indiekit-blog/CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md - Indiekit Eleventy Theme

This file provides guidance to Claude Code when working with the Indiekit Eleventy theme.

Project Overview

This is a comprehensive Eleventy theme designed for IndieWeb-powered personal websites using Indiekit. It renders Micropub posts (articles, notes, photos, bookmarks, likes, replies, reposts), integrates with Indiekit endpoint plugins for enhanced functionality (CV, homepage builder, GitHub, Funkwhale, Last.fm, YouTube, RSS, Microsub, etc.), and includes full webmention support.

Live Site: https://rmendes.net Used as Git submodule in:

• /home/rick/code/indiekit-dev/indiekit-cloudron (Cloudron deployment)
• /home/rick/code/indiekit-dev/indiekit-deploy (Docker Compose deployment)

CRITICAL: Submodule Workflow

This repo is used as a Git submodule. After ANY changes:

1. Edit, commit, and push this repo (indiekit-eleventy-theme)
2. Update submodule pointer in parent repo(s):

cd /home/rick/code/indiekit-dev/indiekit-cloudron
git submodule update --remote eleventy-site
git add eleventy-site
git commit -m "chore: update eleventy-site submodule"
git push origin main

3. Redeploy:

cd /home/rick/code/indiekit-dev/indiekit-cloudron
make prepare  # REQUIRED — copies .rmendes files to non-suffixed versions
cloudron build --no-cache && cloudron update --app rmendes.net --no-backup

Common mistake: Editing files in indiekit-cloudron/eleventy-site/ instead of this repo. Those changes are ephemeral — always edit here.

CRITICAL: Indiekit Date Handling Convention

All dates MUST be stored and passed as ISO 8601 strings. This is the universal pattern across Indiekit and ALL @rmdes/* plugins.

The Rule

• Storage (MongoDB): Store dates as ISO strings (new Date().toISOString()), NEVER as JavaScript Date objects
• Controllers: Pass date strings through to templates unchanged — NO conversion helpers, NO formatDate() wrappers
• Templates: Use the | date Nunjucks filter for display formatting (e.g., {{ value | date("PPp") }})
• Template guards: Always wrap | date in {% if value %} to protect against null/undefined

Why This Matters

The Nunjucks | date filter is @indiekit/util's formatDate(), which calls date-fns parseISO(string). It ONLY accepts ISO 8601 strings:

• Date objects → dateString.split is not a function (CRASH)
• null / undefined → Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'match') (CRASH)
• Pre-formatted strings (e.g., "8 Feb 2025") → Invalid Date (WRONG OUTPUT)
• ISO strings (e.g., "2025-02-08T14:30:00.000Z") → Correctly formatted (WORKS)

Correct Pattern

// _data file - store/return ISO strings
export default async function () {
  const data = await fetch(...);
  return {
    lastSync: new Date().toISOString(),  // ← ISO string
    items: data.map(item => ({
      published: item.published || null,  // ← already ISO string from API
    }))
  };
}

{# Template - use | date filter, guard for null #}
{% if lastSync %}
  {{ lastSync | date("PPp") }}
{% endif %}

Architecture

Data Flow: Plugin → JSON → _data → Template

Indiekit Plugin (backend, jail node)
  → writes JSON to content/.indiekit/*.json
  → GitHub Action fetches homepage.json via SSH before build
  → _data/*.js reads JSON file
  → Nunjucks template renders data

homepage.json is fetched at deploy time — the deploy.yml workflow SSHes into the server and runs sudo bastille cmd node cat /usr/local/indiekit/content/.indiekit/homepage.json before the Eleventy build. This ensures the build always uses the latest admin-saved config. Do not rely on the committed content/.indiekit/homepage.json as source of truth; it may be stale.

Example: CV plugin flow

1. @rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-cv writes content/.indiekit/cv.json
2. _data/cv.js reads the JSON file and exports the data
3. cv.njk and _includes/components/sections/cv-*.njk render the data
4. Homepage builder can include CV sections via homepageConfig.sections

Key Files by Function

Core Configuration

File	Purpose
eleventy.config.js	Eleventy configuration, plugins, filters, collections, post-build hooks
tailwind.config.js	Tailwind CSS configuration (colors, typography)
postcss.config.js	PostCSS pipeline (Tailwind, autoprefixer)
package.json	Dependencies, scripts (build, dev, build:css)

Data Files (_data/)

All _data/*.js files are ESM modules that export functions returning data objects. Most fetch from Indiekit plugin JSON files or external APIs.

