The system behind the site.

Rendering

Static by default

Astro generates semantic HTML into dist/. JavaScript is reserved for theme persistence, the keyboard shortcut, and search.

Content

Typed MDX collections

Projects and writings share a small core schema and add only the fields their purpose requires.

Discovery

Built into the architecture

Metadata, structured data, RSS, sitemap, Pagefind, and public text endpoints are generated from the same identity and content sources.

Why no CMS?

Files are the simplest source of truth for a site maintained in a code repository. Add a CMS only when nontechnical editing, workflow, or shared ownership becomes a real requirement.

Art

Collage art: made by Michael Byrne with ChatGPT and Claude.