tools: Export - include "all" wählt die ganze KB, index: true schreibt index.md und INDEX.md in den Zielordner (#217); 10.1.0-beta.21

Files changed:
- CHANGES.md
- VERSION
- docs/how-to/export-to-a-synced-folder.md
- docs/reference/commands/exports.md
- docs/reference/configuration.md
- raw/CONTRACT.md
- tools/CONTRACT.md
- tools/README.md
- tools/chemenu/catalog.py
- tools/chemenu/commands/export_cmd.py
- tools/chemenu/commands/index_build.py
- tools/chemenu/config_shapes.py
- tools/chemenu/export_index.py
- tools/chemenu/guideline_export.py
- tools/chemenu/page_export.py
- tools/chemenu/tests/test_config_shapes.py
- tools/chemenu/tests/test_export_run.py
- tools/chemenu/tests/test_index_build.py

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01SnAJ7Z3CpVD3PRbN73QtU2

CHANGES.md

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ place only: `instructions/dev/version-parts.md` § The candidate model.
 
 ---
 
-## 10.1.0-beta.20 - 2026-10-16 - publish-and-ci: Wartezeit zählt ab freiem Runner, nicht ab dem Push - offene Läufe eines früheren Pushs laufen zuerst, und der Runner hält die Push-Reihenfolge nicht ein
+## 10.1.0-beta.21 - 2026-10-16 - Export: include "all" wählt die ganze KB, index: true schreibt index.md und INDEX.md im Ziel
 
 **Author:** Torben Nehmer
 
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ place only: `instructions/dev/version-parts.md` § The candidate model.
 - wiki-ingest: ein Lauf endet nach einer Quelle mit Stopp und /clear-Empfehlung - keine Schleife über mehrere Einträge im selben Kontext; capture-session delegiert wiki-ingest nicht mehr an Subagents (#219)
 - tools/bugreport: eine nach dem Sammeln korrigierte Chronologie wird mit --bundle/--chronology in das vorhandene Bündel getauscht (gleiche Verarbeitung, kein zweiter Lauf, kein zweites Bündel); bug-report.md prüft die Chronologie vor dem Sammeln (#220)
 - Export- und Eingangsordner dürfen im Backup-Ziel neben git/ und den Maschinenordnern liegen: die Überschneidungsregel gilt nur noch für <ziel>/git und den eigenen Maschinenordner, upload collect und export run weisen Ordner in oder unter Backup-/Export-Daten fremder Maschinen zur Laufzeit ab
+- Export: include "all" wählt die ganze KB, index: true schreibt index.md und INDEX.md im Ziel
 
 **Low impact**
 - instructions/dev: Konverter-Vergleich – eigene Ableitung gegen Referenzwerkzeuge am privaten Korpus, mit Grundlinie

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-10.1.0-beta.20
+10.1.0-beta.21

docs/how-to/export-to-a-synced-folder.md

@@ -20,10 +20,17 @@ look like: [configuration reference](../reference/configuration.md#export-to-a-f
 
 ## Pick the pages and the format
 
-- **Which pages.** Only what a target's `include` selects is written; there is no "everything". A
+- **Which pages.** Only what a target's `include` selects is written. `"include": "all"` selects
-  selection is a list of `search` predicates that must all hold - `tags=shared`, `kind=system`,
+  every page, also one that lies directly under `kb/`, and no generated file. Otherwise a selection
-  `!draft` - and a page that fits any selection of the target is exported. Try a selection with
+  is a list of `search` predicates that must all hold - `tags=shared`, `kind=system`, `!draft` - and
-  `tools/wikitool search --field tags=shared` first.
+  a page that fits any selection of the target is exported: `"include": [["tags=shared"]]`. Try a
+  selection with `tools/wikitool search --field tags=shared` first. A missing or empty `include` is
+  an error, not "all". With `"all"`, every page you add later goes into the export too - on a target
+  with `after_publish` at the next `publish`.
+- **An entry point.** The folder holds the pages only. `"index": true` adds `index.md` in the root
+  of the folder and an `INDEX.md` per collection, so someone who opens the folder finds the
+  collections, their areas and the pages with their summaries by following links. The files list what
+  the target exports and nothing else, and the link text is the page's title.
 - **Which format.** Two ways, equally valid:
   - `markdown` writes the pages as `.md` files. It needs nothing but the folder.
   - `command` hands those files to a converter of your own and exports what it produces - Word
@@ -69,6 +76,10 @@ look like: [configuration reference](../reference/configuration.md#export-to-a-f
    (the default) the title, type, summary and modified date, `full` the page's whole frontmatter.
    `links: relative` (the default) turns a link to an exported page into a relative Markdown link;
    `links: text` leaves the page's name. A link to a page that is not exported is always plain text.
+   The index files link relatively whatever `links` says.
+
+   To put the whole of `kb/` into the folder with an entry point, write `"include": "all"` and
+   `"index": true` instead of the `include` selection above.
 3. **Tell the agent:**
 
    > Export the pages.
@@ -84,8 +95,8 @@ every file names the commit its page comes from. Publish first.
 
 ## What a run does to the folder
 
-The folder holds the pages and one file of the stack's own, `.wikitool-export.json`, which lists
+The folder holds the pages, the index files if the target asks for them, and one file of the stack's
-what the last run wrote.
+own, `.wikitool-export.json`, which lists what the last run wrote.
 
 - **Only its own files.** A run removes a file only when it is listed and no longer exported, and a
   folder only when the run created it. Anything else in the folder stays as it is.
@@ -102,6 +113,11 @@ what the last run wrote.
   A file of a page the commit did not touch changes only when its text does: a link to a page that
   has just entered the selection becomes a relative link, one to a page that left it plain text.
   The first run after updating to a version that brought this rewrites every file once.
+- **An index follows the pages.** A collection's `INDEX.md` changes when one of its pages does, and
+  `index.md`, which lists them all, with every commit to an exported page. Setting `index` back to
+  `false` removes the index files at the next run and leaves every other file as it is. A page
+  `index.md` in a collection, next to the generated `INDEX.md`, stops the target: a synced folder on
+  Windows would make them one file.
 - **A growing selection needs no confirmation.** New pages are reported as new; read the list
   before the sync client uploads them.
 
@@ -150,7 +166,8 @@ program's stderr. The staging directory is always removed.
 ## What does not come back in
 
 An export is never a source. Every Markdown file starts with a frontmatter block whose first key is
-`wikitool_export`, and `tools/wikitool raw accept` and `raw capture` refuse a file that carries it.
+`wikitool_export` - the index files too - and `tools/wikitool raw accept` and `raw capture` refuse a
+file that carries it.
 A converter may lose that key, so `raw accept` also refuses any file in `incoming/` that is byte
 for byte one of the files in the manifest of a configured target - and warns, without refusing,
 when a target has no manifest yet or the `export` section is broken.

docs/reference/commands/exports.md

@@ -109,7 +109,8 @@ tools/wikitool export run work-notes
 
 **Behaviour**
 
-- An export is derived: regenerated from `kb/` on every run, never edited, never read back into the wiki. Each target names its pages with an allowlist of `search --field` predicates (`include`: a list of selections, AND within one, OR across them), a handler (`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) and the folder (`path`, outside the instance). Nothing is exported that no selection names.
+- An export is derived: regenerated from `kb/` on every run, never edited, never read back into the wiki. Each target names its pages with `include`: either the string `"all"` (every page `search` knows, also one directly under `kb/`; never a generated or meta file) or an allowlist of `search --field` predicates (a list of selections, AND within one, OR across them), a handler (`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) and the folder (`path`, outside the instance). A missing or empty `include` is an error, never "all": nothing is exported that the target does not name.
+- With `index: true` a target also gets `index.md` in its root and an `INDEX.md` per collection (and per area the catalog gives a file of its own), built from the exported pages alone: collections and areas with their counts, then tables of page, type, summary and last modified, with relative Markdown links whatever `links` says. No date of the day and no hint for an agent; the marker is `kind=index` with the newest commit of the pages the file lists, so a commit to one collection rewrites that collection's `INDEX.md` and `index.md` only. The files are ordinary files of the run (manifest, atomic write, removed once no longer generated); the `command` handler receives them with the pages. A page `<collection>/index.md` beside the generated `INDEX.md` stops the target.
 - Every Markdown file starts with a frontmatter block whose `wikitool_export` line says `kind=pages instance=<origin URL without userinfo, or local> commit=<newest commit touching this page>`, followed by `title`, `type`, `summary`, `modified` where the page has them (`frontmatter: summary`, the default; `minimal` keeps only the marker, `full` the whole frontmatter), then the page text. A file keeps its path below `kb/`. A wikilink to an exported page becomes a relative Markdown link (`links: relative`, the default) or plain text (`links: text`); a link to a page that is not exported is always plain text. Footnote markers stay; code is never rewritten. LF endings, no timestamp: the same pages give the same bytes, and a commit that touches one page rewrites that page's file alone - plus any file whose links change because a page entered or left the selection. The manifest's `commit` is the newest commit touching any selected page; all of them come from one `git log`, however many pages are selected.
 - Handler `command`: the Markdown is rendered into a staging directory, the program of `export.commands` runs with no shell, stdin closed and a timeout of 300 s, and receives the Markdown directory and an empty output directory as its last two arguments. On exit 0 the regular files in the output directory (recursively) become the target's content; any other end leaves the target unchanged and prints the end of its stderr. The staging directory is always removed.
 - The folder is only ever touched by what it holds in its manifest, `.wikitool-export.json`: the files an earlier run wrote, each with its sha256. A run removes only manifest files that are no longer exported (and folders it created, once empty), rewrites a manifest file that is missing, leaves every other file byte for byte as it was, and writes nothing - not even a modification time - for a file that did not change. A run that changes nothing writes nothing at all.
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ tools/wikitool export run work-notes
 - `0` - success
 - `1` - No `export` section, an unknown target name, or a broken section (a predicate that does not parse, a path inside the instance or in the way of another target, an `intake` folder or a folder the backup writes into: `<backup.target>/git` or this machine's folder)
 - `1` - `kb/` or `types/` has uncommitted changes, the instance is not a git checkout, or a page under `kb/` has unreadable frontmatter
-- `1` - A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, a converter that did not exit 0
+- `1` - A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, two files that differ only in case (also a page and a generated index file), a converter that did not exit 0
 
 **See also**
 

docs/reference/configuration.md

@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ them into a staging directory and hands that to a converter of this checkout.
 <!-- wikitool:reference-config-export -->
 | Field | Tier | Type | Required | Default | Description |
 |-------|------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
-| `targets` | checkout, gate | object | yes | - | Target name (lower-case letters, digits and hyphens) to target; the name is the argument of `export run`. Every target has `handler` (`markdown`: the pages as Markdown files; `command`: the same Markdown run through a converter of this checkout), `path` (an absolute path outside the instance; it must not lie in or contain another target or an `intake` folder, and not be, lie in or contain `<backup.target>/git` or `<backup.target>/<machine>`, nor lie in any other machine's folder or a bare repository) and `include` (an array of selections, each an array of `search --field` predicates: all predicates of a selection must hold, and a page that fits any selection is exported; there is no "everything"). Optional: `frontmatter` (`minimal`: only the export marker; `summary`, the default: also `title`, `type`, `summary` and `modified` where the page has them; `full`: the page's whole frontmatter), `links` (`relative`, the default: a wikilink to an exported page becomes a relative Markdown link; `text`: plain text; a link to a page that is not exported is always plain text) and `after_publish` (default false: refresh this target after every `publish` that committed). The handler `command` takes `command` (required: the name of an entry of `commands`). A field the handler does not take is an error. |
+| `targets` | checkout, gate | object | yes | - | Target name (lower-case letters, digits and hyphens) to target; the name is the argument of `export run`. Every target has `handler` (`markdown`: the pages as Markdown files; `command`: the same Markdown run through a converter of this checkout), `path` (an absolute path outside the instance; it must not lie in or contain another target or an `intake` folder, and not be, lie in or contain `<backup.target>/git` or `<backup.target>/<machine>`, nor lie in any other machine's folder or a bare repository) and `include` (the string `"all"`: every page `search` knows, a page directly under `kb/` included and no generated or meta file; or an array of selections, each an array of `search --field` predicates: all predicates of a selection must hold, and a page that fits any selection is exported. A missing or empty `include` is an error, never "all"). Optional: `frontmatter` (`minimal`: only the export marker; `summary`, the default: also `title`, `type`, `summary` and `modified` where the page has them; `full`: the page's whole frontmatter), `links` (`relative`, the default: a wikilink to an exported page becomes a relative Markdown link; `text`: plain text; a link to a page that is not exported is always plain text), `index` (default false; true: also write `index.md` in the target's root and an `INDEX.md` per collection, and per area the catalog gives a file of its own, listing the exported pages only, with relative Markdown links whatever `links` says) and `after_publish` (default false: refresh this target after every `publish` that committed). The handler `command` takes `command` (required: the name of an entry of `commands`). A field the handler does not take is an error. |
 | `commands` | checkout, names a command | object | no | `{}` | Command name to command: an array of the program and its arguments, run by the `command` handler without a shell, with stdin closed and a timeout of 300 s. The last two arguments appended are the directory holding the Markdown and an empty output directory. Exit 0 makes the regular files in the output directory the target's content; anything else leaves the target unchanged and prints the end of the program's stderr. |
 
