16 KiB
Decap CMS Gitea pilot
Status: preview-only pilot infrastructure is active on cms-pilot: the stable
preview, narrow Gitea CORS policy, public PKCE OAuth application, and two
repository protection rules are configured. Nothing has been merged to
main, and production remains unchanged.
Updated: 2026-09-04
Purpose
Use the 3031023.xyz demonstration repository to determine whether
Decap CMS can provide a useful editing interface for all sites owned under one
root domain without allowing an editor to publish directly to production or
modify deployment code.
The pilot covers both the primary Happy Tails site and its journal subdomain.
That matches the SloanOps repository boundary: one private repository per root
domain, with independently built sites beneath sites/. A future client who
owns the root-domain site also owns the hosted subdomains represented in that
repository.
This plan does not authorize a production merge, domain change, contact-form activation, repository invitation, or removal of a rollback resource.
Current evidence
3031023.xyzandblog.3031023.xyzbuild independently from this repository and deploy through separate Workers Static Assets workflows.- A push outside
mainalready uploads no-index primary and/or blog preview versions according to the paths changed. - Blog posts, FAQs, services, and team members are Markdown collections with Astro/Zod validation and are suitable for a bounded Decap pilot.
- The live Gitea instance reported version
1.27.3during the Phase 9 review. Decap's Gitea backend requires Gitea 1.20 or newer. - Credential-free preflight verification grants the exact stable CMS origin and does not grant an unrelated origin.
- Decap authenticates to Gitea with a non-confidential PKCE OAuth application. Its Gitea backend currently has no editorial pull-request workflow, so it writes directly to the configured branch.
- The Gitea backend does not support Git LFS. Pilot media must remain small, ordinary repository assets.
References:
- https://decapcms.org/docs/gitea-backend/
- https://decapcms.org/docs/configure-decap-cms/
- https://decapcms.org/docs/widgets/image/
- https://docs.gitea.com/development/oauth2-provider/
- https://docs.gitea.com/usage/access-control/protected-branches/
- https://github.com/decaporg/decap-cms/issues/7115
The exact Gitea CORS, OAuth, and two-rule branch-protection settings are recorded in Decap CMS pilot: Gitea settings.
Repository implementation
The review/decap-cms-pilot branch now contains the repository-side portion of
the pilot:
public/admin/provides a permanently no-index admin shell and one shared configuration for both site builds.- The shell pins Decap CMS
3.15.1by exact URL and verified SHA-384 integrity value rather than a floating release range. - The backend is fixed to
SloanOps/3031023-xyzandcms-pilotand contains only the public client ID for the non-confidential Gitea PKCE application. - All four Markdown content collections and every persisted frontmatter field are modeled with the current Astro/Zod bounds. Markdown controls remain text-first; embedded images and general file widgets are absent.
- A fixed image-only Markdown record controls the primary home, About,
Services, and Contact page imagery without exposing either
site.json. - Team and page-image fields accept optional bounded uploads. Editors can add, replace, or remove an image reference while retaining accessible image descriptions and a layout fallback. URL insertion and SVG paths are rejected. Builds additionally verify the extension, raster signature, flat upload path, and 500 KiB limit.
.gitea/workflows/cms-content-validation.ymlruns on every pull request intomain, uses no secrets, and reportsCMS content validation / cms-content-validation (pull_request)after checking the Decap contract and building and verifying both sites.- The existing branch preview workflows remain in place. Local output checks now prove preview robots rules and page metadata stay no-index and that the admin response has a no-index header rule.
- Validation, preview, and production workflows cache npm's download store by
package-lock.jsonwhile retaining cleannpm ciinstalls. Warm runner jobs avoid repeatedly downloading the same dependency tarballs.
The pilot dependencies are active: the public client ID, exact-origin CORS
policy, cms-pilot branch, and both protection rules have been verified.
Proposed pilot architecture
Decap at /admin/
|
| Gitea PKCE OAuth and content/media commits only
v
cms-pilot branch
|
+--> primary no-index Worker preview
|
+--> blog no-index Worker preview
|
v
manual Gitea pull request to protected main
|
v
required validation + SloanOps approval
|
v
production merge and deploy only with separate approval
The shared public/ directory may serve /admin/ in both preview builds. That
is acceptable because both sites belong to the same root-domain repository and
the same owner. One Decap configuration exposes clearly labeled Primary Site
and Journal collection groups.
Preview URLs for branch cms-pilot:
https://cms-pilot-3031023-xyz-www.ksloan90.workers.dev/admin/https://cms-pilot-3031023-xyz-www.ksloan90.workers.dev/https://cms-pilot-3031023-xyz-blog.ksloan90.workers.dev/
Confirm the aliases from the successful Gitea Actions run rather than treating these predicted URLs as authoritative.