File	Data Source	Purpose
site.js	Environment variables	Site config (name, URL, author, social links)
cv.js	content/.indiekit/cv.json	CV data from @rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-cv
homepageConfig.js	content/.indiekit/homepage.json (fetched from node jail at deploy time)	Homepage layout from @rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-homepage
enabledPostTypes.js	content/.indiekit/post-types.json or env	List of enabled post types for navigation
urlAliases.js	content/.indiekit/url-aliases.json	Legacy URL mappings for webmentions
blogrollStatus.js	Indiekit /blogrollapi/api/status	Checks if blogroll plugin is available
podrollStatus.js	Indiekit /podroll/api/status	Checks if podroll plugin is available
githubActivity.js	Indiekit /githubapi/api/* or GitHub API	GitHub commits, stars, featured repos
githubRepos.js	GitHub API	Starred repositories for sidebar
funkwhaleActivity.js	Indiekit Funkwhale plugin API	Listening activity
lastfmActivity.js	Indiekit Last.fm plugin API	Scrobbles, loved tracks
newsActivity.js	Indiekit IndieNews plugin API	Submitted IndieNews posts
youtubeChannel.js	YouTube Data API v3	Channel info, latest videos, live status
blueskyFeed.js	Bluesky AT Protocol API	Recent Bluesky posts for sidebar
mastodonFeed.js	Mastodon API	Recent Mastodon posts for sidebar

Data Source Pattern:

Most plugin-dependent data files:

1. Try to fetch from Indiekit plugin API first
2. Fall back to direct API (if credentials available)
3. Return { source: "indiekit" | "api" | "error", ...data }
4. Templates check source to conditionally display

Layouts (_includes/layouts/)

File	Used By	Features
base.njk	All pages	Base HTML shell with header, footer, nav, meta tags
home.njk	Homepage	Always delegates to homepage-builder.njk (requires content/.indiekit/homepage.json)
post.njk	Individual posts	h-entry microformat, Bridgy syndication, webmentions, reply context, photo gallery; includes post-interactions.njk → comments.njk → webmentions.njk in that order
page.njk	Static pages	Simple content wrapper, no post metadata

Components (_includes/components/)

Component	Purpose
homepage-builder.njk	Renders plugin-configured homepage layout (single/two-column, sections, sidebar)
homepage-section.njk	Router for section types (hero, cv-*, custom-html, recent-posts)
homepage-sidebar.njk	Renders plugin-configured sidebar widgets
homepage-footer.njk	Full-width footer below the main layout; renders homepageConfig.footer sections in a 3-column grid
sidebar.njk	Default sidebar (author card, social activity, GitHub, Funkwhale, blogroll, categories)
blog-sidebar.njk	Sidebar for blog/post pages (recent posts, categories)
h-card.njk	Microformat2 h-card for author identity
reply-context.njk	Displays reply-to/like-of/repost-of/bookmark-of context with h-cite
post-interactions.njk	Per-post inbound webmentions (likes, reposts, replies, mentions) in card style; client-side AlpineJS, fetches from /webmentions/api/mentions + /conversations/api/mentions, hidden when empty; placed before comments
webmentions.njk	Build-time webmention display (facepile + reply cards) + send form; shown after comments
comments.njk	IndieAuth-gated comment form and thread; shown between post-interactions and webmentions
empty-collection.njk	Fallback message when a post type collection is empty

Sections (_includes/components/sections/)

Homepage builder sections:

Section	Config Type	Purpose
hero.njk	hero	Full-width hero with avatar, name, bio, social links; carries the homepage h-card microformat
recent-posts.njk	recent-posts	Recent posts grid (configurable maxItems, postTypes filter)
cv-experience.njk	cv-experience	Work experience timeline from CV data
cv-skills.njk	cv-skills	Skills with proficiency bars from CV data
cv-education.njk	cv-education	Education history from CV data
cv-projects.njk	cv-projects	Featured projects from CV data
cv-interests.njk	cv-interests	Personal interests from CV data
custom-html.njk	custom-html	Arbitrary HTML content (from admin UI)

Widgets (_includes/components/widgets/)

Sidebar widgets:

