A KDP ebook can contain two table-of-contents experiences: a visible page inside the book and logical navigation used by a reader’s menu. They serve different purposes, but their labels, order, and destinations should resolve to the same body chapters. In this five-chapter sample, the visible TOC file remained in the book while being excluded from generated navigation. The local structures aligned; the actual device menu and tap behavior were not tested, so Stage 4 remains partial.
Separate the visible page from device-menu navigation
The visible TOC is a normal book page that readers can reach by paging through the publication. Logical navigation is packaged data that reading systems use to present a chapter menu. Building one does not prove that the other contains the same set of chapters.
The EPUB 3.3 specification assigns primary navigation to the table of contents in the EPUB navigation document. Its order should follow the publication’s reading order, and each link must resolve to real content. This article focuses on reconciling the two TOC roles across five chapters. It does not focus on the markup details of nav.xhtml.
Start with one visible TOC and five body chapters
The sample contained one visible TOC file followed by five body chapters. The visible page listed five items, and the body files included fixed markers for target checks. The expected values were established before export:
- one visible TOC file with five entries;
- five body chapters included in logical navigation;
- five generated nav entries;
- five generated NCX entries; and
- the visible TOC file excluded from logical navigation.
If the visible TOC page is also included as a logical navigation item, the device menu gains an extra “Table of Contents” entry and no longer matches the intended five-chapter list.
Reconcile the two TOCs with four columns
Write the authoritative body order first. Next to each chapter, compare the visible label and target with the logical-navigation label and target. Use four independent columns: item count, order, label, and destination. A mismatch in any column keeps the reconciliation open.
After generating the EPUB, inspect the spine for reading order, the navigation document for logical entries, and the body XHTML for the destination markers. Then follow Amazon KDP’s supported manuscript format guidance and open the file in Kindle Previewer. Confirm that the device menu shows five chapters and that every item opens the intended chapter. File-level agreement and reader interaction are separate tests.
The five-chapter export aligned locally
In the article-specific workspace, I selected the visible TOC file and five body chapters, then excluded the visible TOC from generated navigation with --exclude-from-toc 1. I set the series and volume data, reviewed the export plan, exported the EPUB, and inspected nav, NCX, and the body XHTML. The evidence records a command_count of 9.
The output was valid=true, with a spine count of 9 and zero missing images. The visible TOC retained five entries. Generated nav and NCX also contained five items each. The nav links ran from p002.xhtml through p006.xhtml, while the NCX targets ran from Text/p002.xhtml through Text/p006.xhtml in the same order. Twenty fixed markers were read back from the body XHTML.
These values confirm a local structural separation between the visible page and logical navigation, with five body chapters aligned. They do not show the device menu or any tap result. The correct status is partial.
Return to the column that does not match
KDP acceptance, device-menu presentation in Kindle Previewer or hardware, tap navigation, and behavior across all reading systems remain unverified. Choose the recovery point by the mismatched column:
- If the count is not five, return to TOC inclusion and the exclusion setting.
- If the order differs, return to the five body files in source selection.
- If a label differs, return to the authoritative visible TOC and chapter headings.
- If a destination differs, return to the nav href and the fixed target marker in the body.
- If an item is missing from the device menu, record that reader result separately and recheck that logical navigation is packaged.
Rune Studio packages both TOC structures in one EPUB
The current macOS Rune Studio EPUB 3 wizard lets an author select source files, set chapter order and TOC inclusion, and review the export plan. Its EPUB output includes body pages, the EPUB navigation document, NCX, and the package document. Those Stage 3 capabilities are documented on the Rune Studio product page and in the product reference.
The five visible entries, five nav entries, five NCX entries, and twenty fixed markers are Stage 4 observations from this dedicated sample. A documented product capability does not substitute for the unperformed KDP device-menu test.
Conclusion: test the device menu after the five chapters align
The visible TOC page and device-menu navigation are two structures with different roles. In this sample, the visible TOC file was excluded from generated navigation, and the same five body chapters appeared in nav and NCX in matching order. That local reconciliation is complete. Device-menu display and tap behavior are not, so the result remains partial until the same EPUB is checked in Kindle Previewer or on the target device.