 - **Absent:** No export: `export run` stops with exit 1 naming the section, `publish` exports nothing and `doctor` reports `OK`.
@@ -672,6 +672,12 @@ Example:
         "links": "relative",
         "after_publish": true
       },
+      "whole-kb": {
+        "handler": "markdown",
+        "path": "C:\\Users\\<user>\\OneDrive - <company>\\Chemenu-KB",
+        "include": "all",
+        "index": true
+      },
       "as-word": {
         "handler": "command",
         "command": "pandoc-docx",
@@ -696,12 +702,24 @@ Example:
 ```
 <!-- /wikitool:reference-config-export -->
 
-Within one target, `include` is a list of selections, each a list of `search` predicates (`tags=docs`,
+Within one target, `include` is either the string `"all"` or a list of selections, each a list of
-`entity_type=system`, `!source_url`): a page is exported when it satisfies every predicate of at least
+`search` predicates (`tags=docs`, `entity_type=system`, `!source_url`): a page is exported when it
-one selection. Only what `include` selects is written - there is no way to exclude by default. The
+satisfies every predicate of at least one selection. `"all"` selects every page `search` knows without
-syntax is checked when the section is read, the field names against the corpus when `export run`
+a predicate - one directly under `kb/` too, never a generated or meta file (`kb/index.md`, `kb/log.md`,
-runs. `path` must not lie in or contain the instance, another target, an `intake` folder or
+`kb/provenance.md`, `kb/CONTRACT.md`, `kb/CONVENTIONS.md`, an `INDEX.md`, a `COLLECTION.md`). Only what
-`backup.target`.
+`include` selects is written - there is no way to exclude by default, and a missing or empty `include`
+is an error, never "all". The syntax is checked when the section is read, the field names against the
+corpus when `export run` runs. `path` must not lie in or contain the instance, another target, an
+`intake` folder or `backup.target`.
+
+With `"index": true` a run also writes `index.md` in the root of the target and an `INDEX.md` per
+collection - and per area the catalog under `kb/` would give a file of its own. They list the exported
+pages only (Page, Type, Summary, Last Modified), link with relative Markdown links whatever `links`
+says, and carry no date of the day: Last Modified is the page's own `modified`, `date` or `created`,
+empty where it has none. The column and heading labels are English. Each starts with a frontmatter
+block whose only key is `wikitool_export` (`kind=index`), so `raw accept` refuses it like a page. A
+page `<collection>/index.md` beside the generated `<collection>/INDEX.md` stops the target, since a
+synced folder on Windows would make them one file.
 
 Every Markdown file starts with a frontmatter block whose first key is `wikitool_export`, carrying
 the kind, the instance and the newest commit that touched that page. `frontmatter` decides what follows:

raw/CONTRACT.md

@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ both ways out - the whole folder, or the file moved up into `incoming/`.
 own output and `raw accept` refuses it, given on its own, inside a folder, or as
 `--replaces`/`--replaces-bundle` material, naming each one. The marker is either a first line
 (after an optional BOM) that starts with `<!-- wikitool:export` - the generated `GUIDELINES.md` of
-`export guidelines` - or, in a leading frontmatter block, a `wikitool_export:` key - a page
+`export guidelines` - or, in a leading frontmatter block, a `wikitool_export:` key - a file
-`export run` wrote. A converter of an `export` target may drop the marker, so `raw accept` also
+`export run` wrote, a page or an index file. A converter of an `export` target may drop the marker,
-refuses a file whose sha256 is listed in the manifest of a configured target; a missing manifest
+so `raw accept` also refuses a file whose sha256 is listed in the manifest of a configured target; a missing manifest
 or a broken `export` section is a `WARN` and the check is skipped. Taken in, an export would turn
 the wiki's knowledge on its way out into a source the wiki then cites for the same claims.
 `raw capture` leaves a file with the marker out of a repository for the same reason

tools/CONTRACT.md

@@ -2441,13 +2441,13 @@ Write the derived, read-only reading copy of `kb/` into the folders the `export`
 - 0    success
 - 1    No `export` section, an unknown target name, or a broken section (a predicate that does not parse, a path inside the instance or in the way of another target, an `intake` folder or a folder the backup writes into: `<backup.target>/git` or this machine's folder)
 - 1    `kb/` or `types/` has uncommitted changes, the instance is not a git checkout, or a page under `kb/` has unreadable frontmatter
-- 1    A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, a converter that did not exit 0
+- 1    A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, two files that differ only in case (also a page and a generated index file), a converter that did not exit 0
 
 **ON FAILURE**
 
 - No `export` section, an unknown target name, or a broken section (a predicate that does not parse, a path inside the instance or in the way of another target, an `intake` folder or a folder the backup writes into: `<backup.target>/git` or this machine's folder) -> Show the message to the user; the section is theirs to write by hand, never yours
 - `kb/` or `types/` has uncommitted changes, the instance is not a git checkout, or a page under `kb/` has unreadable frontmatter -> Fix the named pages, or publish the changes first, then retry once
-- A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, a converter that did not exit 0 -> Show the target's reason to the user; the other targets were still served. Never delete or edit files in a target folder to make a run pass
+- A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, two files that differ only in case (also a page and a generated index file), a converter that did not exit 0 -> Show the target's reason to the user; the other targets were still served. Never delete or edit files in a target folder to make a run pass
 
 **NEVER**
 
@@ -2456,7 +2456,8 @@ Write the derived, read-only reading copy of `kb/` into the folders the `export`
 
 **NOTES**
 
-- An export is derived: regenerated from `kb/` on every run, never edited, never read back into the wiki. Each target names its pages with an allowlist of `search --field` predicates (`include`: a list of selections, AND within one, OR across them), a handler (`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) and the folder (`path`, outside the instance). Nothing is exported that no selection names.
+- An export is derived: regenerated from `kb/` on every run, never edited, never read back into the wiki. Each target names its pages with `include`: either the string `"all"` (every page `search` knows, also one directly under `kb/`; never a generated or meta file) or an allowlist of `search --field` predicates (a list of selections, AND within one, OR across them), a handler (`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) and the folder (`path`, outside the instance). A missing or empty `include` is an error, never "all": nothing is exported that the target does not name.
+- With `index: true` a target also gets `index.md` in its root and an `INDEX.md` per collection (and per area the catalog gives a file of its own), built from the exported pages alone: collections and areas with their counts, then tables of page, type, summary and last modified, with relative Markdown links whatever `links` says. No date of the day and no hint for an agent; the marker is `kind=index` with the newest commit of the pages the file lists, so a commit to one collection rewrites that collection's `INDEX.md` and `index.md` only. The files are ordinary files of the run (manifest, atomic write, removed once no longer generated); the `command` handler receives them with the pages. A page `<collection>/index.md` beside the generated `INDEX.md` stops the target.
 - Every Markdown file starts with a frontmatter block whose `wikitool_export` line says `kind=pages instance=<origin URL without userinfo, or local> commit=<newest commit touching this page>`, followed by `title`, `type`, `summary`, `modified` where the page has them (`frontmatter: summary`, the default; `minimal` keeps only the marker, `full` the whole frontmatter), then the page text. A file keeps its path below `kb/`. A wikilink to an exported page becomes a relative Markdown link (`links: relative`, the default) or plain text (`links: text`); a link to a page that is not exported is always plain text. Footnote markers stay; code is never rewritten. LF endings, no timestamp: the same pages give the same bytes, and a commit that touches one page rewrites that page's file alone - plus any file whose links change because a page entered or left the selection. The manifest's `commit` is the newest commit touching any selected page; all of them come from one `git log`, however many pages are selected.
 - Handler `command`: the Markdown is rendered into a staging directory, the program of `export.commands` runs with no shell, stdin closed and a timeout of 300 s, and receives the Markdown directory and an empty output directory as its last two arguments. On exit 0 the regular files in the output directory (recursively) become the target's content; any other end leaves the target unchanged and prints the end of its stderr. The staging directory is always removed.
 - The folder is only ever touched by what it holds in its manifest, `.wikitool-export.json`: the files an earlier run wrote, each with its sha256. A run removes only manifest files that are no longer exported (and folders it created, once empty), rewrites a manifest file that is missing, leaves every other file byte for byte as it was, and writes nothing - not even a modification time - for a file that did not change. A run that changes nothing writes nothing at all.

tools/README.md

@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ tools/
     conventions.py         kb/CONVENTIONS.md: what this instance decided about authoring, as opposed to what the stack enforces
     ownership.py           the stack-vs-instance boundary under a content stage - one predicate, so no caller keeps a list of its own
     type_resolver.py       type-spec loading and schema resolution
-    catalog.py             how the corpus groups into collections and areas, and the shard threshold - with no CLI attached
