---
title: "Pin and Expand"
description: "Pin critical entries, auto-discover everything else"
---

Pin-and-expand is the practical hybrid pattern: you lock important pages to the top, then let auto-generation fill the rest.

## The Pattern

1. List a few manual `entries` in the order you want.
2. Set `autoGenerated: true` so remaining pages in the folder appear automatically.
3. Add content files without touching config—pins stay fixed.

```typescript
{
    id: "guides",
    label: "Guides",
    entries: [
        { slug: "guides/overview" },   // pinned
        { slug: "guides/getting-started" },
    ],
    autoGenerated: true, // expand with discovered files
}
```

## When to Use It

- You have 2-5 must-see pages and a long tail of references.
- You want predictable top-level ordering but minimal maintenance.
- Teams frequently add pages and should not edit navigation config.

## Tips for Clean Results

- Keep pinned items short—too many pins defeat the purpose.
- Use consistent icons on the pins to visually separate them from the auto-generated tail.
- Pair with clear folder naming so discovered pages sort well alphabetically.

## Troubleshooting

- **Unexpected order?** Check file names—auto-generated items sort alphabetically.
- **Missing pages?** Ensure the file sits under the same folder as the group with `autoGenerated: true`.
- **Duplicate entries?** Remove overlapping manual slugs when a page is also discovered automatically.

## Next Steps

- See more hybrid scenarios in [Real-World Patterns](/docs/generation-strategies/hybrid-approach/real-world-patterns)
- Compare with full control in [Manual Creation Use Cases](/docs/generation-strategies/manual-creation/use-cases)