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2 min read

A WordPress-like writing experience with zero servers

#writing#local-first#ai

Every blogging platform makes the same trade: convenience for control (and a monthly bill). WordPress is easy but needs hosting. Static sites are free but editing raw markdown in a code editor kills the writing mood.

The answer turned out to be a third option: run the CMS on your own laptop, and let Git be the database.

How it works

  1. npm run studio starts a local editor at /studio — it only exists in dev mode and is never deployed.
  2. The editor reads and writes .mdx files in the repo's content/blog/ folder.
  3. An AI assistant (Claude) helps with outlines, rewrites, and titles — the API key lives only on my machine.
  4. git push triggers a build that publishes the static site to the CDN.

Why this beats a hosted CMS

  • Version history for free. Every edit is a commit. I can diff drafts.
  • No attack surface. The published site is static files; there's no admin panel to hack.
  • No lock-in. My posts are markdown files I can take anywhere.
  • No bill. The "CMS" is my laptop.

The only discipline required is pushing to Git — which, as a developer, I was going to do anyway.