+    catalog.py             how the corpus groups into collections and areas, the shard threshold and the heading-anchor and type-label helpers the catalog and the export index share - with no CLI attached
     lint_core.py           the lint checks and the report, with no CLI attached
     types_core.py          type-spec listing/description, with no CLI attached
     review.py              the weekly review's five checks - the read-time join of kb/gtd/ against the tracker, with no CLI attached
@@ -133,7 +133,8 @@ tools/
     backup.py              `backup init`/`backup run`'s core and the step `publish` runs after a push: the bare repository under `<target>/git`, the machine-data mirror under `<target>/<machine>/` with its manifest, and which synced folders `doctor` knows
     repo_capture.py        `raw capture`/`raw status`'s core: resolve a ref rule, fetch it into a bare cache, select files by glob as blobs, the `_capture.json` manifest - git with the host's credentials, never a prompt; plus the one write back, a single-file commit pushed without force for `export guidelines`
     guideline_export.py    `export guidelines`' core: select pages by `search` predicates, render them into one deterministic GUIDELINES.md, and recognise an export again (`is_export`, for both the guideline comment line and the page frontmatter key) - with no CLI attached
-    page_export.py         `export run`'s core and the step `publish` runs after a commit: the `export` section, rendering selected pages as Markdown, the target folder with its manifest, and the converter handler - with no CLI attached
+    page_export.py         `export run`'s core and the step `publish` runs after a commit: the `export` section, rendering the selected pages as Markdown (`include: "all"` or a list of selections), the target folder with its manifest, and the converter handler - with no CLI attached
+    export_index.py        the routing files of a page export (`index: true`): `index.md` and the `INDEX.md` files, built from the exported pages alone and following the catalog's hierarchy - with no CLI attached
     search/                pluggable search backends, plus service.py - the search core
     tasks/                 the task-tracker provider layer: protocol.py (TaskReader/TaskWriter), config.py (the tracker sections of the settings), one module per adapter - no instruction ever learns which provider it is
     commands/              one module per command or command group: the terminal adapters - except `raw/`, a package with one module per subcommand and the helpers several of them share in `_common.py`

tools/chemenu/catalog.py

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ looks like* - the tables, the map, the shard files - stays in
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import re
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -27,11 +28,33 @@ from chemenu.type_resolver import resolver
 # number so growth is handled by arithmetic rather than by a judgment call.
 SHARD_THRESHOLD = 50
 
+# The name `group_pages` gives the pseudo-collection of pages sitting directly
+# under `kb/`, which no collection directory holds.
+ROOT_COLLECTION = "(kb root)"
+
 # Display title for pages sitting directly in a collection root rather than in
 # an area subdirectory.
 UNGROUPED_TITLE = "All"
 
 
+def anchor(title: str) -> str:
+    """GitHub-style heading anchor, so a map can deep-link into a shard.
+
+    `\\w` rather than `a-z0-9`, which is not cosmetic: an area title follows the
+    KB language, and the first non-English one (`Abläufe`) had its umlaut
+    *deleted* rather than kept, so the map linked at `#ablufe` and the anchor it
+    was aiming at was `#abläufe`. Every deep link into a shard whose title
+    carries a non-ASCII letter was silently dead. Nothing surfaced it while the
+    only areas were entity ones, whose titles happen to be ASCII throughout.
+    """
+    slug = re.sub(r"[^\w\s-]", "", title.lower(), flags=re.UNICODE)
+    return re.sub(r"\s+", "-", slug.strip())
+
+
+def type_label(page: Page) -> str:
+    return page.subtype or page.kind or "unknown"
+
+
 @dataclass
 class Area:
     """One grouping inside a collection: a subdirectory, or the collection root
@@ -115,7 +138,7 @@ def group_pages(kb_dir: Path, pages: dict[str, Page]) -> list[Collection]:
         except ValueError:  # pragma: no cover - pages always live under kb_dir
             continue
         if len(parts) < 2:
-            collection_name, area_name = "(kb root)", ""
+            collection_name, area_name = ROOT_COLLECTION, ""
         else:
             collection_name = parts[0]
             area_name = parts[1] if len(parts) > 2 else ""

tools/chemenu/commands/export_cmd.py

@@ -454,10 +454,22 @@ def export_guidelines_command(
     ),
     notes=(
         "An export is derived: regenerated from `kb/` on every run, never edited, never read back "
-        "into the wiki. Each target names its pages with an allowlist of `search --field` "
+        "into the wiki. Each target names its pages with `include`: either the string `\"all\"` "
-        "predicates (`include`: a list of selections, AND within one, OR across them), a handler "
+        "(every page `search` knows, also one directly under `kb/`; never a generated or meta "
-        "(`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) and the folder (`path`, outside "
+        "file) or an allowlist of `search --field` predicates (a list of selections, AND within "
-        "the instance). Nothing is exported that no selection names.",
+        "one, OR across them), a handler (`markdown`, or `command` for the operator's converter) "
+        "and the folder (`path`, outside the instance). A missing or empty `include` is an error, "
+        "never \"all\": nothing is exported that the target does not name.",
+        "With `index: true` a target also gets `index.md` in its root and an `INDEX.md` per "
+        "collection (and per area the catalog gives a file of its own), built from the exported "
+        "pages alone: collections and areas with their counts, then tables of page, type, "
+        "summary and last modified, with relative Markdown links whatever `links` says. No date "
+        "of the day and no hint for an agent; the marker is `kind=index` with the newest commit "
+        "of the pages the file lists, so a commit to one collection rewrites that collection's "
+        "`INDEX.md` and `index.md` only. The files are ordinary files of the run (manifest, "
+        "atomic write, removed once no longer generated); the `command` handler receives them "
+        "with the pages. A page `<collection>/index.md` beside the generated `INDEX.md` stops "
+        "the target.",
         "Every Markdown file starts with a frontmatter block whose `wikitool_export` line says "
         "`kind=pages instance=<origin URL without userinfo, or local> commit=<newest commit "
         "touching this page>`, followed by `title`, `type`, `summary`, `modified` where the "
@@ -518,7 +530,8 @@ def export_guidelines_command(
         ),
         cli_contract.Failure(
             cause="A target failed: a foreign folder, a folder in backup data, a file changed in "
-            "the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, a converter that did not exit 0",
+            "the target, an empty selection, an unknown field, two files that differ only in case "
+            "(also a page and a generated index file), a converter that did not exit 0",
             reaction="Show the target's reason to the user; the other targets were still served. "
             "Never delete or edit files in a target folder to make a run pass",
         ),

tools/chemenu/commands/index_build.py

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import typer
 
 from chemenu import cli_contract, config
-from chemenu.catalog import SHARD_THRESHOLD, Area, Collection, group_pages
+from chemenu.catalog import Area, Collection, anchor, group_pages, type_label
 from chemenu.commands._util import rel_path, success
 from chemenu.page import Page
 from chemenu.kb_scan import GENERATED_INDEX, find_nested_pages, load_kb_pages
@@ -60,33 +60,15 @@ def _last_modified(page: Page) -> str:
     return date.fromtimestamp(page.path.stat().st_mtime).isoformat()
 
 
-def _type_label(page: Page) -> str:
-    return page.subtype or page.kind or "unknown"
-
-
 def _table(pages: list[Page]) -> list[str]:
     lines = [TABLE_HEADER, TABLE_SEP]
     for page in sorted(pages, key=lambda p: p.title.lower()):
         lines.append(
-            f"| [[{page.title}]] | {_type_label(page)} | {_summary(page)} | {_last_modified(page)} |"
+            f"| [[{page.title}]] | {type_label(page)} | {_summary(page)} | {_last_modified(page)} |"
         )
     return lines
 
 
-def _anchor(title: str) -> str:
-    """GitHub-style heading anchor, so the map can deep-link into a shard.
-
-    `\\w` rather than `a-z0-9`, which is not cosmetic: an area title follows the
-    KB language, and the first non-English one (`Abläufe`) had its umlaut
-    *deleted* rather than kept, so the map linked at `#ablufe` and the anchor it
-    was aiming at was `#abläufe`. Every deep link into a shard whose title
-    carries a non-ASCII letter was silently dead. Nothing surfaced it while the
-    only areas were entity ones, whose titles happen to be ASCII throughout.
-    """
-    slug = re.sub(r"[^\w\s-]", "", title.lower(), flags=re.UNICODE)
-    return re.sub(r"\s+", "-", slug.strip())
-
-
 def build_area_shard(area: Area) -> str:
     lines = [DO_NOT_EDIT, "", f"# {area.title}", "", f"{area.count} page(s).", ""]
     lines.extend(_table(area.pages))
@@ -168,7 +150,7 @@ def build_index_map(collections: list[Collection]) -> str:
             if area.own_shard:
                 target = f"{collection.name}/{area.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}"
             else:
-                target = f"{collection.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}#{_anchor(area.title)}"
+                target = f"{collection.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}#{anchor(area.title)}"
             lines.append(f"| {area.title} | {area.count} | [{target}]({target}) |")
         lines.append("")
 

tools/chemenu/config_shapes.py

@@ -825,10 +825,15 @@ EXPORT_FRONTMATTER_MODES = ("minimal", "summary", "full")
 EXPORT_DEFAULT_FRONTMATTER = "summary"
 EXPORT_LINK_MODES = ("relative", "text")
 EXPORT_DEFAULT_LINKS = "relative"
