diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 24f322f0..588f3f34 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([gui],
 		[build and install the GUI (default is yes)])],
 		[], [enable_gui=yes])
 AC_SUBST(enable_gui)
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([docs],
+	       [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-docs[=ARG]],
+		[build python documentation (default is no)])],
+		[], [enable_docs=no])
+AC_SUBST(enable_docs)
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([python],
 	       [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-python[=ARG]],
@@ -191,8 +196,7 @@ if [ test "x$enable_daemon" = "xyes" || test "x$enable_vnodedonly" = "xyes" ] ;
 fi
 
 want_docs=no
-if test "x$enable_docs" = "xyes" ; then
-
+if [test "x$want_python" = "xyes" && test "x$enable_docs" = "xyes"] ; then
   AC_CHECK_PROG(help2man, help2man, yes, no, $SEARCHPATH)
 
   if test "x$help2man" = "xno" ; then
@@ -210,21 +214,12 @@ if test "x$enable_docs" = "xyes" ; then
   # check for sphinx required during make
   AC_CHECK_PROG(sphinxapi_path, sphinx-apidoc, $as_dir, no, $SEARCHPATH)
   if test "x$sphinxapi_path" = "xno" ; then
-    AC_MSG_ERROR(["Could not location sphinx-apidoc, from the python-sphinx package"])
+    AC_MSG_ERROR(["Could not locate sphinx-apidoc, install python3 -m pip install sphinx"])
     want_docs=no
   fi
+  AS_IF([$PYTHON -c "import sphinx_rtd_theme" &> /dev/null], [], [AC_MSG_ERROR([doc dependency missing, please install python3 -m pip install sphinx-rtd-theme])])
 fi
 
-#AC_PATH_PROGS(tcl_path, [tclsh tclsh8.5 tclsh8.4], no)
-#if test "x$tcl_path" = "xno" ; then
-#    AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not locate tclsh. Please install Tcl/Tk.])
-#fi
-
-#AC_PATH_PROGS(wish_path, [wish wish8.5 wish8.4], no)
-#if test "x$wish_path" = "xno" ; then
-#    AC_MSG_ERROR([Could not locate wish. Please install Tcl/Tk.])
-#fi
-
 AC_ARG_WITH([startup],
 	    [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-startup=option],
 		[option=systemd,suse,none to install systemd/SUSE init scripts])],
diff --git a/daemon/core/api/grpc/server.py b/daemon/core/api/grpc/server.py
index d9c23628..ca5eb0ad 100644
--- a/daemon/core/api/grpc/server.py
+++ b/daemon/core/api/grpc/server.py
@@ -1031,8 +1031,7 @@ class CoreGrpcServer(core_pb2_grpc.CoreApiServicer):
         """
         Retrieve all the default services of all node types in a session
 
-        :param request:
-            get-default-service request
+        :param request: get-default-service request
         :param context: context object
         :return: get-service-defaults response about all the available default services
         """
@@ -1050,8 +1049,8 @@ class CoreGrpcServer(core_pb2_grpc.CoreApiServicer):
     ) -> SetServiceDefaultsResponse:
         """
         Set new default services to the session after whipping out the old ones
-        :param request: set-service-defaults
-            request
+
+        :param request: set-service-defaults request
         :param context: context object
         :return: set-service-defaults response
         """
diff --git a/daemon/doc/Makefile.am b/daemon/doc/Makefile.am
index 6f287b09..e46f7d32 100644
--- a/daemon/doc/Makefile.am
+++ b/daemon/doc/Makefile.am
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 # extra cruft to remove
 DISTCLEANFILES	= conf.py Makefile Makefile.in stamp-vti *.rst
 
-all:	index.rst
+all: html
 
 # auto-generated Python documentation using Sphinx
 index.rst:
diff --git a/daemon/doc/conf.py.in b/daemon/doc/conf.py.in
index eee03477..99929cee 100644
--- a/daemon/doc/conf.py.in
+++ b/daemon/doc/conf.py.in
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ html_theme_path = [sphinx_rtd_theme.get_html_theme_path()]
 # Add any paths that contain custom static files (such as style sheets) here,
 # relative to this directory. They are copied after the builtin static files,
 # so a file named "default.css" will overwrite the builtin "default.css".
-html_static_path = ['_static']
+#html_static_path = ['_static']
 
 # If not '', a 'Last updated on:' timestamp is inserted at every page bottom,
 # using the given strftime format.