diff --git a/app/index.html b/app/index.html
index f9c18f3..af6b645 100644
--- a/app/index.html
+++ b/app/index.html
@@ -952,7 +952,7 @@ body {
 
   // Category state (phase 3)
   let categoriesUse = false;
-  let categoriesList = [];        // [{code, name, direction, message, notfoundmessage, pagenotfoundmessage, font, ...}]
+  let categoriesList = [];        // [{code, name, direction, message, notfoundmessage, pagenotfoundmessage, visibilityifnocontent, font, ...}]
   let categoriesByCode = {};      // code → category object
   let defaultCategoryCode = null;
   let activeCategory = null;      // current code
@@ -1210,6 +1210,7 @@ body {
     //   - Home page: always show (per config.homepage or default 'pages/home.md')
     //   - Variant exists for active category: show
     //   - Active category has notfoundmessage: show (renderer falls back to default language)
+    //   - Active category has visibilityifnocontent: visible: show (renderer shows pagenotfoundmessage)
     //   - Otherwise: hide
     if (!categoriesUse) return true;
     if (page.file === defaultPage()) return true;
@@ -1217,7 +1218,7 @@ body {
     const variants = page.variants || [];
     if (variants.includes(activeCategory)) return true;
     const cat = categoriesByCode[activeCategory];
-    return !!(cat && cat.notfoundmessage);
+    return !!(cat && (cat.notfoundmessage || cat.visibilityifnocontent === 'visible'));
   }
 
   // ─── Theme ────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -2252,7 +2253,8 @@ function fmtDatetime(dtStr) {
   function visibleCategoryCodesForCurrentPage() {
     // Which categories should appear in the dropdown:
     //  - the variant exists for this page, OR
-    //  - the category has a notfoundmessage
+    //  - the category has a notfoundmessage (fallback to default content), OR
+    //  - the category has visibilityifnocontent: visible (shows pagenotfoundmessage instead)
     //  - always include the active category so user can see what they're on
     const out = new Set();
     const page = currentPage
@@ -2260,8 +2262,8 @@ function fmtDatetime(dtStr) {
       : null;
     categoriesList.forEach(cat => {
       const hasVariant = !page || page.uncategorized || !(page.variants && page.variants.length) || page.variants.includes(cat.code);
-      const hasMsg = !!cat.notfoundmessage;
-      if (hasVariant || hasMsg || cat.code === activeCategory) out.add(cat.code);
+      const alwaysVisible = !!cat.notfoundmessage || cat.visibilityifnocontent === 'visible';
+      if (hasVariant || alwaysVisible || cat.code === activeCategory) out.add(cat.code);
     });
     return out;
   }
diff --git a/docs/reference-config.md b/docs/reference-config.md
index 6c91062..0c0d829 100644
--- a/docs/reference-config.md
+++ b/docs/reference-config.md
@@ -151,16 +151,46 @@ categories-use: yes            # Enable the category system. Default: no.
 
 default-category:              # The category used when no ?cat= parameter is in the URL.
   code: en                     # Short code. Used in filenames (page.en.md) and URL params.
-  name: English                # Display name shown in the category selector.
+  name: English                # Display name shown in the category dropdown list.
+  message: English             # Label shown on the selector bar (trigger button). Falls back to name.
+  name-latin: English          # Secondary label shown in the dropdown alongside name. Use when name
+                               # is in a non-Latin script (e.g. Arabic, Devanagari) to aid recognition.
+                               # Omit if name is already Latin or identical to name.
   direction: ltr               # Text direction. ltr or rtl. Default: ltr.
+                               # rtl flips the nav position and content text direction.
+  notfoundmessage: "Not available in this language"
+                               # Short note shown in the dropdown when no variant exists for the
+                               # current page. Also enables fallback: the renderer will fall back to
+                               # the default-category content instead of hiding the page.
+                               # Omit to hide the category from the dropdown when no variant exists.
+  visibilityifnocontent: hidden  # hidden (default) or visible.
+                               # hidden: category disappears from the selector when no variant exists
+                               #   for the current page (unless notfoundmessage is also set).
+                               # visible: category stays in the selector regardless. When the user
+                               #   navigates to a page with no variant, pagenotfoundmessage is shown
+                               #   in the content area. No fallback to default-category content.
+  pagenotfoundmessage: "This page is not yet available in English."
+                               # Message shown in the content area when a page cannot be fetched for
+                               # this category. Overrides the top-level pagenotfoundmessage.
+  font: NotoNastaliqUrdu-Regular.ttf
+                               # Font filename inside assets/fonts/. Loaded on demand when this
+                               # category is activated. Useful for scripts that need a specific font.
+  line-height: 2.8             # Line height override for this category. Useful for scripts like
+                               # Nastaliq that need extra vertical space. Restores to theme default
+                               # when switching away.
 