+# The one spelling of "every page" an `include` takes besides the array of
+# selections. A missing, empty or otherwise spelled `include` stays an error:
+# reading it as "everything" would let a forgotten field write the whole `kb/`
+# into a folder others read, at the next `publish` of a target with `after_publish`.
+EXPORT_INCLUDE_ALL = "all"
 # What each handler takes besides the keys every target has. A key outside
 # both sets is an error, so a typo or a field of the other handler is not
 # silently ignored.
-_EXPORT_COMMON_KEYS = ("handler", "path", "include", "frontmatter", "links", "after_publish")
+_EXPORT_COMMON_KEYS = ("handler", "path", "include", "frontmatter", "links", "index", "after_publish")
 _EXPORT_HANDLER_KEYS = {
     EXPORT_HANDLER_MARKDOWN: (),
     EXPORT_HANDLER_COMMAND: ("command",),
@@ -836,13 +841,17 @@ _EXPORT_HANDLER_KEYS = {
 
 
 def _export_include_problem(where: str, include: Any) -> Optional[str]:
+    if include == EXPORT_INCLUDE_ALL:
+        return None
+    forms = f"`include` is the string \"{EXPORT_INCLUDE_ALL}\" (every page) or a non-empty array of selections"
     if not isinstance(include, list) or not include:
-        return f"{where}: `include` must be a non-empty array of selections"
+        return f"{where}: {forms}"
     for number, selection in enumerate(include, start=1):
         if not isinstance(selection, list) or not selection:
-            return f"{where}: `include` selection {number} must be a non-empty array of predicates"
+            return f"{where}: selection {number} of `include` must be a non-empty array of predicates; {forms}"
         if not all(isinstance(predicate, str) and predicate.strip() for predicate in selection):
-            return f"{where}: `include` selection {number} holds an entry that is not a non-empty string"
+            return (f"{where}: selection {number} of `include` holds an entry that is not a non-empty "
+                    f"string; {forms}")
     return None
 
 
@@ -858,23 +867,23 @@ def _export_target_problem(name: str, target: Any) -> Optional[str]:
     if stray:
         return (f"{where}: {', '.join(f'`{key}`' for key in stray)} not taken by the handler "
                 f"{handler} (it takes {', '.join(f'`{key}`' for key in allowed)})")
-    for key in ("path", "include"):
+    if "path" not in target:
-        if key not in target:
+        return f"{where}: `path` is required"
-            return f"{where}: `{key}` is required"
     path = target["path"]
     if not isinstance(path, str) or not path.strip():
         return f"{where}: `path` must be a non-empty string"
     problem = absolute_path_problem(path)
     if problem:
         return f"{where}: `path` {problem}"
-    problem = _export_include_problem(where, target["include"])
+    problem = _export_include_problem(where, target.get("include"))
     if problem:
         return problem
     for key, choices in (("frontmatter", EXPORT_FRONTMATTER_MODES), ("links", EXPORT_LINK_MODES)):
         if key in target and target[key] not in choices:
             return f"{where}: `{key}` must be one of {', '.join(choices)}"
-    if "after_publish" in target and not isinstance(target["after_publish"], bool):
+    for key in ("index", "after_publish"):
-        return f"{where}: `after_publish` must be true or false"
+        if key in target and not isinstance(target[key], bool):
+            return f"{where}: `{key}` must be true or false"
     if handler == EXPORT_HANDLER_COMMAND:
         ref = target.get("command")
         if not isinstance(ref, str) or not _FETCHER_NAME.fullmatch(ref):
@@ -920,14 +929,19 @@ EXPORT = Shape(
             "checkout), `path` (an absolute path outside the instance; it must not lie in or "
             "contain another target or an `intake` folder, and not be, lie in or contain "
             "`<backup.target>/git` or `<backup.target>/<machine>`, nor lie in any other "
-            "machine's folder or a bare repository) and `include` (an "
+            "machine's folder or a bare repository) and `include` (the string `\"all\"`: every "
-            "array of selections, each an array of `search --field` predicates: all predicates of "
+            "page `search` knows, a page directly under `kb/` included and no generated or "
-            "a selection must hold, and a page that fits any selection is exported; there is no "
+            "meta file; or an array of selections, each an array of `search --field` predicates: "
-            "\"everything\"). Optional: `frontmatter` (`minimal`: only the export marker; "
+            "all predicates of a selection must hold, and a page that fits any selection is "
+            "exported. A missing or empty `include` is an error, never \"all\"). Optional: "
+            "`frontmatter` (`minimal`: only the export marker; "
             f"`summary`, the default: also `title`, `type`, `summary` and `modified` where the page "
             "has them; `full`: the page's whole frontmatter), `links` (`relative`, the default: a "
             "wikilink to an exported page becomes a relative Markdown link; `text`: plain text; a "
-            "link to a page that is not exported is always plain text) and `after_publish` "
+            "link to a page that is not exported is always plain text), `index` (default false; "
+            "true: also write `index.md` in the target's root and an `INDEX.md` per collection, "
+            "and per area the catalog gives a file of its own, listing the exported pages only, "
+            "with relative Markdown links whatever `links` says) and `after_publish` "
             "(default false: refresh this target after every `publish` that committed). The "
             "handler `command` takes `command` (required: the name of an entry of `commands`). A "
             "field the handler does not take is an error.",
@@ -953,6 +967,11 @@ EXPORT = Shape(
                 "include": [["kind=system"], ["tags=shared", "!draft"]],
                 "frontmatter": "summary", "links": "relative", "after_publish": True,
             },
+            "whole-kb": {
+                "handler": "markdown",
+                "path": "C:\\Users\\<user>\\OneDrive - <company>\\Chemenu-KB",
+                "include": "all", "index": True,
+            },
             "as-word": {
                 "handler": "command", "command": "pandoc-docx",
                 "path": "C:\\Users\\<user>\\OneDrive - <company>\\Chemenu-Word",

tools/chemenu/export_index.py

@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+"""The routing files of a page export, with no CLI attached: `index.md` at the
+root of a target and an `INDEX.md` per collection and per large area, listing
+the pages the target exports - and only those.
+
+They follow the hierarchy of the catalog under `kb/` (`catalog.group_pages`,
+`catalog.SHARD_THRESHOLD`) but are not copies of it. The catalog names pages a
+partial selection does not export, so copied files would carry titles out of the
+`kb/` and link into nothing; these are built from the selection instead.
+
+What makes them safe to keep in a synced folder:
+
+- **Deterministic.** No date of the day, no hint for an agent, no comment ahead
+  of the frontmatter. "Last Modified" comes from the page's own frontmatter and
+  is empty where it has none - never from the file's modification time.
+- **Local.** A file's marker carries the newest commit of the pages *it lists*,
+  so one page's commit rewrites the files above it and no others.
+- **Marked like a page.** The frontmatter holds one key, `wikitool_export`, with
+  `kind=index`, whatever the target's `frontmatter` says, so `is_export` and
+  `raw accept` treat it as what it is.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import posixpath
+import re
+from pathlib import Path
+from urllib.parse import quote
+
+from chemenu import guideline_export
+from chemenu.catalog import ROOT_COLLECTION, Area, Collection, anchor, group_pages, type_label
+from chemenu.kb_scan import GENERATED_INDEX
+from chemenu.page import Page
+
+ROOT_FILE = "index.md"
+_BREAK = re.compile(r"\s+")
+_LINK_TEXT_ESCAPES = re.compile(r"([\\\[\]|])")
+_DATE_KEYS = ("modified", "date", "created")
+
+PAGE_HEADER = "| Page | Type | Summary | Last Modified |"
+PAGE_SEP = "|------|------|---------|---------------|"
+
+
+def _cell(text: str) -> str:
+    return _BREAK.sub(" ", text).strip().replace("|", "\\|")
+
+
+def _link(label: str, target: str, here: str, fragment: str = "") -> str:
+    """A Markdown link to the file `target`, as written in a file in the folder
+    `here` (both below the target root); the destination is percent-encoded."""
+    destination = quote(posixpath.relpath(target, here or "."), safe="/")
+    if fragment:
+        destination += "#" + quote(fragment, safe="-")
+    return f"[{label}]({destination})"
+
+
+def _last_modified(page: Page) -> str:
+    for key in _DATE_KEYS:
+        value = page.frontmatter.get(key)
+        if value:
+            return str(value)
+    return ""
+
+
+class _Builder:
+    def __init__(self, pages: list[Page], kb_dir: Path, instance: str, commits: dict[Path, str],
+                 rank: dict[str, int]) -> None:
+        self.pages = pages
+        self.kb_dir = kb_dir
+        self.instance = instance
+        self.commits = commits
+        self.rank = rank
+        self.files: dict[str, bytes] = {}
+
+    def add(self, rel: str, lines: list[str], pages: list[Page]) -> None:
+        """Store `lines` as the file `rel` listing `pages`, with the marker of
+        the newest commit among them."""
+        newest = min((self.commits[page.path] for page in pages), key=lambda commit: self.rank[commit])
+        marker = guideline_export.export_marker(guideline_export.INDEX_KIND, self.instance, newest)
+        head = f"---\nwikitool_export: {json.dumps(marker, ensure_ascii=False)}\n---\n\n"
+        self.files[rel] = (head + "\n".join(lines) + "\n").encode("utf-8")
+
+    def table(self, pages: list[Page], here: str) -> list[str]:
+        lines = [PAGE_HEADER, PAGE_SEP]
+        for page in sorted(pages, key=lambda p: (p.title.casefold(), p.title)):
+            rel = page.path.relative_to(self.kb_dir).as_posix()
+            title = _LINK_TEXT_ESCAPES.sub(r"\\\1", page.title)
+            summary = page.frontmatter.get("summary")
+            lines.append(
+                f"| {_link(title, rel, here)} | {_cell(type_label(page))} "
+                f"| {_cell(str(summary)) if summary else ''} | {_cell(_last_modified(page))} |"
+            )
+        return lines
