After a CMS change, the sitemap contains no pages even though the website still works. Start with the data actually reaching the generator. A public article may come from a cache while the export is already processing an empty query result.
Find the first empty step
Compare the last working export with the current file. Count records at these stages:
- immediately after the CMS query;
- after publication filtering;
- just before XML serialization.
Fictional example: the CMS still returns 38 released articles. A status field is now called published, but the export continues filtering for approved. That leaves zero entries. The XML is valid; the selection is wrong.
Also check the language, content type and environment. A query against an empty preview instance requires a different fix from an outdated field name.
Keep failures visible
A failed CMS request should produce a detectable internal error. Catching every failure and returning an empty list hides the outage. Depending on the deployment, a known valid sitemap may remain available temporarily, with its age recorded.
Do not publish drafts or remove release filters to fill the file. Restore the intended selection and compare its URLs with the expected published inventory. Checking XML syntax alone would miss this problem.
When only individual articles are missing
Compare an included record with a missing one using their identifiers. Check content type, language, slug and publication date. An older public version may come from a cache while the generator already uses the current publication schedule.
A new content type such as “Guides” will be absent if the export still queries only “Articles”. Include it only when the relevant records are approved for publication. A reachable draft URL does not by itself belong in the sitemap.
Finally, compare the expected published URLs with the actual export. The difference reveals other records affected by the same rule. Also check the affected pages’ internal links and indexability.
Related check: Remove redirects from a sitemap.
If the CMS, build and delivery relationship is unclear, the Technology and stack review assesses that structure. Implementation is a separate step.