Widget	Data Source	Purpose
author-card.njk	site.author	h-card with avatar, bio, social links
social-activity.njk	blueskyFeed, mastodonFeed	Recent posts from Bluesky/Mastodon
github-repos.njk	githubActivity, githubRepos	Featured repos, recent commits
funkwhale.njk	funkwhaleActivity	Now playing, listening stats
recent-posts.njk	collections.posts	Recent posts list (for non-blog pages)
blogroll.njk	Blogroll API	Recently updated blogs from OPML/Microsub
categories.njk	collections.categories	Category list with post counts

Top-Level Templates (*.njk)

Page templates in the root directory:

Template	Permalink	Purpose
index.njk	/	Homepage (uses home.njk layout)
about.njk	/about/	About page with full h-card
cv.njk	/cv/	CV page with all sections
blog.njk	/blog/	All posts chronologically
articles.njk	/articles/	Articles collection
notes.njk	/notes/	Notes collection
photos.njk	/photos/	Photos collection
bookmarks.njk	/bookmarks/	Bookmarks collection
likes.njk	/likes/	Likes collection
replies.njk	/replies/	Replies collection
reposts.njk	/reposts/	Reposts collection
interactions.njk	/interactions/	Combined social interactions
slashes.njk	/slashes/	Index of all slash pages
categories.njk	/categories/:slug/	Posts by category (pagination template)
categories-index.njk	/categories/	All categories index
github.njk	/github/	GitHub activity page
funkwhale.njk	/funkwhale/	Funkwhale listening page
listening.njk	/listening/	Last.fm listening page
youtube.njk	/youtube/	YouTube channel page
blogroll.njk	/blogroll/	Blogroll page (client-side data fetch)
podroll.njk	/podroll/	Podroll (podcast episodes) page
news.njk	/news/	IndieNews submissions page
search.njk	/search/	Pagefind search UI
feed.njk	/feed.xml	RSS 2.0 feed
feed-json.njk	/feed.json	JSON Feed 1.1
404.njk	/404.html	404 error page
changelog.njk	/changelog/	Site changelog
webmention-debug.njk	/webmention-debug/	Debug page for webmentions

Eleventy Configuration Highlights

Collections

Collection	Glob Pattern	Purpose
posts	content/**/*.md	All content combined
articles	content/articles/**/*.md	Long-form posts
notes	content/notes/**/*.md	Short status updates
photos	content/photos/**/*.md	Photo posts
bookmarks	content/bookmarks/**/*.md	Saved links
likes	content/likes/**/*.md	Liked posts
replies	Filtered by inReplyTo property	Reply posts
reposts	Filtered by repostOf property	Repost posts
pages	content/*.md + content/pages/*.md	Slash pages (/about, /now, /uses, etc.)
feed	content/**/*.md (first 20)	Homepage/RSS feed
categories	Deduplicated from all posts	Category list

Note: replies and reposts collections are dynamically filtered by property, not by directory. Supports both camelCase (inReplyTo, repostOf) and underscore (in_reply_to, repost_of) naming.

Custom Filters

Filter	Purpose	Usage
dateDisplay	Format date as "January 1, 2025"	{{ date | dateDisplay }}
isoDate	Convert to ISO 8601 string	{{ date | isoDate }}
date	Format date with custom format	{{ date | date("MMM d, yyyy") }}
truncate	Truncate string to max length	{{ text | truncate(200) }}
ogDescription	Strip HTML, decode entities, truncate	{{ content | ogDescription(200) }}
extractFirstImage	Extract first <img src> from content	{{ content | extractFirstImage }}
obfuscateEmail	Convert email to HTML entities	{{ email | obfuscateEmail }}
head	Get first N items from array	{{ array | head(5) }}
slugify	Convert string to slug	{{ name | slugify }}
hash	MD5 hash of file for cache busting	{{ '/css/style.css' | hash }}
timestamp	Current Unix timestamp	{{ '' | timestamp }}
webmentionsForUrl	Filter webmentions by URL + aliases	{{ webmentions | webmentionsForUrl(page.url, urlAliases) }}
webmentionsByType	Filter by type (likes, reposts, replies)	{{ mentions | webmentionsByType('likes') }}
jsonEncode	JSON.stringify for JSON feed	{{ value | jsonEncode }}
dateToRfc822	RFC 2822 format for RSS	{{ date | dateToRfc822 }}

