hugo

Hugo Static Site Generator

Status: Production Ready | Last Updated: 2025-11-21 Latest Version: hugo@0.152.2+extended | Build Speed: <100ms

Quick Start (5 Minutes)

1. Install Hugo Extended

CRITICAL: Always install Hugo Extended edition (not Standard) unless you're certain you don't need SCSS/Sass support. Most themes require Extended.

# macOS
brew install hugo

# Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
wget https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/releases/download/v0.152.2/hugo_extended_0.152.2_linux-amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i hugo_extended_0.152.2_linux-amd64.deb

# Verify Extended edition
hugo version  # Should show "+extended"

Why this matters:

• Hugo Extended includes SCSS/Sass processing
• Most popular themes (PaperMod, Academic, Docsy) require Extended
• Standard edition will fail with "SCSS support not enabled" errors
• Extended has no downsides (same speed, same features + more)

2. Create New Hugo Site

# Use YAML format (not TOML) for better CMS compatibility
hugo new site my-blog --format yaml

# Initialize Git
cd my-blog
git init

# Add PaperMod theme (recommended for blogs)
git submodule add --depth=1 https://github.com/adityatelange/hugo-PaperMod.git themes/PaperMod

CRITICAL:

• Use --format yaml to create hugo.yaml (not hugo.toml)
• YAML is required for Sveltia CMS and recommended for TinaCMS
• TOML has known bugs in Sveltia CMS beta
• Git submodules require --recursive flag when cloning later

3. Configure and Build

# hugo.yaml - Minimal working configuration
baseURL: "https://example.com/"
title: "My Hugo Blog"
theme: "PaperMod"
languageCode: "en-us"
enableRobotsTXT: true

params:
  ShowReadingTime: true
  ShowShareButtons: true
  defaultTheme: auto  # Supports dark/light/auto

# Create first post
hugo new content posts/first-post.md

# Run development server (with live reload)
hugo server

# Build for production
hugo --minify

# Output is in public/ directory

Critical Rules

Always Do

✅ Install Hugo Extended (not Standard) - required for SCSS/Sass support in themes ✅ Use YAML configuration (--format yaml) - better CMS compatibility than TOML ✅ Add themes as Git submodules - easier updates and version control ✅ Set correct baseURL - prevents broken asset links on deployment ✅ Pin Hugo version in CI/CD - prevents version mismatch errors between local and deployment ✅ Add public/ to .gitignore - build output should not be committed ✅ Use draft: false - drafts don't appear in production builds ✅ Clone with --recursive flag - ensures theme submodules are fetched ✅ Use relative paths for images - /images/photo.jpg not ../images/photo.jpg ✅ Test build before deploying - catch errors locally with hugo --minify

Never Do

❌ Don't install Hugo Standard - most themes require Extended edition ❌ Don't use TOML config with Sveltia CMS - has known bugs, use YAML instead ❌ Don't commit public/ directory - it's generated output, not source code ❌ Don't use different Hugo versions - local vs CI/CD version mismatch causes errors ❌ Don't forget submodules: recursive - themes won't load in CI/CD ❌ Don't hardcode production URLs - use -b $CF_PAGES_URL or environment configs ❌ Don't push resources/_gen/ - generated assets, should be in .gitignore ❌ Don't use future dates carelessly - posts won't publish until date passes ❌ Don't skip .hugo_build.lock - add to .gitignore ❌ Don't mix YAML and TOML - stick to one format throughout project

Top 5 Errors Prevention

This skill prevents 15 documented errors. Here are the top 5:

Error #1: Version Mismatch (Hugo vs Hugo Extended)

Error: Error: SCSS support not enabled Prevention: Always install Hugo Extended edition. Verify with hugo version | grep extended See: references/error-catalog.md for full error list

Error #2: baseURL Configuration Errors

Error: Broken CSS/JS/image links, 404s on all assets Prevention: Use environment-specific configs or build flag: hugo -b $CF_PAGES_URL See: references/error-catalog.md #2

Error #3: Theme Not Found Errors

Error: Error: module "PaperMod" not found, blank site Prevention: Set theme: "PaperMod" in hugo.yaml and run git submodule update --init --recursive See: references/error-catalog.md #6

Error #4: Hugo Version Mismatch (Local vs Deployment)

Error: Features work locally but fail in CI/CD, or vice versa Prevention: Pin Hugo version everywhere (CI/CD, local docs, package.json if using npm) See: references/error-catalog.md #4

Error #5: Git Submodule Not Found in CI/CD

Error: Theme works locally but not in CI/CD, blank site on deployment Prevention: Add submodules: recursive to checkout action in GitHub Actions See: references/error-catalog.md #11

For complete error catalog (all 15 errors): See references/error-catalog.md

Using Bundled Resources

References (references/):

• setup-guide.md - Complete Hugo setup walkthrough (installation, themes, deployment)
• error-catalog.md - All 15 common Hugo errors with solutions and prevention
• common-patterns.md - Best practices and patterns (taxonomies, content organization, multilingual)
• cms-integration.md - Sveltia CMS integration guide with configuration
• tailwind-integration.md - Tailwind CSS integration with Hugo Pipes
• advanced-topics.md - Advanced Hugo features (modules, data files, internationalization)

Templates (templates/)

Complete, production-ready Hugo projects ready to copy:

• templates/hugo-blog/ - Blog with PaperMod theme
• Dark/light mode, search, tags, archives
• Sveltia CMS pre-configured
• wrangler.jsonc for Workers deployment
• GitHub Actions workflow included
• Use when: Building a personal blog, company blog, or news site

• templates/hugo-docs/ - Documentation site with Hugo Book theme
• Nested navigation, search, breadcrumbs
• Sveltia CMS for docs editing
• Use when: Creating technical documentation, knowledge bases, API docs

• templates/hugo-landing/ - Landing page with custom layouts
• Hero, features, testimonials, CTA sections
• No theme dependency (custom layouts)
• Optimized for conversions
• Use when: Building marketing sites, product pages, portfolios

• templates/minimal-starter/ - Bare-bones starter
• No theme, clean slate
• Setup guide for adding themes
• Minimal configuration
• Use when: Starting from scratch with full control

Quick start with template:

cp -r templates/hugo-blog/ my-new-blog/
cd my-new-blog
git submodule update --init --recursive
hugo server

References (references/)

Detailed guides loaded when needed:

• references/setup-guide.md - Complete 7-step setup process
• Installation and verification
• Project scaffolding
• Theme installation
• Configuration options
• Content creation
• Build and development
• Cloudflare Workers deployment
• Load when: Setting up new Hugo project from scratch

• references/cms-integration.md - Headless CMS integration
• Sveltia CMS setup (recommended) - 5 minutes
• OAuth configuration for production
• TinaCMS setup (not recommended)
• Comparison and troubleshooting
• Load when: Adding content management to Hugo site

• references/tailwind-integration.md - Tailwind CSS v4 integration
• Hugo Pipes + PostCSS setup
• Dark mode implementation (CSS-only and Alpine.js)
• Typography and Forms plugins
• Production optimization
• Common issues and solutions
• Load when: Integrating Tailwind CSS with Hugo

• references/common-patterns.md - 7 common project patterns
• Blog with PaperMod
• Documentation with Hugo Book
• Landing pages
• Multilingual sites
• Portfolio sites
• E-commerce (static)
• Newsletter/blog
• **Load wh