Where Does GitBook CLI Store Config and Output?
Legacy GitBook CLI book.json, content and _book output inside your project on each OS.
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Legacy GitBook CLI keeps everything in the book folder. book.json at the root holds settings, Markdown chapters sit beside it, and the built site lands in _book.
There is no global config. The folder is portable across OSes. Modern GitBook Cloud differs; this post covers the local CLI workflow only.
Where GitBook stores this, by platform
[BookDir]\book.json
Config at root, SUMMARY.md plus chapters beside it, output in [BookDir]\_book\. Delete _book to force a clean rebuild. Keep book.json and sources in git.
[BookDir]/book.json
Same layout. Node plugins install under the project or global npm prefix, but every book file stays under the root. Move the folder to move the book.
[BookDir]/book.json
Same arrangement. CI runs gitbook build then publishes _book. Exclude _book and node_modules from version control. Exact plugin paths may vary.
Frequently asked questions
Where is GitBook output?
In _book under the book root after gitbook build. That HTML is disposable. Source is book.json plus SUMMARY.md and chapter files.
Does this cover GitBook Cloud?
No. Cloud docs live on GitBook servers with no local path. This post is legacy CLI only. Check your workflow before following local paths for hosted spaces.
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