diff --git a/lib/options.nix b/lib/options.nix
index 637188d24d4f2..40fcca647385a 100644
--- a/lib/options.nix
+++ b/lib/options.nix
@@ -113,7 +113,11 @@ rec {
       : Optional boolean indicating whether the option is for NixOS developers only.
 
       `visible`
-      : Optional boolean indicating whether the option shows up in the manual. Default: true. Use false to hide the option and any sub-options from submodules. Use "shallow" to hide only sub-options.
+      : Optional, whether the option and/or sub-options show up in the manual.
+        Use false to hide the option and any sub-options from submodules.
+        Use "shallow" to hide only sub-options.
+        Use "transparent" to hide this option, but not its sub-options.
+        Default: true.
 
       `readOnly`
       : Optional boolean indicating whether the option can be set only once.
@@ -572,13 +576,14 @@ rec {
       opt:
       let
         name = showOption opt.loc;
+        visible = opt.visible or true;
         docOption = {
           loc = opt.loc;
           inherit name;
           description = opt.description or null;
           declarations = filter (x: x != unknownModule) opt.declarations;
           internal = opt.internal or false;
-          visible = if (opt ? visible && opt.visible == "shallow") then true else opt.visible or true;
+          visible = if isBool visible then visible else visible == "shallow";
           readOnly = opt.readOnly or false;
           type = opt.type.description or "unspecified";
         }
@@ -601,7 +606,7 @@ rec {
             ss = opt.type.getSubOptions opt.loc;
           in
           if ss != { } then optionAttrSetToDocList' opt.loc ss else [ ];
-        subOptionsVisible = docOption.visible && opt.visible or null != "shallow";
+        subOptionsVisible = if isBool visible then visible else visible == "transparent";
       in
       # To find infinite recursion in NixOS option docs:
       # builtins.trace opt.loc
diff --git a/lib/tests/misc.nix b/lib/tests/misc.nix
index 9eb887a7b6950..a9c78defdffb3 100644
--- a/lib/tests/misc.nix
+++ b/lib/tests/misc.nix
@@ -3210,6 +3210,111 @@ runTests {
     ];
   };
 
+  testDocOptionVisiblity = {
+    expr =
+      let
+        submodule =
+          { lib, ... }:
+          {
+            freeformType = lib.types.attrsOf (
+              lib.types.submodule {
+                options.bar = lib.mkOption { };
+              }
+            );
+            options.foo = lib.mkOption { };
+          };
+
+        module =
+          { lib, ... }:
+          {
+            options = {
+              shallow = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.types.submodule submodule;
+                visible = "shallow";
+              };
+              transparent = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.types.submodule submodule;
+                visible = "transparent";
+              };
+              "true" = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.types.submodule submodule;
+                visible = true;
+              };
+              "false" = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.types.submodule submodule;
+                visible = false;
+              };
+              "internal" = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.types.submodule submodule;
+                internal = true;
+              };
+            };
+          };
+
+        options =
+          (evalModules {
+            modules = [ module ];
+          }).options;
+      in
+      pipe options [
+        optionAttrSetToDocList
+        (filter (opt: !(builtins.elem "_module" opt.loc)))
+        (map (
+          opt:
+          nameValuePair opt.name {
+            inherit (opt) visible internal;
+          }
+        ))
+        listToAttrs
+      ];
+    expected = {
+      shallow = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      transparent = {
+        visible = false;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "transparent.foo" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "transparent.<name>.bar" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "true" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "true.foo" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "true.<name>.bar" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "false" = {
+        visible = false;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "internal" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = true;
+      };
+      "internal.foo" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+      "internal.<name>.bar" = {
+        visible = true;
+        internal = false;
+      };
+    };
+  };
+
   testAttrsWithName = {
     expr =
       let