I'm a bit confused by the last example. In the rendered docs (https://61232-1385122-gh.circle-artifacts.com/0/doc/build/html/gallery/ticks_and_spines/auto_ticks.html#sphx-glr-gallery-ticks-and-spines-auto-ticks-py) it seems that the limits don't extend to -0.5/+2.0, i.e. the closest round numbers, but if I run the example locally then they do (certainly, the ticks appear). Perhaps a bad interaction with sphinx-gallery? (ie. perhaps s-g always exits the last block before rendering the last figure?)

I'm a bit confused by the last example. In the rendered docs (https://61232-1385122-gh.circle-artifacts.com/0/doc/build/html/gallery/ticks_and_spines/auto_ticks.html#sphx-glr-gallery-ticks-and-spines-auto-ticks-py) it seems that the limits don't extend to -0.5/+2.0, i.e. the closest round numbers, but if I run the example locally then they do (certainly, the ticks appear). Perhaps a bad interaction with sphinx-gallery? (ie. perhaps s-g always exits the last block before rendering the last figure?)

Indeed also the second example is not rendered correctly in the docs. Both are fine when executed locally. I suspect that the problem is that sphinx-gallery has to do a savefig() which is by construction outside the context manager. I don't think there's anything we can do about that.
Anyway, I'd argue this PR is still an improvement because the code itself now works when people are copying it.

I suspect that the problem is that sphinx-gallery has to do a savefig() which is by construction outside the context manager.

Ah, likely yes.

I think you can just set the rcParams globally for the second half of the example?

doc failure is real

AttributeError: 'AxesSubplot' object has no attribute 'set_xmargins'

Fixed.