diff --git a/.changeset/neat-spiders-chew.md b/.changeset/neat-spiders-chew.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..56d363ffe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/neat-spiders-chew.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@myst-theme/site': patch
+'@myst-theme/book': patch
+---
+
+Add `outline_maxdepth` to document outline
diff --git a/packages/site/src/components/DocumentOutline.tsx b/packages/site/src/components/DocumentOutline.tsx
index 92ec6f274..e82cae73f 100644
--- a/packages/site/src/components/DocumentOutline.tsx
+++ b/packages/site/src/components/DocumentOutline.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ const HIGHLIGHT_CLASS = 'highlight';
 const onClient = typeof document !== 'undefined';
 
 type Heading = {
+  element: HTMLHeadingElement;
   id: string;
   title: string;
   titleHTML: string;
@@ -46,15 +47,15 @@ const Headings = ({ headings, activeId, highlight, selector }: Props) => (
       >
         <a
           className={classNames('block p-1', {
-            'text-slate-900 dark:text-slate-50': heading.level < 3 && heading.id !== activeId,
-            'text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-300': heading.level >= 3 && heading.id !== activeId,
+            'text-slate-900 dark:text-slate-50': heading.level < 2 && heading.id !== activeId,
+            'text-slate-500 dark:text-slate-300': heading.level >= 2 && heading.id !== activeId,
             'text-blue-600 dark:text-white font-bold': heading.id === activeId,
             'pr-2': heading.id !== activeId, // Allows for bold to change length
-            'pl-2': heading.level === 1 || heading.level === 2,
-            'pl-4': heading.level === 3,
-            'pl-8 text-xs': heading.level === 4,
-            'pl-10 text-xs font-light': heading.level === 5,
-            'pl-12 text-xs font-extralight': heading.level === 6,
+            'pl-2': heading.level === 1,
+            'pl-4': heading.level === 2,
+            'pl-8 text-xs': heading.level === 3,
+            'pl-10 text-xs font-light': heading.level === 4,
+            'pl-12 text-xs font-extralight': heading.level === 5,
           })}
           href={`#${heading.id}`}
           onClick={(e) => {
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ function getHeaders(selector: string): HTMLHeadingElement[] {
   return headers as HTMLHeadingElement[];
 }
 
-function useHeaders(selector: string) {
+function useHeaders(selector: string, maxdepth: number) {
   if (!onClient) return { activeId: '', headings: [] };
   const onScreen = useRef<Set<HTMLHeadingElement>>(new Set());
   const [activeId, setActiveId] = useState<string>();
@@ -145,28 +146,35 @@ function useHeaders(selector: string) {
     Array.from(elements).map((e) => observer.current?.observe(e));
   }, [observer]);
 
-  elements.forEach((e) => {
-    if (headingsSet.current.has(e)) return;
-    observer.current?.observe(e);
-    headingsSet.current.add(e);
-  });
-
+  let minLevel = 10;
   const headings: Heading[] = elements
-    .map((heading) => {
+    .map((element) => {
       return {
-        level: Number(heading.tagName.slice(1)),
-        id: heading.id,
-        text: heading.querySelector('.heading-text'),
+        element,
+        level: Number(element.tagName.slice(1)),
+        id: element.id,
+        text: element.querySelector('.heading-text'),
       };
     })
     .filter((h) => !!h.text)
-    .map(({ level, text, id }) => {
+    .map(({ element, level, text, id }) => {
       const { innerText: title, innerHTML: titleHTML } = cloneHeadingElement(
         text as HTMLSpanElement,
       );
-      return { title, titleHTML, id, level };
+      minLevel = Math.min(minLevel, level);
+      return { element, title, titleHTML, id, level };
+    })
+    .filter((heading) => {
+      heading.level = heading.level - minLevel + 1;
+      return heading.level < maxdepth + 1;
     });
 
+  headings.forEach(({ element: e }) => {
+    if (headingsSet.current.has(e)) return;
+    observer.current?.observe(e);
+    headingsSet.current.add(e);
+  });
+
   return { activeId, highlight, headings };
 }
 
@@ -224,6 +232,7 @@ export const DocumentOutline = ({
   className,
   selector = SELECTOR,
   children,
+  maxdepth = 4,
 }: {
   outlineRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLElement>;
   top?: number;
@@ -231,8 +240,9 @@ export const DocumentOutline = ({
   className?: string;
   selector?: string;
   children?: React.ReactNode;
+  maxdepth?: number;
 }) => {
-  const { activeId, headings, highlight } = useHeaders(selector);
+  const { activeId, headings, highlight } = useHeaders(selector, maxdepth);
   if (headings.length <= 1 || !onClient) {
     return <nav suppressHydrationWarning>{children}</nav>;
   }
diff --git a/themes/book/app/routes/$.tsx b/themes/book/app/routes/$.tsx
index b69650dc5..12a259337 100644
--- a/themes/book/app/routes/$.tsx
+++ b/themes/book/app/routes/$.tsx
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ interface BookThemeTemplateOptions {
   hide_toc?: boolean;
   hide_outline?: boolean;
   hide_footer_links?: boolean;
+  outline_maxdepth?: number;
 }
 
 export default function Page() {
@@ -99,13 +100,21 @@ export default function Page() {
   const pageDesign: BookThemeTemplateOptions = (article.frontmatter as any)?.options ?? {};
   const siteDesign: BookThemeTemplateOptions =
     (useSiteManifest() as SiteManifest & BookThemeTemplateOptions)?.options ?? {};
-  const { hide_toc, hide_outline, hide_footer_links } = { ...siteDesign, ...pageDesign };
+  const { hide_toc, hide_outline, hide_footer_links, outline_maxdepth } = {
+    ...siteDesign,
+    ...pageDesign,
+  };
   return (
     <ArticlePageAndNavigation hide_toc={hide_toc} projectSlug={article.project}>
       <main ref={container} className="article-grid subgrid-gap col-screen">
         {!hide_outline && (
           <div className="sticky z-10 hidden h-0 col-margin-right-inset lg:block" style={{ top }}>
-            <DocumentOutline top={16} className="relative" outlineRef={outline} />
+            <DocumentOutline
+              top={16}
+              className="relative"
+              outlineRef={outline}
+              maxdepth={outline_maxdepth}
+            />
           </div>
         )}
         <ArticlePage article={article} hide_all_footer_links={hide_footer_links} />
diff --git a/themes/book/template.yml b/themes/book/template.yml
index bd8da449a..9981a3986 100644
--- a/themes/book/template.yml
+++ b/themes/book/template.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ options:
   - type: boolean
     id: hide_outline
     description: Hide the document outline on all pages
+  - type: number
+    id: outline_maxdepth
+    description: The maximum depth to show on the document outline, for example, `2` would show only two depths of headings (e.g. `<H1>` and `<H2>`).
+    min: 1
+    max: 6
+    integer: true
   - type: string
     id: twitter
     description: Twitter handle related to the site