Plugins

Plugin	Purpose
@11ty/eleventy-plugin-rss	RSS feed filters (dateToRfc2822, absoluteUrl)
@11ty/eleventy-plugin-syntaxhighlight	Syntax highlighting for code blocks
@11ty/eleventy-img	Automatic image optimization (webp, lazy loading)
eleventy-plugin-embed-everything	Auto-embed YouTube, Vimeo, Mastodon, Bluesky, Spotify
@chrisburnell/eleventy-cache-webmentions	Build-time webmention caching
@quasibit/eleventy-plugin-sitemap	Sitemap generation
html-minifier-terser	HTML minification (production only)
pagefind	Search indexing (post-build via eleventy.after hook)

Transforms

Transform	Purpose
youtube-link-to-embed	Converts YouTube links to embeds
htmlmin	Minifies HTML (build mode only, not watch mode)
eleventyImageTransformPlugin	Optimizes <img> tags

Post-Build Hooks (eleventy.after)

1. Pagefind indexing — indexes all HTML files for search
2. WebSub hub notification — notifies subscribers of feed updates (/, /feed.xml, /feed.json)

IndieWeb Features

Microformats2

• h-card (author identity): Name, photo, bio, location, social links with rel="me". On the homepage, the h-card lives in _includes/components/sections/hero.njk (h-card on <section>, p-name/u-url/u-photo/p-job-title/p-note on inner elements). The authorUrl resolves from homepageConfig.identity.url → site.author.url → site.url.
• h-entry (post markup): All post types properly marked up
• h-feed (feed markup): Machine-readable post lists
• h-cite (reply context): Cites external content in replies/likes/reposts

Webmentions

• Build-time caching via @chrisburnell/eleventy-cache-webmentions
• Client-side real-time fetching via /js/webmentions.js
• Displays likes, reposts, replies with avatars
• Send webmention form on every post
• Legacy URL support via urlAliases (for micro.blog and old blog URLs)

IndieAuth

• rel="me" links in <head> for identity verification
• Bluesky uses rel="me atproto" for AT Protocol verification
• Fediverse creator meta tag for Mastodon verification

Micropub Endpoints

Base layout includes <link> tags pointing to Indiekit endpoints:

<link rel="authorization_endpoint" href="{{ site.url }}/auth">
<link rel="token_endpoint" href="{{ site.url }}/auth/token">
<link rel="micropub" href="{{ site.url }}/micropub">
<link rel="microsub" href="{{ site.url }}/microsub">

Bridgy Syndication

Posts include hidden Bridgy syndication content in post.njk:

<p class="p-summary e-bridgy-mastodon-content e-bridgy-bluesky-content hidden">
  {# Interaction posts include emoji + target URL #}
  🔖 {{ bookmarkedUrl }} - {{ description }}
</p>

Bridgy reads this content when syndicating to Bluesky/Mastodon. Interaction types (bookmarks, likes, replies, reposts) include emoji prefix and target URL.

Code Style

TypeScript/JavaScript

• ESM modules: "type": "module" in package.json
• Async data files: export default async function () { ... }
• Data source pattern: Return { source: "indiekit" | "api" | "error", ...data }
• Date handling: Always use ISO 8601 strings (new Date().toISOString())

Nunjucks Templates

• Property name compatibility: Support both camelCase and underscore names:

{% set bookmarkedUrl = bookmarkOf or bookmark_of %}
{% set replyTo = inReplyTo or in_reply_to %}

• Date filter guards: Always check for null/undefined:

{% if published %}
  {{ published | date("PPp") }}
{% endif %}

• Markdown engine disabled: markdownTemplateEngine: false to prevent parsing {{ in content
• Safe filter usage: Use | safe for trusted HTML content only
• Microformats classes: Follow IndieWeb conventions (h-entry, p-name, dt-published, e-content, u-photo, etc.)

CSS

• Tailwind CSS for all styling
• Dark mode: dark: variants, controlled by .dark class on <html>
• Custom color palette: primary (blue) and surface (neutral)
• Typography plugin: prose classes for content rendering
• Responsive design: Mobile-first, breakpoints: sm:, md:, lg:

Common Tasks

Adding a New Post Type

1. Create collection in eleventy.config.js:

eleventyConfig.addCollection("checkins", function (collectionApi) {
  return collectionApi
    .getFilteredByGlob("content/checkins/**/*.md")
    .sort((a, b) => b.date - a.date);
});

2. Create collection page (e.g., checkins.njk):

---
layout: layouts/page.njk
title: Check-ins
withBlogSidebar: true
permalink: /checkins/
---
{% for post in collections.checkins %}
  {# render post #}
{% endfor %}

3. Add to enabledPostTypes (optional, for nav):

Edit _data/enabledPostTypes.js or set POST_TYPES env var.