+
+    def area_file(self, area: Area, collection: str) -> None:
+        here = f"{collection}/{area.name}"
+        self.add(f"{here}/{GENERATED_INDEX}",
+                 [f"# {area.title}", "", f"{area.count} page(s).", "", *self.table(area.pages, here)],
+                 area.pages)
+
+    def collection_file(self, collection: Collection, pages: list[Page]) -> None:
+        name = collection.name
+        lines = [f"# {name}/ - Index", "", f"{collection.count} page(s).", ""]
+        for area in collection.areas:
+            lines += [f"## {area.title}", ""]
+            if area.own_shard:
+                shard = f"{name}/{area.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}"
+                lines.append(f"{area.count} page(s) - listed in "
+                             f"{_link(f'{area.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}', shard, name)}.")
+            else:
+                lines += self.table(area.pages, name)
+            lines.append("")
+        self.add(f"{name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}", lines[:-1], pages)
+
+    def root_file(self, collections: list[Collection], strays: list[Page]) -> None:
+        lines = ["# Index", "", f"{len(self.pages)} page(s).", ""]
+        if collections:
+            lines += ["## Collections", "", "| Collection | Pages | Index |", "|------------|------:|-------|"]
+            for collection in collections:
+                target = f"{collection.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}"
+                lines.append(f"| `{collection.name}/` | {collection.count} | {_link(target, target, '')} |")
+            lines.append("")
+            for collection in collections:
+                named = [area for area in collection.areas if area.name]
+                if not named:
+                    continue
+                lines += [f"### {collection.name}/", "", "| Area | Pages | Index |", "|------|------:|-------|"]
+                for area in named:
+                    if area.own_shard:
+                        target, fragment = f"{collection.name}/{area.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}", ""
+                    else:
+                        target, fragment = f"{collection.name}/{GENERATED_INDEX}", anchor(area.title)
+                    shown = target + (f"#{fragment}" if fragment else "")
+                    lines.append(f"| {_cell(area.title)} | {area.count} | {_link(shown, target, '', fragment)} |")
+                lines.append("")
+        if strays:
+            lines += ["## Pages outside any collection", "", *self.table(strays, ""), ""]
+        self.add(ROOT_FILE, lines[:-1], self.pages)
+
+
+def build(pages: list[Page], kb_dir: Path, instance: str, commits: dict[Path, str],
+          rank: dict[str, int]) -> dict[str, bytes]:
+    """The index files for `pages` - the pages a target exports - by path below
+    the target, each as the bytes to write. `commits` and `rank` come from
+    `guideline_export.page_commit_history`. No pages, no files."""
+    if not pages:
+        return {}
+    builder = _Builder(pages, kb_dir, instance, commits, rank)
+    strays: list[Page] = []
+    collections: list[Collection] = []
+    for collection in group_pages(kb_dir, {str(page.path): page for page in pages}):
+        if not collection.count:
+            continue
+        members = [page for area in collection.areas for page in area.pages]
+        if collection.name == ROOT_COLLECTION:
+            strays = members
+            continue
+        collections.append(collection)
+        builder.collection_file(collection, members)
+        for area in collection.areas:
+            if area.own_shard:
+                builder.area_file(area, collection.name)
+    builder.root_file(collections, strays)
+    return builder.files

tools/chemenu/guideline_export.py

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ FRONTMATTER_FENCE = b"---"
 SCAN_BYTES = 64 * 1024
 GUIDELINES_KIND = "guidelines"
 PAGES_KIND = "pages"
+INDEX_KIND = "index"
 GUIDELINES_PREFIX = f"<!-- wikitool:export kind={GUIDELINES_KIND}"
 TARGET_PATH = "GUIDELINES.md"
 LOCAL_INSTANCE = "local"
@@ -244,19 +245,20 @@ def last_commit(pages: list[Page], root: Optional[Path] = None) -> str:
     return sha
 
 
-def page_commits(pages: list[Page], root: Optional[Path] = None) -> tuple[str, dict[Path, str]]:
+def page_commit_history(pages: list[Page], root: Optional[Path] = None) -> tuple[dict[Path, str], dict[str, int]]:
-    """`last_commit(pages)`, and for each page's `path` the newest commit
+    """For each page's `path` the newest commit touching that one file, and the
-    touching that one file - from a single `git log`, however many pages there
+    rank of every commit named - 0 for the newest, counting up with age - from a
-    are, since every process start costs on Windows. The paths go in on stdin,
+    single `git log`, however many pages there are, since every process start
-    so a whole corpus does not run into the command-line limit, and literally,
+    costs on Windows. The paths go in on stdin, so a whole corpus does not run
-    so a `[` in a title is not a glob. Without `--follow`, a page `rename` moved
+    into the command-line limit, and literally, so a `[` in a title is not a
-    gets the commit that moved it. A page no listed commit names - one that
+    glob. Without `--follow`, a page `rename` moved gets the commit that moved
-    only a merge's own resolution touched - falls back to the newest commit."""
+    it. A page no listed commit names - one that only a merge's own resolution
+    touched - falls back to the newest commit."""
     root = root or config.ROOT
     paths = _repo_paths(pages, root)
     out = _git(["--literal-pathspecs", "log", "--stdin", "-z", "--format=commit %H", "--name-only"], root,
                stdin="--\n" + "".join(f"{path}\n" for path in paths)) or ""
-    newest = ""
+    rank: dict[str, int] = {}
     current = ""
     first: dict[str, str] = {}
     # `-z` ends each header and each name with NUL; a commit's first name
@@ -264,12 +266,25 @@ def page_commits(pages: list[Page], root: Optional[Path] = None) -> tuple[str, d
     for token in out.split("\0"):
         if token.startswith("commit "):
             current = token[len("commit "):]
-            newest = newest or current
+            rank.setdefault(current, len(rank))
         elif token.strip("\n"):
             first.setdefault(token.lstrip("\n"), current)
-    if not newest:
+    if not rank:
         raise ValidationError(_NOT_COMMITTED)
-    return newest, {page.path: first.get(path, newest) for page, path in zip(pages, paths)}
+    newest = next(iter(rank))
+    return {page.path: first.get(path, newest) for page, path in zip(pages, paths)}, rank
+
+
+def page_commits(pages: list[Page], root: Optional[Path] = None) -> tuple[str, dict[Path, str]]:
+    """`last_commit(pages)`, and for each page's `path` the newest commit
+    touching that one file - `page_commit_history` without the ranks."""
+    commits, rank = page_commit_history(pages, root)
+    return next(iter(rank)), commits
+
+
+def export_marker(kind: str, instance: str, commit: str) -> str:
+    """The value of the `wikitool_export` frontmatter key of an `export run` file."""
+    return f"kind={kind} instance={instance} commit={commit}"
 
 
 # --- rendering ----------------------------------------------------------------

tools/chemenu/page_export.py

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Optional, Sequence
 from urllib.parse import quote
 
-from chemenu import backup, config, config_shapes, guideline_export, settings
+from chemenu import backup, config, config_shapes, export_index, guideline_export, settings
 from chemenu.errors import ValidationError
 from chemenu.frontmatter_io import dump_frontmatter
 from chemenu.kb_scan import LINK_RE, normalize_link_target
@@ -71,12 +71,18 @@ class Target:
     name: str
     handler: str
     path: Path
-    include: tuple[tuple[Predicate, ...], ...]
+    include: "str | tuple[tuple[Predicate, ...], ...]"
     frontmatter: str
     links: str
     after_publish: bool
     command_name: str = ""
     command: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+    index: bool = False
+
+    @property
+    def everything(self) -> bool:
+        """Whether `include` is `"all"` rather than a list of selections."""
+        return self.include == config_shapes.EXPORT_INCLUDE_ALL
 
 
 def _others_paths(root: Path) -> list[tuple[str, Path]]:
@@ -97,7 +103,10 @@ def _others_paths(root: Path) -> list[tuple[str, Path]]:
     return found
 
 
-def _parse_include(name: str, include: list[list[str]], problems: list[str]) -> tuple[tuple[Predicate, ...], ...]:
+def _parse_include(name: str, include: "str | list[list[str]]",
+                   problems: list[str]) -> "str | tuple[tuple[Predicate, ...], ...]":
+    if include == config_shapes.EXPORT_INCLUDE_ALL:
+        return include
     selections = []
     for number, selection in enumerate(include, start=1):
         parsed = []
@@ -144,6 +153,7 @@ def read_config(root: "Path | str | None" = None) -> Optional[tuple[Target, ...]
             links=raw.get("links", config_shapes.EXPORT_DEFAULT_LINKS),
             after_publish=raw.get("after_publish", False),
             command_name=command_name, command=tuple(commands.get(command_name, ())),
+            index=raw.get("index", False),
         ))
     if not problems:
         placed = [(f"export.targets.{t.name}", backup.real_path(t.path)) for t in targets]
@@ -221,8 +231,11 @@ def choose(targets: Sequence[Target], names: Sequence[str]) -> list[Target]:
 
 
 def select(pages: dict[str, Page], target: Target, kb_dir: Path) -> list[Page]:
-    """The pages of `target`: the union over its selections, each the pages
+    """The pages of `target`: every page `search` knows for `include: "all"`,
-    that satisfy every predicate of it, sorted by `(title.casefold(), title)`."""
+    else the union over its selections, each the pages that satisfy every
+    predicate of it, sorted by `(title.casefold(), title)`."""
+    if target.everything:
+        return sorted(pages.values(), key=lambda p: (p.title.casefold(), p.title))
     predicates = tuple(p for selection in target.include for p in selection)
     filters.validate_fields(predicates, pages)
     chosen: dict[str, Page] = {}
@@ -261,7 +274,7 @@ def _rewrite_links(text: str, here: str, destinations: dict[str, Optional[str]],
 
 
 def marker_value(instance: str, commit: str) -> str:
