Random notes to myself

Transform how you build static sites with structured content. The Metalsmith2025 structured content starter brings component architecture, smart dependency bundling, and fluid responsive design - no frameworks needed.

Metalsmith Plugin MCP Server is a good example of how AI can assist in development. But what started over a weekend turned into a real development framework, shaped by real-world usage, trial-and-error, and a growing understanding of how AI needs to be guided, not just invited.

Discover how to use Claude AI and MCP servers to automate plugin development. A step-by-step weekend project that transforms repetitive Metalsmith plugin creation into an AI-powered conversation, complete with testing examples and practical insights.

Instead of starting with content and adding MDN components, what if we began with components and composed them into pages?

Developers celebrate migrating blogs to Astro or Next.js, describing complex build processes as 'easier than React.' But why does a blog need to fly? Sometimes simple tools are the sophisticated choice.

While working on the blog series Metalsmith Redux (Static Site Generation in 2025), I developed several new plugins with the assistance of Claude AI, which led me to create a standardized template for Metalsmith plugins.

We explore a common challenge when working with Markdown-based content: how do you include structured, reusable components within your long-text content?

Templating with Nunjucks is central to how Metalsmith transforms content into a polished website. It provides the structure and logic needed to create consistent, maintainable sites while keeping content separate from presentation

We examine package.json, one of the most important files in any Node.js project. While it might not be the most exciting file in our project, package.json is crucial. It defines our project, what it depends on, and the commands we can run to build, develop, and maintain it

We examine package.json, one of the most important files in any Node.js project. While it might not be the most exciting file in our project, package.json is crucial. It defines our project, what it depends on, and the commands we can run to build, develop, and maintain it

Understanding the file structure of a Metalsmith project is key to working with it effectively. Don't worry if it seems a bit overwhelming at first—we'll walk through each part step by step, explaining what it does and why it matters.

Now it's time to set up our first Metalsmith project. Don't worry if you're new to static site generators or even to web development in general. This guide is writtento be straightforward and approachable.