Page modes
Choose a layout per page with the mode frontmatter field.
mode in a page's frontmatter controls which chrome surrounds the body: sidebar,
table of contents, footer, and the automatic title hero. Set it per page. If you
omit it, or pass a value Velu doesn't recognize, the page uses default.
---title: "Release notes"description: "What shipped this month."mode: "center"---
Chrome by mode
| Mode | Sidebar | Table of contents | Footer | Page hero | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Guides and reference |
wide | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Tables, diagrams, extra width |
custom | No | No | No | No | Landing pages |
frame | Yes | No | Yes | No | A custom canvas that still needs the sidebar |
center | No | No | Yes | Yes | Changelogs and focused reading |
assistant | No | No | No | No | A dedicated Ask AI page |
Default
Standard docs layout: sidebar on the left, article in the center, table of
contents on the right. Start the body at ## — Velu renders the H1 from
title.
Wide
Keeps the sidebar and footer. Hides the table of contents so the article can grow, but leaves the right-hand gutter in place so the page doesn't flush to the viewport.
Use it for wide tables, diagrams, or pages with few headings.
---title: "API error codes"mode: "wide"---
Custom
Navbar only. No sidebar, table of contents, footer, or tabs row. Velu also skips the automatic title hero, so write your own heading in the MDX. The body sits in a centered canvas.
Treat this as a landing page: cards, columns, and a headline you control.
---title: "Welcome"mode: "custom"---
Frame
Custom mode with the sidebar. Same centered canvas and no automatic hero, but left navigation stays so the page remains in the docs IA.
---title: "Overview"mode: "frame"---
Center
Removes the sidebar and table of contents, keeps the footer, and centers the
article. The page hero still renders from frontmatter. Pair it with
<Update> for a changelog.
---title: "Changelog"description: "Product updates."mode: "center"rss: true---
Assistant
Replaces the page body with a full-page Ask AI chat. Navbar stays; sidebar, table of contents, footer, and the tabs row do not.
The MDX body is not shown. On a deployed site, Ask AI must be enabled or the page shows a disabled search field instead. Local preview uses demo replies.
---title: "Ask AI"mode: "assistant"---
See Ask AI for suggestions, plans, and how the assistant is wired on publish.
Custom and assistant hide the header tabs row so the navbar is shorter. Default, wide, frame, and center keep tabs.
