Content health indicators
Topicary tracks content health in two places: quick health flags on the Topics listing page, and a deeper set of validation rules in the map editor's Validation panel.
Topics list health flags
The Topics listing page flags these health issues, which you can filter by. A filter chip appears only when at least one topic currently has that issue:
Flag | Condition |
|---|---|
Stale (90d+) | Topic not updated in 90 or more days |
Not in any map | Topic not included in any map (orphan) |
Empty stub | Topic has no content |
Broken references | Topic references a deleted component |
Undefined variables | Topic uses a variable key not in any set |
Validation panel rules
The Validation panel in the map editor runs a fuller set of checks across every topic in the map. Each finding carries a severity.
Rule | Condition | Severity |
|---|---|---|
Broken component reference | References a deleted component | Error |
Undefined variable | Uses a variable key not in any set | Error |
Broken topic link | Links to a deleted topic | Error |
Missing image alt text | Image without alt text | Error |
Empty topic | Topic has no content | Warning |
Stale condition | References a deleted filter (condition) value | Warning |
Short ordered list | Ordered list with fewer than 2 items | Warning |
H1 misuse | Multiple H1 headings, or an H1 used in the body | Warning |
Missing heading | Topic does not start with a heading | Info |
Heading hierarchy skip | Jumps a level (for example, H1 to H3 without H2) | Info |
Filtering by health
On the Topics page, use the filter chips to show only topics with a specific health flag. This is useful during content audits.
During content audits, combine the health filter with status and tag filters to narrow results. For example, filter to Stale (90d+) and status Published to find the highest-priority fixes: outdated content that readers are actively seeing.
Running the Validation panel
In the map editor, the Validation panel (right sidebar) runs on-demand validation across all topics in the map:
Click the validation icon in the right panel rail.
Click Validate to run all checks.
Results are grouped by topic, with severity icons (error, warning, info).
A badge count shows the total number of findings.
Dashboard health card
The project dashboard shows a single content health card. It lists up to three open issue types, drawn from these five:
Issue | What it counts |
|---|---|
Orphan topics | Topics not included in any map |
Stale topics | Topics not updated in 90 or more days |
Empty topics | Topics with no content |
Broken references | Topics referencing a deleted component |
Undefined variables | Variable tokens with no matching key in any set |
Each issue row links to the filtered Topics list. Below the issues, factor bars explain the project's content debt score (Outdated topics, Open quality issues, Unverified topics, Missing topics).
See also
Content health and governance: broader guide to maintaining content quality across your project
Track content freshness: how staleness indicators work and how to set review cadences
Find and fix orphaned components: identify unreferenced components alongside orphaned topics
Content statuses: workflow statuses that complement health indicators for content governance
Docs-as-tests validation: the weekly scan that checks external links, API endpoints, and code samples on published topics