Missing_docs fails to trigger

In this code, I expected the missing_docs lint to warn about T, but I doesn't. Why is that so?

playground

#![deny(missing_docs)]

//! crate doc

mod mymod {
    /// frobnicate
    pub fn f<A: T>() {}

    pub trait T {}
}

pub use mymod::f;

Because T isn't in the public interface of the crate. If you were to pub use mymod::T; the warning would trigger.

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But when I generate the docs, T is visible as the trait bound, and users will be confused when they can't click on it. I consider it part of the public interface.

But that's not because of the missing documentation - that's because T is effectively non-public. If it was public, it would be clickable - just the page will be empty, aside from the formal definition.

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But how will users know how to satisfy the bound, or even know what types implement T? Not to speak of implementing T themselves?

missing_docs detects lack of documentation strings on items and nothing else.

It would be good to have a lint for (accidental) observable private items like this, but I don't think there is one. (Also, sometimes this exact pattern is done on purpose — it's known as “sealed traits” and prevents T from being implemented outside the crate, which can sometimes be important for correctness or version compatibility.)

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If the trait is an important part of API and not the implementation detail, then it shouldn't be effectively private.

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