-    return f"kind={guideline_export.PAGES_KIND} instance={instance} commit={commit}"
+    return guideline_export.export_marker(guideline_export.PAGES_KIND, instance, commit)
 
 
 def render_page(page: Page, here: str, destinations: dict[str, Optional[str]], target: Target,
@@ -287,11 +300,14 @@ def render_page(page: Page, here: str, destinations: dict[str, Optional[str]], t
 
 
 def render(pages: list[Page], target: Target, kb_dir: Path, instance: str,
-           commits: dict[Path, str]) -> dict[str, bytes]:
+           commits: dict[Path, str], rank: dict[str, int]) -> dict[str, bytes]:
     """The files of a target for `pages`, by path below the target, each
-    marked with its own page's commit from `commits`. A page
+    marked with its own page's commit from `commits`; with `target.index` also
-    that cannot be written on every platform, or two that would share a file
+    the index files (`export_index`), whose commit is the newest of the pages
-    name in a case-insensitive folder, is an `ExportError`."""
+    they list by `rank`. A page that cannot be written on every platform, or two
+    files that would share a name in a case-insensitive folder, is an
+    `ExportError` - an index file counts, so a page `<collection>/index.md`
+    beside the generated `<collection>/INDEX.md` stops the target."""
     paths = {id(page): file_path(page, kb_dir) for page in pages}
     seen: dict[str, str] = {}
     for page in pages:
@@ -311,6 +327,13 @@ def render(pages: list[Page], target: Target, kb_dir: Path, instance: str,
     for page in pages:
         rel = paths[id(page)]
         files[rel] = render_page(page, rel, by_title, target, instance, commits[page.path])
+    if target.index:
+        indexes = export_index.build(pages, kb_dir, instance, commits, rank)
+        for rel in indexes:
+            if rel.casefold() in seen:
+                raise ExportError(f"{rel} (generated by `index: true`) and {seen[rel.casefold()]} "
+                                  "are one file in a synced folder - rename the page or set `index` to false")
+        files.update(indexes)
     return files
 
 
@@ -565,8 +588,9 @@ def run(targets: Sequence[Target], root: "Path | str | None" = None) -> list[Tar
             if not selected:
                 raise ExportError("no page matches the selection - an empty export would delete the "
                                   "earlier one, so nothing was changed")
-            result.commit, commits = guideline_export.page_commits(selected, root)
+            commits, rank = guideline_export.page_commit_history(selected, root)
-            files = render(selected, target, kb_dir, instance, commits)
+            result.commit = next(iter(rank))
+            files = render(selected, target, kb_dir, instance, commits, rank)
             result.titles = {file_path(p, kb_dir): p.title for p in selected}
             if target.handler == config_shapes.EXPORT_HANDLER_COMMAND:
                 files = convert(target, files, result)

tools/chemenu/tests/test_config_shapes.py

@@ -312,3 +312,32 @@ def test_the_configuration_regions_are_checked_in_an_instance_too():
     regions = [r for r in reference_doc.regions() if r.path == reference_doc.CONFIGURATION]
     assert [r.name for r in regions] == [name for name, _ in reference_doc.CONFIG_REGIONS]
     assert not any(r.origin_only for r in regions)
+
+
+# --- export: include "all" and index ----------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _export_target(**extra):
+    return {"main": {"handler": "markdown", "path": "/srv/export", "include": "all", **extra}}
+
+
+def test_export_include_takes_all_or_selections_and_names_both_in_its_error():
+    assert config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target()) is None
+    assert config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target(include=[["tags=docs"]])) is None
+    for bad in ("All", "*", "everything", "", [], [[]], [["tags=docs"], []], [[""]], 7, None):
+        problem = config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target(include=bad))
+        assert problem and '"all"' in problem and "array of selections" in problem, bad
+
+
+def test_export_without_include_is_a_problem_and_not_all():
+    target = _export_target()
+    del target["main"]["include"]
+    assert "array of selections" in config_shapes.export_targets_problem(target)
+
+
+def test_export_index_is_a_boolean_for_both_handlers():
+    assert config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target(index=True)) is None
+    assert config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target(index=False)) is None
+    assert "`index` must be true or false" in config_shapes.export_targets_problem(_export_target(index="yes"))
+    command = _export_target(handler="command", command="convert", index=True)
+    assert config_shapes.export_targets_problem(command) is None

tools/chemenu/tests/test_export_run.py

@@ -6,24 +6,30 @@ The target's path carries a space on purpose: the folder a sync client keeps on
 Windows is `OneDrive - <company>`."""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import datetime
 import hashlib
 import json
 import os
+import posixpath
+import re
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import textwrap
 from pathlib import Path
+from urllib.parse import unquote
 
 import pytest
 import typer
+import yaml
 from typer.testing import CliRunner
 
-from chemenu import config, config_shapes, guideline_export, page_export
+from chemenu import catalog, config, config_shapes, guideline_export, page_export
 from chemenu.cli import app
 from chemenu.commands import doctor
 from chemenu.commands.git_publish import publish_command
 from chemenu.frontmatter_io import write_page
+from chemenu.search.service import load_pages_by_path
 from chemenu.type_resolver import resolver
 
 runner = CliRunner()
@@ -932,3 +938,283 @@ def test_the_marker_key_is_defined_once():
         and 'b"wikitool_export:"' in path.read_text("utf-8")
     ]
     assert definitions == [Path(guideline_export.__file__)]
+
+
+# --- include "all" and the index files -----------------------------------------
+
+META_FILES = {
+    "index.md": "# Wiki Index\n", "log.md": "# Log\n", "provenance.md": "# Provenance\n",
+    "CONTRACT.md": "# Contract\n", "CONVENTIONS.md": "# Conventions\n",
+    "concepts/INDEX.md": "# concepts/ - Index\n", "concepts/COLLECTION.md": "# Concepts\n",
+}
+INDEX_NAMES = ("index.md", "INDEX.md")
+
+
+def _all(root: Path, **extra) -> dict:
+    return {"include": "all", **extra}
+
+
+def _add_meta_and_stray(root: Path) -> None:
+    for rel, text in META_FILES.items():
+        (root / "kb" / rel).write_text(text, encoding="utf-8")
+    _page(root, "Stray.md", "\n# Stray\n\nDirectly under kb.\n")
+    _commit(root, "meta and stray")
+
+
+def _links(folder: Path, rel: str) -> list[str]:
+    text = (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    return re.findall(r"\]\(([^)]*)\)", text)
+
+
+def _resolve(rel: str, link: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
+    path, _, fragment = link.partition("#")
+    return posixpath.normpath(posixpath.join(posixpath.dirname(rel), unquote(path))), unquote(fragment)
+
+
+def _headings(text: str) -> set[str]:
+    return {catalog.anchor(m.group(1)) for m in re.finditer(r"^#+ (.+)$", text, re.MULTILINE)}
+
+
+def _index_files(folder: Path) -> list[str]:
+    return sorted(rel for rel in _snapshot(folder) if posixpath.basename(rel) in INDEX_NAMES
+                  and guideline_export.file_is_export(folder / rel)
+                  and "kind=index" in (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8").split("\n")[1])
+
+
+def test_all_writes_every_page_search_knows_and_no_generated_or_meta_file(instance):
+    _add_meta_and_stray(instance)
+    _configure(instance, whole=_all(instance))
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 0, result.output
+    pages = load_pages_by_path(instance / "kb", instance)
+    expected = {page.path.relative_to(instance / "kb").as_posix() for page in pages.values()}
+    assert "Stray.md" in expected and "concepts/Gamma.md" in expected
+    written = set(_snapshot(_out(instance, "whole")))
+    assert written == expected | {page_export.MANIFEST_NAME}
+    for meta in META_FILES:
+        assert meta not in written
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("include", [None, [], [[]], "All", "*", "everything", "", 1, True])
+def test_every_other_include_than_all_or_selections_is_an_error_and_writes_nothing(instance, include):
+    _configure(instance, pages={})
+    path = instance / config.LOCAL_SETTINGS_FILENAME
+    data = json.loads(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    if include is None:
+        del data["export"]["targets"]["pages"]["include"]
+    else:
+        data["export"]["targets"]["pages"]["include"] = include
+    path.write_text(json.dumps(data), encoding="utf-8")
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 1, result.output
+    message = _flat(result.output)
+    assert '"all"' in message and "array of selections" in message
+    assert _check("export").status == "FAIL"
+    assert not _out(instance, "pages").exists()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ["yes", 1, "true", None])
+def test_index_must_be_a_boolean(instance, value):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": value})
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 1 and "`index` must be true or false" in _flat(result.output)
+    assert _check("export").status == "FAIL"
+
+
+def test_without_index_or_with_false_no_index_file_is_written(instance):
+    _add_meta_and_stray(instance)
+    _configure(instance, absent=_all(instance), off=_all(instance, index=False))
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    for name in ("absent", "off"):
+        assert not [rel for rel in _snapshot(_out(instance, name))
+                    if posixpath.basename(rel) in INDEX_NAMES]
+
+
+def _many_pages(root: Path, count: int) -> None:
+    for number in range(count):
+        _page(root, f"concepts/protocols/P{number:02d}.md", f"\n# P{number:02d}\n\nText.\n")
+    _commit(root, "many")
+
+
+def test_every_link_of_every_index_file_lands_and_every_page_is_reachable(instance):
+    _add_meta_and_stray(instance)
+    _many_pages(instance, catalog.SHARD_THRESHOLD)
+    _page(instance, "concepts/areas/Solo.md", "\n# Solo\n\nSmall area.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "small area")
