no-empty-navbar-dropdown-items

Disallow navbar dropdown items whose items arrays resolve statically to empty arrays.

Targeted pattern scope

This rule targets docusaurus.config.* files and inspects:

• top-level themeConfig.navbar.items, and
• nested dropdown items arrays.

What this rule reports

This rule reports navbar dropdown objects whose items arrays resolve statically to [].

Why this rule exists

Empty dropdowns add clutter to navigation and often indicate unfinished or copied configuration.

❌ Incorrect

export default {
    themeConfig: {
        navbar: {
            items: [{ type: "dropdown", label: "Docs", items: [] }],
        },
    },
};

✅ Correct

export default {
    themeConfig: {
        navbar: {
            items: [
                {
                    type: "dropdown",
                    label: "Docs",
                    items: [{ label: "Overview", to: "/docs" }],
                },
            ],
        },
    },
};

Behavior and migration notes

This rule autofixes by removing empty dropdown items from static navbar arrays.

When not to use it

Do not use this rule if your navbar intentionally includes placeholder dropdowns for later runtime population.

Rule catalog ID: R072

Further reading

• Docusaurus navbar items