diff --git a/make_docs.sh b/make_docs.sh
index 67a2a02..6bda9d9 100755
--- a/make_docs.sh
+++ b/make_docs.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,15 @@ set -Eeuo pipefail
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
-mkdocs build --clean
+DOCS_TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+cleanup() {
+    rm -rf "$DOCS_TMP"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+python3 "$ROOT/scripts/prepare_docs_sources.py" "$ROOT/meanas" "$DOCS_TMP"
+
+MKDOCSTRINGS_PYTHON_PATH="$DOCS_TMP" mkdocs build --clean
 
 PRINT_PAGE='site/print_page/index.html'
 if [[ -f "$PRINT_PAGE" ]] && command -v htmlark >/dev/null 2>&1; then
diff --git a/meanas/fdtd/energy.py b/meanas/fdtd/energy.py
index 6df30dc..57387aa 100644
--- a/meanas/fdtd/energy.py
+++ b/meanas/fdtd/energy.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ def poynting(
     (see `meanas.tests.test_fdtd.test_poynting_planes`)
 
     The full relationship is
+
     $$
       \begin{aligned}
       (U_{l+\frac{1}{2}} - U_l) / \Delta_t
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 837284c..a0dcd2c 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ plugins:
       handlers:
         python:
           paths:
-            - .
+            - !ENV [MKDOCSTRINGS_PYTHON_PATH, "."]
           options:
             show_root_heading: true
             show_root_toc_entry: false
diff --git a/scripts/prepare_docs_sources.py b/scripts/prepare_docs_sources.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e9bcc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/prepare_docs_sources.py
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Prepare a temporary source tree for docs generation.
+
+The live source keeps readable display-math blocks written as standalone
+`$$ ... $$` docstring sections. MkDocs + mkdocstrings does not consistently
+preserve those blocks as MathJax input when they appear inside API docstrings,
+so the docs build rewrites them in a temporary copy into explicit
+`<div class="arithmatex">...</div>` containers.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+import shutil
+import sys
+
+
+def _rewrite_display_math(text: str) -> str:
+    lines = text.splitlines(keepends=True)
+    output: list[str] = []
+    in_block = False
+    block_indent = ""
+
+    for line in lines:
+        stripped = line.strip()
+        indent = line[: len(line) - len(line.lstrip())]
+
+        if not in_block:
+            if stripped == "$$":
+                block_indent = indent
+                output.append(f'{block_indent}<div class="arithmatex">\\[\n')
+                in_block = True
+                continue
+
+            if stripped.startswith("$$") and stripped.endswith("$$") and stripped != "$$":
+                body = stripped[2:-2].strip()
+                output.append(f'{indent}<div class="arithmatex">\\[ {body} \\]</div>\n')
+                continue
+
+            if stripped.startswith("$$"):
+                block_indent = indent
+                body = stripped[2:].strip()
+                output.append(f'{block_indent}<div class="arithmatex">\\[\n')
+                if body:
+                    output.append(f"{block_indent}{body}\n")
+                in_block = True
+                continue
+
+            output.append(line)
+            continue
+
+        if stripped == "$$":
+            output.append(f"{block_indent}\\]</div>\n")
+            in_block = False
+            block_indent = ""
+            continue
+
+        if stripped.endswith("$$"):
+            body = stripped[:-2].rstrip()
+            if body:
+                output.append(f"{block_indent}{body}\n")
+            output.append(f"{block_indent}\\]</div>\n")
+            in_block = False
+            block_indent = ""
+            continue
+
+        output.append(line)
+
+    if in_block:
+        raise ValueError("unterminated display-math block")
+
+    return "".join(output)
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
+        print("usage: prepare_docs_sources.py <src_package_dir> <dst_root>", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 2
+
+    src_dir = Path(sys.argv[1]).resolve()
+    dst_root = Path(sys.argv[2]).resolve()
+    dst_pkg = dst_root / src_dir.name
+
+    shutil.copytree(src_dir, dst_pkg)
+
+    for path in dst_pkg.rglob("*.py"):
+        path.write_text(_rewrite_display_math(path.read_text()))
+
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())