+    _configure(instance, whole=_all(instance, index=True))
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "whole")
+    files = _snapshot(folder)
+    indexes = _index_files(folder)
+    assert "index.md" in indexes and "concepts/INDEX.md" in indexes
+    assert "concepts/protocols/INDEX.md" in indexes          # over the threshold: a file of its own
+    assert "concepts/areas/INDEX.md" not in indexes          # under it: an anchor
+    reached, queue = {"index.md"}, ["index.md"]
+    while queue:
+        rel = queue.pop()
+        for link in _links(folder, rel):
+            target, fragment = _resolve(rel, link)
+            assert target in files, f"{rel} links to {link}, which is not in the target"
+            if fragment:
+                assert fragment in _headings(files[target].decode("utf-8")), f"{rel}: no heading for #{fragment}"
+            if target in indexes and target not in reached:
+                reached.add(target)
+                queue.append(target)
+    pages = set(files) - set(indexes) - {page_export.MANIFEST_NAME}
+    linked = {_resolve(rel, link)[0] for rel in reached for link in _links(folder, rel)}
+    assert pages <= linked
+    root_text = files["index.md"].decode("utf-8")
+    assert "concepts/INDEX.md#" in root_text and "concepts/protocols/INDEX.md" in root_text
+    assert "## Pages outside any collection" in root_text and "(Stray.md)" in root_text
+
+
+def test_the_index_names_only_what_is_exported(instance):
+    _page(instance, "other/Delta.md", "\n# Delta\n\nNot shared.\n", tags=["private"])
+    _page(instance, "concepts/areas/Hidden.md", "\n# Hidden\n\nNot shared.\n", tags=["private"])
+    _commit(instance, "private pages")
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    assert not (folder / "other").exists()
+    for rel in _index_files(folder):
+        text = (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        assert not any(word in text for word in ("Gamma", "Delta", "Hidden", "other/", "areas")), rel
+    assert "Alpha" in (folder / "concepts" / "INDEX.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_an_index_file_is_marked_and_cannot_come_back_in(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True, "frontmatter": "full"})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    commit = _git(instance, "rev-parse", "HEAD")
+    for rel in ("index.md", "concepts/INDEX.md"):
+        text = (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        assert text.startswith("---\n")
+        frontmatter = text.split("---\n")[1]
+        assert yaml.safe_load(frontmatter) == {
+            "wikitool_export": f"kind=index instance=local commit={commit}"}
+        assert guideline_export.file_is_export(folder / rel)
+    (instance / "incoming" / "index.md").write_bytes((folder / "index.md").read_bytes())
+    before = (instance / "incoming" / "index.md").read_bytes()
+    result = _accept(instance / "incoming" / "index.md")
+    assert result.exit_code == 1 and "export" in _flat(result.output)
+    assert (instance / "incoming" / "index.md").read_bytes() == before
+    assert not any((instance / "raw").rglob("*.md"))
+
+
+def test_a_second_run_touches_nothing_and_no_index_holds_a_date_of_its_own(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    stamps, before = _mtimes(folder), _snapshot(folder)
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    assert _mtimes(folder) == stamps and _snapshot(folder) == before
+    for rel in _index_files(folder):
+        text = (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        assert datetime.date.today().isoformat() not in text.replace("2026-10-01", "")
+        assert "Generated" not in text and "wikitool" not in text.split("---\n", 2)[2]
+
+
+def test_a_page_without_dates_or_summary_has_empty_cells_and_never_the_file_time(instance):
+    path = instance / "kb" / "concepts" / "Bare.md"
+    write_page(path, {"type": "types/concept.md", "tags": ["docs"]}, "\n# Bare\n\nNothing.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "bare")
+    os.utime(path, (86400 * 365, 86400 * 365))
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    text = (_out(instance, "pages") / "concepts" / "INDEX.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    row = next(line for line in text.splitlines() if "[Bare]" in line)
+    assert row.endswith("|  |  |") and "1971" not in text
+
+
+def test_a_commit_to_one_collection_leaves_the_index_of_another_byte_equal(instance):
+    _page(instance, "other/Delta.md", "\n# Delta\n\nSecond collection.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "second collection")
+    _configure(instance, whole=_all(instance, index=True))
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "whole")
+    before = _snapshot(folder)
+    _page(instance, "concepts/Alpha.md", ALPHA + "\nMore.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "touch concepts only")
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    after = _snapshot(folder)
+    assert after["other/INDEX.md"] == before["other/INDEX.md"]
+    assert after["other/Delta.md"] == before["other/Delta.md"]
+    assert after["concepts/INDEX.md"] != before["concepts/INDEX.md"]
+    assert after["index.md"] != before["index.md"]
+
+
+def test_switching_index_off_removes_the_index_files_and_nothing_else(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    indexes = _index_files(folder)
+    assert indexes
+    kept = {rel: data for rel, data in _snapshot(folder).items()
+            if rel not in indexes and rel != page_export.MANIFEST_NAME}
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": False})
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 0, result.output
+    after = _snapshot(folder)
+    assert not [rel for rel in after if posixpath.basename(rel) in INDEX_NAMES]
+    assert {rel: data for rel, data in after.items() if rel != page_export.MANIFEST_NAME} == kept
+    assert f"removed ({len(indexes)})" in _flat(result.output)
+
+
+def test_a_page_index_md_beside_the_generated_one_stops_the_target_before_any_write(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    before = _snapshot(folder)
+    _page(instance, "concepts/index.md", "\n# Index\n\nA page called index.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "index page")
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 1
+    message = _flat(result.output)
+    assert "concepts/index.md" in message and "concepts/INDEX.md" in message
+    assert _snapshot(folder) == before
+
+
+def test_a_stray_page_that_differs_from_index_md_only_in_case_stops_the_target(instance):
+    _page(instance, "Index.md", "\n# Index\n\nStray.\n")
+    _commit(instance, "stray")
+    _configure(instance, whole=_all(instance, index=True))
+    result = _run()
+    assert result.exit_code == 1
+    assert "Index.md" in _flat(result.output) and "index.md" in _flat(result.output)
+    assert not _out(instance, "whole").exists()
+
+
+def test_with_links_text_pages_hold_no_link_to_an_exported_page_but_the_index_links(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True, "links": "text"})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    folder = _out(instance, "pages")
+    indexes = set(_index_files(folder))
+    for rel in _snapshot(folder):
+        if rel in indexes or rel == page_export.MANIFEST_NAME:
+            continue
+        assert not re.search(r"\]\([^)]*\.md[^)]*\)", (folder / rel).read_text(encoding="utf-8")), rel
+    assert "](Alpha.md)" in (folder / "concepts" / "INDEX.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_the_command_handler_gets_the_index_files_with_the_pages(instance):
+    record = instance.parent / "files.json"
+    program = _converter(instance, f"""
+        import json, pathlib, sys
+        src, out = pathlib.Path(sys.argv[1]), pathlib.Path(sys.argv[2])
+        pathlib.Path({str(record)!r}).write_text(json.dumps(sorted(
+            p.relative_to(src).as_posix() for p in src.rglob("*") if p.is_file())))
+        (out / "done.txt").write_text("done")
+    """)
+    _configure(instance, pages={"handler": "command", "command": "convert", "index": True})
+    _set_commands(instance, {"convert": program})
+    assert _run().exit_code == 0
+    seen = json.loads(record.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    assert "index.md" in seen and "concepts/INDEX.md" in seen and "concepts/Alpha.md" in seen
+
+
+def test_the_run_names_the_index_files_by_path(instance):
+    _configure(instance, pages={"index": True})
+    out = _flat(_run().output)
+    assert "index.md" in out and "concepts/INDEX.md" in out

tools/chemenu/tests/test_index_build.py

@@ -2,9 +2,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 
+from chemenu.catalog import SHARD_THRESHOLD, anchor
 from chemenu.commands.index_build import (
-    SHARD_THRESHOLD,
-    _anchor,
     build_index,
     index_rebuild,
     plan_index,
@@ -86,12 +85,12 @@ def test_map_links_to_each_collection_shard(kb_dir):
     assert f"[entities/{GENERATED_INDEX}](entities/{GENERATED_INDEX})" in content
 
 
-def test_map_deep_links_an_inlined_area_by_anchor(kb_dir):
+def test_map_deep_links_an_inlined_area_byanchor(kb_dir):
     # The anchor is derived from the area's display title, so it follows the KB
     # language along with it. Both sides of the link are generated in the same
     # run, so they stay consistent; only a bookmark to an old anchor would break.
-    anchor = _anchor(_area_title("system"))
+    slug = anchor(_area_title("system"))
-    assert f"entities/{GENERATED_INDEX}#{anchor}" in build_index(kb_dir)
+    assert f"entities/{GENERATED_INDEX}#{slug}" in build_index(kb_dir)
 
 
 # --- collection shards ------------------------------------------------------
@@ -120,11 +119,11 @@ def test_anchor_keeps_non_ascii_letters():
     """An area title follows the KB language, so it may carry a letter outside
     `a-z`. Deleting it - which is what the old `[^a-z0-9\\s-]` did - produced a
     map link (`#ablufe`) that pointed at no heading in the shard it named."""
-    assert _anchor("Abläufe") == "abläufe"
+    assert anchor("Abläufe") == "abläufe"
-    assert _anchor("Größere Muster") == "größere-muster"
+    assert anchor("Größere Muster") == "größere-muster"
     # Punctuation is still dropped and any run of whitespace still collapses to
     # a single hyphen.
-    assert _anchor("Tools & Utilities (v2)") == "tools-utilities-v2"
+    assert anchor("Tools & Utilities (v2)") == "tools-utilities-v2"
 
 
 def test_area_titles_are_read_from_every_type_spec_not_only_entity(plan, kb_dir):