diff --git a/DESIGN_SHOW.md b/DESIGN_SHOW.md
index 92cedb9..6a74905 100644
--- a/DESIGN_SHOW.md
+++ b/DESIGN_SHOW.md
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ docstrings. (References *inside* a docstring are unresolved in `.odoc`; that
 only matters if we want to turn doc-comment cross-references into links — see
 Open questions.)
 
-## From resolved identifier to docstring
+## From resolved identifier to the owning unit
 
 This is the one piece `odoc link`/`url.ml` doesn't already hand us — and the
 chosen approach is to **load the target unit's linked `.odocl` and walk its
@@ -121,11 +121,34 @@ heading such as `{2 …}` is *not* a top-comment — it is a floating comment it
 so a module whose signature opens with only a heading correctly reports "no
 documentation found".)
 
-## Rendering to Markdown
+## Rendering to Markdown — page vs. leaf
 
-odoc's rendering pipeline is Lang → `Odoc_document` IR → backend. The doc
-comment's `elements` go into the IR via `Odoc_document.Comment.standalone`, and
-the Markdown backend (`src/markdown2`, library `odoc.markdown`) serialises it.
+What we render depends on what the reference points at, discriminated by
+`Odoc_document.Url.from_identifier ~stop_before:false id`: an identifier whose
+URL has an **empty anchor** is its own page (a module, module type, class, or
+the unit itself); anything with an anchor is an item living *inside* a page (a
+value, type, exception, …).
+
+**Module-like (empty anchor): render the whole page.** Just printing the
+top-comment throws away the body, so instead we render the entire module the
+way `odoc markdown-generate` would:
+
+```ocaml
+let doc   = Odoc_document.Renderer.document_of_compilation_unit ~syntax:OCaml cu in
+let pages = Odoc_markdown.Generator.render ~config doc in
+(* pages is a tree: the unit's own page plus a child page per nested
+   module/class. Pick the one whose Url.Path matches the target identifier
+   and render its [content] formatter to a string. *)
+```
+
+This yields a heading, the module's doc, and each member's signature line with
+its synopsis — e.g. the shape of odoc's own
+`test/generators/markdown/Toplevel_comments.md`. Rendering the whole owning unit
+to reach a nested module's child page is a little wasteful for a big unit like
+`Stdlib`, but simple and correct; optimise later if it bites.
+
+**Leaf (non-empty anchor): render just the doc comment.** The comment's
+`elements` go into the IR via `Odoc_document.Comment.standalone`;
 `Renderer.to_string` takes a single block, so the item list is wrapped in
 `Renderer.Block.Blocks`:
 
@@ -177,10 +200,11 @@ the switch's odoc.
 - **Choosing among multiple matches.** A bare module name ambiguous across
   packages currently resolves to whichever odoc lists first. A `--package`
   filter (as `search` has) would let the user disambiguate deliberately.
-- **Whole-item rendering.** `show` prints only the doc *comment*. Rendering the
-  item's signature (the `type`/`val` declaration) above it is a different
-  `Odoc_document` entry point (`Generator.Make`) and a larger job; out of scope
-  for the first cut.
+- **Leaf signatures.** Module-like references render the full page, but a *leaf*
+  reference (a `val`/`type`/…) still prints only its doc *comment*, not the
+  `val foo : …` / `type t = …` signature line above it. Showing that line would
+  mean locating the item's rendered entry within its parent page (or rendering
+  the single item) — a reasonable follow-up.
 - **Cross-reference link targets.** With `Base ""` the in-comment links are not
   meaningfully clickable from a terminal; a future mode could rewrite them to
   `switchdocs show` invocations or to the switch's HTML.
diff --git a/lib/show.ml b/lib/show.ml
index 1beca49..954976f 100644
--- a/lib/show.ml
+++ b/lib/show.ml
@@ -264,8 +264,10 @@ let load_unit odocl ref_str id =
 
 (* {1 Rendering} *)
 
-let render_markdown (docs : Odoc_model.Comment.docs) =
-  let config = Odoc_markdown.Config.make ~root_url:None ~allow_html:false () in
+let config = Odoc_markdown.Config.make ~root_url:None ~allow_html:false ()
+
+(* A single leaf item's doc comment, on its own. *)
+let render_docs (docs : Odoc_model.Comment.docs) =
   let blocks =
     Odoc_document.Comment.standalone docs.elements
     |> Odoc_markdown.Generator.items ~config
@@ -273,6 +275,34 @@ let render_markdown (docs : Odoc_model.Comment.docs) =
   in
   Odoc_markdown.Renderer.to_string (Odoc_markdown.Renderer.Block.Blocks blocks)
 
+let render_page_content (p : Odoc_document.Renderer.page) =
+  let b = Buffer.create 4096 in
+  let fmt = Format.formatter_of_buffer b in
+  p.content fmt;
+  Format.pp_print_flush fmt ();
+  Buffer.contents b
+
+(* Render the whole compilation unit to its tree of Markdown pages (the unit's
+   own page plus a child page per nested module/class), then return the page
+   whose path is [target] — i.e. the full content of the referenced module,
+   not just its top-comment. *)
+let render_module_page cu target =
+  let doc =
+    Odoc_document.Renderer.document_of_compilation_unit
+      ~syntax:Odoc_document.Renderer.OCaml cu
+  in
+  let pages = Odoc_markdown.Generator.render ~config doc in
+  let same a b =
+    Odoc_document.Url.Path.to_list a = Odoc_document.Url.Path.to_list b
+  in
+  let rec find pages =
+    List.find_map
+      (fun (p : Odoc_document.Renderer.page) ->
+        if same p.path target then Some p else find p.children)
+      pages
+  in
+  Option.map render_page_content (find pages)
+
 (* {1 Entry point} *)
 
 (* The resolver prints ambiguity notices straight to stderr (it cannot help it:
@@ -291,12 +321,25 @@ let with_suppressed_stderr f =
       Unix.dup2 saved Unix.stderr;
       Unix.close saved)
 
+(* The leaf-item fallback: just the doc comment. *)
+let docstring_of ref_str id cu =
+  match docs_of_unit id cu with
+  | None | Some { elements = []; _ } ->
+      Error (`Msg (Printf.sprintf "no documentation found for %s" ref_str))
+  | Some docs -> Ok (render_docs docs)
+
 let show sw ref_str =
   let directories, odocl = scan sw in
   Result.bind (with_suppressed_stderr (fun () -> resolve_to_id ~directories ref_str))
   @@ fun id ->
   Result.bind (load_unit odocl ref_str id) @@ fun cu ->
-  match docs_of_unit id cu with
-  | None | Some { elements = []; _ } ->
-      Error (`Msg (Printf.sprintf "no documentation found for %s" ref_str))
-  | Some docs -> Ok (render_markdown docs)
+  (* An identifier whose URL has no anchor is its own page (a module, module
+     type, class or the unit itself): render that whole page. Anything with an
+     anchor is an item living inside a page (a value, type, exception, …): show
+     just its doc comment. *)
+  let url = Odoc_document.Url.from_identifier ~stop_before:false id in
+  if url.Odoc_document.Url.Anchor.anchor = "" then
+    match render_module_page cu url.Odoc_document.Url.Anchor.page with
+    | Some s -> Ok s
+    | None -> docstring_of ref_str id cu
+  else docstring_of ref_str id cu