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FAQ

Does any of this ship to visitors?​

No. <Copy> renders the string and nothing else — no wrapper, no attribute, no class. <CopyInkScripts /> renders nothing without a session. The test suite contains an import-graph assertion that the editor never enters the visitor bundle, and that test is the one to keep passing.

How is this different from Tina, Decap or Keystatic?​

All of them are git-backed, and all of them are reasonable. The differences:

  • copy-ink's production output has no editor markup at all, not just no visible UI.
  • Editing happens on your real page, not in a parallel admin app that renders its own preview.
  • Clients cannot create pages. That is a deliberate limit, not a missing feature — see Limits.
  • Content is plain YAML with comments preserved, and the schema only exists for collections.

If your client needs to build pages, use a CMS that does that well.

Does it need a database?​

No. Content is files in your repository; sessions live in the server process (or a store you supply). There is nothing to back up that git clone does not already have.

How fast do changes go live?​

One to three minutes: commit, rebuild, deploy. The editor says "live in about 2 minutes" for that reason. If you need instant updates, this is the wrong architecture.

Can the client break the site?​

They can change words, and they can delete a collection item. They cannot change layout, add markup, create pages, edit locked fields, or push anything that skips your CI. A bad edit is one git revert away.

Do I have to give the client repo access?​

No, and you should not. They sign in with GitHub OAuth so you know who they are; the commit is made by a GitHub App installation scoped to contents: write on one repository. See Auth and backends.

Can they sign in with something other than GitHub?​

Implement AuthProvider and pass it to setServices. The interface is three methods, and it stays paired with whatever backend you like — that separation is why the two interfaces exist.

What about GitLab, Gitea or Forgejo?​

Not in v1. ContentBackend is four methods, so an adapter is a small piece of work if you need one.

Does it work with a statically exported site?​

It renders content, but it cannot use the GitHub backend — the OAuth code-for-token exchange needs a route handler. copy-ink doctor reports this.

Does it support Pages Router?​

No, and it will not. App Router Server Components are what make zero-JS rendering possible.

What happens if two people edit at once?​

The second publish is rejected with "someone else changed this page — reload." The changeset carries a base SHA, and there is no merging in v1.

Can I use it with a monorepo / a non-standard root?​

Yes — setupCopyInk(config, { root }) and the CLI's --root both take a project root.

Will images bloat my repository?​

They can. Every uploaded byte is a byte in git history forever. copy-ink prune removes unreferenced files, but history keeps the blobs. For image-heavy sites, point the client at a CDN host and let them paste URLs.

Can I edit content without the editor?​

Yes — it is YAML in your repo. Edit it in your editor, commit it, done. The editor is for the client, not for you.

How do I preview an edit before publishing?​

The editor shows a before/after diff at publish time. Branch-and-PR publishing, which would give you a preview deployment per changeset, is a v2 feature.

Is it production-ready?​

It is v0.2.0. The architecture is settled and the API is close, but 0.2.0 moved one extension point — SessionStore is now async — so treat the extension points as still moving. The version number is honest about the mileage. Read Limits before betting a client project on it, and set COPY_INK_SESSION_SECRET before you deploy.