diff --git a/_includes/package_links.html b/_includes/package_links.html
index 8b2ac01d..ca70c3be 100644
--- a/_includes/package_links.html
+++ b/_includes/package_links.html
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@
 {% endif %}
 
 <div class="list-group list-group-sm {%if horizontal%}list-group-horizontal list-group-justified{%endif%}">
-  <a class="{{list_group_class}}"
-     target="_blank"
-     href="{{ package.data.docs_uri }}"
-     title="View API documentation on docs.ros.org"
-     {% unless package.snapshot.documented %}disabled{% endunless %}>
+  <a class="{{list_group_class}} {% if package.data.docs_uri == '' %}disabled{% endif %}" target="_blank"
+     {% unless package.data.docs_uri == '' %}href="{{ package.data.docs_uri }}"{% endunless %}
+     {% if package.data.docs_uri == '' %}href="javascript:void(0)"{% endif %}
+     title="View API documentation">
        <span style="margin-right: 5px;" class="glyphicon glyphicon-file"></span>
        {%if hide_link_labels%}<br>{%endif%}
        API Docs
@@ -51,11 +50,13 @@
        Wiki
   </a>
   {%endif%}
-  <a class="{{list_group_class}}"
-     target="_blank" 
+  <a class="{{list_group_class}} {% unless package.snapshot.documented %}disabled{% endunless %}"
+     target="_blank"
+     {% if package.snapshot.documented %}
      href="http://http404error.github.io/roseco/graph.html?id=ros.json&focus={{page.package_name}}&height=1&depth=2&tred=standard&metagroup=false&colorby=Health&direction=LR"
-     title="View RosEco package graph"
-     {% unless package.snapshot.documented %}disabled{% endunless %}>
+     {% endif %}
+     {% unless package.snapshot.documented %}href="javascript:void(0);"{% endunless %}
+     title="View RosEco package graph">
        <span style="margin-right: 5px;" class="glyphicon glyphicon-tree-deciduous"></span>
        {%if hide_link_labels%}<br>{%endif%}
        RosEco
diff --git a/_plugins/rosindex_generator.rb b/_plugins/rosindex_generator.rb
index 115d5abc..94e7f5ff 100644
--- a/_plugins/rosindex_generator.rb
+++ b/_plugins/rosindex_generator.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 require 'colorator'
 require 'fileutils'
 require 'find'
+require 'net/http'
 require 'rexml/document'
 require 'rexml/xpath'
 require 'pathname'
@@ -14,7 +15,6 @@
 require 'uri'
 require 'set'
 require 'yaml'
-require "net/http"
 require 'thread'
 
 # local libs
@@ -500,6 +500,15 @@ def extract_package(site, distro, repo, snapshot, checkout_path, path, pkg_type,
         docs_uri = "http://docs.ros2.org/#{distro}/api/#{package_name}/"
       end
 
+      # ensure documentation uri refers to an existing site
+      url = URI(docs_uri)
+      Net::HTTP.start(url.host, url.port) do |http|
+        response = http.head(url.path)
+        if response.code != '200'
+          docs_uri = ''
+        end
+      end
+
       # try to acquire information on the CI status of the package
       ci_data = get_ci_data(distro, package_name, repo.name)