diff --git a/.github/workflows/linkcheck.yaml b/.github/workflows/linkcheck.yaml
index 96cf9040..d38d748d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linkcheck.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linkcheck.yaml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
           python-version: "3.12"
 
       - name: Install deps
-        run: pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
+        run: pip install . -r docs/requirements.txt
 
       - name: make linkcheck
         run: |
diff --git a/.readthedocs.yaml b/.readthedocs.yaml
index 6bf99912..98501d58 100644
--- a/.readthedocs.yaml
+++ b/.readthedocs.yaml
@@ -14,4 +14,5 @@ build:
 
 python:
   install:
+    - path: .
     - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
diff --git a/docs/extensions/serverprocess_documenter.py b/docs/extensions/serverprocess_documenter.py
index 1339aa7a..567ab857 100644
--- a/docs/extensions/serverprocess_documenter.py
+++ b/docs/extensions/serverprocess_documenter.py
@@ -1,86 +1,56 @@
 """
-A modified version of https://github.com/jupyterhub/autodoc-traits/tree/1.2.2
-for documenting trait fields that are used to configure another object, but
-where the traitlet cannot be set directly.
-
-This is used to generate the Server Process options documentation:
+A custom Sphinx directive to generate the Server Process options documentation:
 https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-server-proxy/blob/main/docs/source/server-process.md
 """
 
+import importlib
+from textwrap import dedent
+
+from docutils import nodes
 from sphinx.application import Sphinx
-from sphinx.ext.autodoc import (
-    SUPPRESS,
-    AttributeDocumenter,
-    ClassDocumenter,
-    ObjectMember,
-)
+from sphinx.util.docutils import SphinxDirective
 from sphinx.util.typing import ExtensionMetadata
-from traitlets import MetaHasTraits, TraitType, Undefined
-
-
-class ServerProcessConfigurableDocumenter(ClassDocumenter):
-    """
-    A modified version of autodoc_traits.ConfigurableDocumenter that only documents
-    the traits in this class, not the inherited traits.
-    https://github.com/jupyterhub/autodoc-traits/blob/1.2.2/autodoc_traits.py#L20-L122
-    """
-
-    objtype = "serverprocessconfigurable"
-    directivetype = "class"
-    priority = 100  # higher priority than ClassDocumenter's 10
-
-    @classmethod
-    def can_document_member(cls, member, membername, isattr, parent):
-        return isinstance(member, MetaHasTraits)
-
-    def get_object_members(self, want_all):
-        """
-        Only document members in this class
-        """
-        config_trait_members = self.object.class_traits(config=True).items()
-        members = [ObjectMember(name, trait) for (name, trait) in config_trait_members]
-        return False, members
+from traitlets import Undefined
 
-    def should_suppress_directive_header():
-        return True
 
-    def add_directive_header(self, sig):
-        print(f"{sig=}")
-        self.options.annotation = SUPPRESS
-        super().add_directive_header(sig)
+class ServerProcessDirective(SphinxDirective):
+    """A directive to say hello!"""
 
+    required_arguments = 2
 
-class ServerProcessTraitDocumenter(AttributeDocumenter):
-    """
-    A modified version of autodoc_traits.TraitDocumenter that omits the c.ClassName prefix
-    https://github.com/jupyterhub/autodoc-traits/blob/1.2.2/autodoc_traits.py#L125-L203
-    """
+    def run(self) -> list[nodes.Node]:
+        module = importlib.import_module(self.arguments[0], ".")
+        cls = getattr(module, self.arguments[1])
+        config_trait_members = cls.class_traits(config=True).items()
 
-    objtype = "serverprocesstrait"
-    directivetype = "attribute"
-    priority = 100  # AttributeDocumenter has 10
-    member_order = 0  # AttributeDocumenter has 60
+        doc = []
 
-    @classmethod
-    def can_document_member(cls, member, membername, isattr, parent):
-        return isinstance(member, TraitType)
+        for name, trait in config_trait_members:
+            default_value = trait.default_value
+            if default_value is Undefined:
+                default_value = ""
+            else:
+                default_value = repr(default_value)
+            traitlets_type = trait.__class__.__name__
 
-    def add_directive_header(self, sig):
-        default_value = self.object.default_value
-        if default_value is Undefined:
-            default_value = ""
-        else:
-            default_value = repr(default_value)
+            help = self.parse_text_to_nodes(dedent(trait.metadata.get("help", "")))
 
-        traitlets_type = self.object.__class__.__name__
-        self.options.annotation = f"{traitlets_type}({default_value})"
-        super().add_directive_header(sig)
+            definition = nodes.definition_list_item(
+                "",
+                nodes.term(
+                    "",
+                    "",
+                    nodes.strong(text=f"{name}"),
+                    nodes.emphasis(text=f" {traitlets_type}({default_value})"),
+                ),
+                nodes.definition("", *help),
+            )
+            doc.append(nodes.definition_list("", definition))
+        return doc
 
 
 def setup(app: Sphinx) -> ExtensionMetadata:
-    app.setup_extension("sphinx.ext.autodoc")
-    app.add_autodocumenter(ServerProcessConfigurableDocumenter)
-    app.add_autodocumenter(ServerProcessTraitDocumenter)
+    app.add_directive("serverprocess", ServerProcessDirective)
     return {
         "version": "0.1",
         "parallel_read_safe": True,
diff --git a/docs/requirements.txt b/docs/requirements.txt
index 63f4be10..cc731455 100644
--- a/docs/requirements.txt
+++ b/docs/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 myst-parser
+sphinx>=7.4
 sphinx-autobuild
 sphinx-book-theme
 sphinx-copybutton
diff --git a/docs/source/server-process.md b/docs/source/server-process.md
index 9e9cf316..6cc95922 100644
--- a/docs/source/server-process.md
+++ b/docs/source/server-process.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pairs.
 
 ```{eval-rst}
 
-.. autoserverprocessconfigurable:: jupyter_server_proxy.config.ServerProcess
+.. serverprocess:: jupyter_server_proxy.config ServerProcess
 ```
 
 ## Specifying config via traitlets