diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 42f47b8b0..abb09fa71 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ yarn-error.log*
 # AI tooling
 .claude/settings.local.json
 
-# Documentation generated by the upgrade/build workflow
-/netbox/project-static/docs/
+# Documentation generated by the upgrade/build workflow.
+# Keep the placeholder so the directory exists in a fresh checkout.
+/netbox/project-static/docs/*
+!/netbox/project-static/docs/.gitkeep
 
 # Static files collected by Django
 /netbox/static/
diff --git a/netbox/project-static/docs/.gitkeep b/netbox/project-static/docs/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb