb
+ * but the last, so a name-only crumb is not an option either.
  *
  * Two things the tree cannot supply are added around it, both from data this
  * page already holds:

diff --git a/content/docs/ai/meta.json b/content/docs/ai/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "AI",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "connect-mcp",
  "agents",
  "actions-as-tools",

diff --git a/content/docs/api/meta.json b/content/docs/api/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "API & SDK",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-api",
  "metadata-api",
  "plugin-endpoints",

diff --git a/content/docs/automation/meta.json b/content/docs/automation/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Automation",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "hooks",
  "hook-bodies",
  "flows",

diff --git a/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json b/content/docs/capabilities/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "What Can It Do?",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data",
  "views",
  "forms",

diff --git a/content/docs/concepts/meta.json b/content/docs/concepts/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Core Concepts",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "metadata-driven",
  "metadata-lifecycle",

diff --git a/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json b/content/docs/data-modeling/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Data Modeling",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "schema-design",
  "objects",
  "fields",

diff --git a/content/docs/deployment/meta.json b/content/docs/deployment/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Deployment & Operations",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "self-hosting",
  "production-readiness",
  "backup-restore",

diff --git a/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json b/content/docs/getting-started/meta.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
  "title": "Get Started",
  "pages": [
  "---Start Here---",
- "index",
  "how-ai-development-works",
  "build-with-claude-code",
  "your-first-project",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/contracts/meta.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
  "title": "Service Contracts",
- "pages": ["index", "metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
+ "pages": ["metadata-service", "auth-service", "storage-service", "data-engine", "cache-service"]
 }
diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Kernel & Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "architecture",
  "events",
  "services",

diff --git a/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json b/content/docs/kernel/runtime-services/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Runtime Services",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "data-service",
  "sharing-service",
  "audit-service",

diff --git a/content/docs/permissions/meta.json b/content/docs/permissions/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Permissions & Identity",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "administrator-guide",
  "authentication",
  "sso",

diff --git a/content/docs/plugins/meta.json b/content/docs/plugins/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Plugins & Packages",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "anatomy",
  "development",
  "packages",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/kernel/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "System Protocol",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "lifecycle",
  "http-protocol",
  "realtime-protocol",

diff --git a/content/docs/protocol/meta.json b/content/docs/protocol/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Protocol Spec",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "diagram",
  "objectql",
  "objectui",

diff --git a/content/docs/ui/meta.json b/content/docs/ui/meta.json
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
  "title": "Views & Apps",
  "pages": [
- "index",
  "apps",
  "pages",
  "react-pages",