4. Update reply-context.njk if the post type has a target URL property.

5. Update post.njk Bridgy content if the post type needs special syndication text.

6. Commit, push, and update submodule.

Adding a New Data Source

1. Create _data/newSource.js:

import EleventyFetch from "@11ty/eleventy-fetch";

const INDIEKIT_URL = process.env.SITE_URL || "https://example.com";

export default async function () {
  try {
    const url = `${INDIEKIT_URL}/newapi/api/data`;
    const data = await EleventyFetch(url, {
      duration: "15m",
      type: "json",
    });
    return {
      source: "indiekit",
      ...data,
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.log(`[newSource] API unavailable: ${error.message}`);
    return {
      source: "error",
      items: [],
    };
  }
}

2. Use in template:

{% if newSource and newSource.source == "indiekit" %}
  {% for item in newSource.items %}
    {# render item #}
  {% endfor %}
{% endif %}

3. Add status check to base.njk navigation (if needed).

Adding a New Homepage Section

1. Create section template in _includes/components/sections/:

{# new-section.njk #}
{% set sectionConfig = section.config or {} %}
{% set maxItems = sectionConfig.maxItems or 5 %}

<section class="mb-8 sm:mb-12">
  <h2 class="text-xl sm:text-2xl font-bold">{{ sectionConfig.title or "New Section" }}</h2>
  {# render content #}
</section>

2. Register in homepage-section.njk:

{% if section.type == "new-section" %}
  {% include "components/sections/new-section.njk" %}

3. Plugin integration: The plugin that provides this section should register it via homepageSections in Indiekit.

Debugging Webmentions

1. Check build-time cache: Look at webmention-debug.njk page
2. Check client-side fetch: Open browser console, check for fetch requests to /webmentions/api/mentions
3. Verify target URL: Webmentions must match exact URL (with or without trailing slash)
4. Check legacy URLs: Verify urlAliases data includes old URLs if needed

Theming and Customization

1. Colors: Edit tailwind.config.js → theme.extend.colors
2. Typography: Edit tailwind.config.js → theme.extend.typography
3. CSS utilities: Add custom utilities to css/tailwind.css
4. Rebuild CSS: npm run build:css (or make build:css in parent repo)

Anti-Patterns

1. ❌ Forgetting to update submodule after changes
2. ❌ Editing files in submodule directory (indiekit-cloudron/eleventy-site/)
3. ❌ Using Date objects instead of ISO strings for dates
4. ❌ Not guarding | date filters against null/undefined
5. ❌ Using only underscore property names (support both camelCase and underscore)
6. ❌ Using markdownTemplateEngine: "njk" (breaks code samples with {{)
7. ❌ Hardcoding personal data in templates (use environment variables)
8. ❌ Forgetting to run make prepare before cloudron build (deploys stale config)
9. ❌ Using unsafe HTML string assignment in client-side JS (security hooks reject it — use createElement + textContent)
10. ❌ Removing overrides without checking if they shadow submodule files (causes stale data)

Troubleshooting

"dateString.split is not a function"

Cause: A Date object was passed to the | date filter. Fix: Store dates as ISO strings from the start: new Date().toISOString()

Stale data in homepage/CV despite correct JSON files

Cause: Override file in indiekit-cloudron/overrides/eleventy-site/ shadows the submodule. Fix: Delete the override file and reset submodule: cd eleventy-site && git checkout -- _data/file.js

Webmentions not appearing

Causes:

• Build-time cache expired (rebuild to refresh)
• Client-side JS blocked by CSP (check console)
• Target URL mismatch (check with/without trailing slash)
• webmention.io down (check status)

Fix: Check webmention-debug.njk page, verify webmentionsForUrl filter is working.

Plugin data not appearing in navigation

Cause: The plugin's status endpoint is unavailable or returning source: "error". Fix: Check the plugin's API is running, verify environment variables are set.

YouTube embeds not working

Causes:

• URL doesn't match pattern (must be youtube.com/watch or youtu.be)
• Link text doesn't contain "youtube" or URL (transform matches specific patterns)

Fix: Use embed plugin shortcode or raw <iframe> instead.

Workspace Context

This repo is part of the Indiekit development workspace at /home/rick/code/indiekit-dev/. See the workspace CLAUDE.md for the full repository map and plugin architecture.