Keyboard shortcuts

Press or to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

MDBOOK004 - No Duplicate Chapter Titles

Chapter titles should be unique across the book.

Why This Rule Exists

Duplicate chapter titles create confusion in navigation and can cause issues with mdBook's URL generation. Each chapter should have a distinct, identifiable title.

Examples

Incorrect (SUMMARY.md)

# Summary

- [Introduction](./intro.md)
- [Getting Started](./start.md)
- [Introduction](./advanced-intro.md)  <!-- Duplicate -->

Correct

# Summary

- [Introduction](./intro.md)
- [Getting Started](./start.md)
- [Advanced Introduction](./advanced-intro.md)

Configuration

This rule has no configuration options.

When to Disable

  • Books with intentionally repeated section names
  • Multi-part books where repetition is meaningful

Rule Details

  • Rule ID: MDBOOK004
  • Aliases: no-duplicate-chapter-titles
  • Category: MdBook
  • Severity: Warning
  • Auto-fix: No

Impact

Duplicate titles can cause:

  • Confusing navigation sidebar
  • Ambiguous URL paths
  • Search result confusion
  • Poor user experience