-categories:                    # Additional categories.
+categories:                    # Additional categories. Each entry supports the same keys as
+                               # default-category above.
   - code: nb
     name: Norsk
     direction: ltr
   - code: ar
     name: عربي
-    direction: rtl             # RTL flips nav position and content text direction.
+    name-latin: Arabic
+    direction: rtl
+    notfoundmessage: "غير متاح"
+    font: NotoNastaliqUrdu-Regular.ttf
+    line-height: 2.8
 
 categories-sectionnames: same  # How section names are shown per category.
                                # same: all categories share one section name (defaultname in nav.yml).
@@ -170,6 +200,21 @@ categories-selecticon: globe   # Icon shown in the category selector bar. SVG na
 categories-selecttext: "Language"  # Label shown next to the icon in the category selector bar.
 ```
 
+### Per-category keys summary
+
+| Key | Required | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `code` | Yes | Short identifier used in filenames (`page.nb.md`) and the `?cat=` URL param. |
+| `name` | Yes | Display name shown in the dropdown list. |
+| `message` | No | Label shown on the selector trigger button. Falls back to `name`. |
+| `name-latin` | No | Secondary label in the dropdown, shown alongside `name` when `name` uses a non-Latin script. |
+| `direction` | No | `ltr` or `rtl`. Default: `ltr`. RTL flips nav and content direction. |
+| `notfoundmessage` | No | Short note shown in the dropdown when no variant exists for the current page. Also enables fallback to default-category content. |
+| `visibilityifnocontent` | No | `hidden` (default) or `visible`. `visible` keeps the category in the selector when no variant exists; navigating to it shows `pagenotfoundmessage` with no fallback to default content. |
+| `pagenotfoundmessage` | No | Message shown in the content area when a page cannot be fetched for this category. Overrides the top-level `pagenotfoundmessage`. |
+| `font` | No | Font filename from `assets/fonts/`. Loaded on demand when this category is activated. |
+| `line-height` | No | Body line height override for this category. Restores to theme default when switching away. |
+
 ---
 
 ## Reusable callout messages
@@ -228,6 +273,30 @@ offline-message:
   nb: "Du er frakoblet. Koble til og last inn på nytt."
 
 language: en
+pagenotfoundmessage: "Please select a page to continue."
+
+categories-use: yes
+default-category:
+  code: en
+  name: English
+  direction: ltr
+categories:
+  - code: nb
+    name: Norsk
+    direction: ltr
+    visibilityifnocontent: visible
+    pagenotfoundmessage: "Denne siden er ikke tilgjengelig på norsk ennå."
+  - code: ar
+    name: عربي
+    name-latin: Arabic
+    direction: rtl
+    notfoundmessage: "غير متاح"
+    pagenotfoundmessage: "هذه الصفحة غير متاحة."
+    font: NotoNastaliqUrdu-Regular.ttf
+    line-height: 2.8
+categories-sectionnames: same
+categories-selecticon: globe
+categories-selecttext: "Language"
 
 callouts:
   aitranslation:
diff --git a/docs/reference-pages.md b/docs/reference-pages.md
index f1e4607..6598ad9 100644
--- a/docs/reference-pages.md
+++ b/docs/reference-pages.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ All keys you can use inside a markdown page in `pages/` or `posts/`.
 
 A page has two parts:
 
-```markdown
+````markdown
 ---
 # Frontmatter (YAML, optional except for title)
 title: My Page
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ toc
 ```
 
 Regular markdown, plus mdcms code blocks for callouts, table of contents, post lists.
-```
+
+````
 
 ---