Initial Decap scope
Allow editing and creation only within these collections:
| CMS group | Repository path | Initial capability |
|---|---|---|
| Primary site FAQs | sites/www/content/faq/** |
Create, edit, draft, reorder, delete after confirmation |
| Primary services | sites/www/content/services/** |
Create, edit, draft, reorder, feature |
| Primary team | sites/www/content/team/** |
Create, edit, draft, reorder, add, replace, or remove a portrait |
| Primary page images | sites/www/content/page-images/primary.md |
Add, replace, or remove home, About, Services, and Contact images and edit their descriptions |
| Journal posts | sites/blog/content/posts/** |
Create, edit, draft, date, tag, update |
| Shared pilot media | public/images/uploads/** |
Select or upload bounded raster images |
Do not expose sites.json, either site.json, schemas, workflows, Wrangler
configuration, package files, source components, scripts, contact routing, or
analytics through the CMS during this pilot.
Configure the default media library with a conservative file-size limit. Do not accept executables, archives, HTML, scripts, or SVG uploads. Asset rights, alt text, crop, dimensions, and optimization remain operator review items even when the CMS accepts an upload.
The media gallery lists only public/images/uploads, so the pilot seeds that
directory with the images referenced by CMS-controlled fields. Removing an
image from content clears the field and uses the page's text-only or initials
fallback; it does not delete a potentially shared asset. Delete a gallery asset
only after confirming that no content entry references it.
Repository protection model
main
- Disable direct pushes for CMS/client users.
- Require a pull request.
- Require at least one SloanOps approval.
- Require the dedicated CMS content validation status.
- Block merging an outdated or rejected pull request.
- Permit merges only by the SloanOps operator allowlist.
- Keep force-push disabled.
Fallback rule for non-production branches
Create a branch-protection fallback covering every branch, with the specific
main rule at higher priority. CMS/client users may push only the following
unprotected patterns:
sites/www/content/**
sites/blog/content/**
public/images/uploads/*.jpg
public/images/uploads/*.jpeg
public/images/uploads/*.png
public/images/uploads/*.webp
public/images/uploads/*.avif
Add the equivalent nested-path globs if the CMS is allowed to create media subdirectories. Listing raster extensions explicitly prevents an editor from using the media directory as a general unprotected file path.
All other paths remain protected, including:
.gitea/**
astro.config.mjs
package.json
package-lock.json
schemas/**
scripts/**
src/**
wrangler/**
sites.json
sites/*/site.json
public/admin/**
SloanOps operator accounts may use the branch-rule bypass allowlist for reviewed development. Verify the restrictions through the same Gitea account used by Decap; a UI-only field restriction is not a repository security boundary.
The protected-path fallback matters even though main requires a pull
request. Preview workflows inherit Cloudflare credentials. An editor must not
be able to create another branch, alter a workflow or executable build file,
and run unreviewed code with those credentials.
Pull-request validation
Add a secret-free validation workflow for pull requests into main. It should
always:
- install locked dependencies;
- build and verify the primary site;
- build and verify the blog;
- reject content that fails the Astro/Zod schema; and
- report one stable required status context.
Preview deployment remains branch-specific and may use the existing Worker workflows. Cloudflare credentials stay scoped to the deployment step; content validation does not need them.
Because Decap writes to a fixed cms-pilot branch, SloanOps creates the pull
request in Gitea. After an approved merge, synchronize the CMS branch with
main before the next editing cycle. Do not automate production merge.
If the pilot is accepted, replace the disposable branch with a permanent,
slash-free cms branch. It remains a preview/staging branch and retains the
same pull-request, validation, and approval path into main.
Gitea and Decap setup
- Add a non-confidential Gitea OAuth application for the exact preview
/admin/redirect URI or URIs. Store only the public client ID in Decap. - Enable Gitea API CORS for the exact approved preview origin or origins.
Allow only required methods and headers, including
AuthorizationandContent-Type; do not use a wildcard origin. - Create
cms-pilotfrom the reviewed repository baseline. - Review the pinned Decap admin assets beneath
public/admin/. Do not replace the exact version and integrity value with a floating range. - Configure the Gitea backend for
SloanOps/3031023-xyzand branchcms-pilot. - Model every persisted frontmatter field with limits matching
src/content.config.ts. Do not let a CMS save silently remove an existing field. - Apply and verify the
mainand fallback branch protections before inviting or testing a non-operator editor. - Add the secret-free pull-request validation workflow.
- Push only the review branch and confirm both no-index preview builds before any CMS login test.
Test matrix
Record the Gitea execution, commit, and preview identifiers for each test. Do not record OAuth tokens or Cloudflare credentials.
| ID | Test | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| DC-01 | Build both sites before CMS changes | Current build and verifier suites pass. |
| DC-02 | Open each preview /admin/ route |
Admin shell loads and remains no-index. |
| DC-03 | Authenticate with the approved operator account | PKCE login succeeds and the configured collections load. |
| DC-04 | Authenticate with an account without repository write access | Repository editing is unavailable. |
| DC-05 | Edit an existing draft journal post | One content-only commit lands on cms-pilot; the blog preview rebuilds. |
| DC-06 | Create, edit, and delete a disposable journal post | Filename, dates, tags, body, draft state, and cleanup remain schema-valid. |
| DC-07 | Edit a primary FAQ | Only the primary preview rebuilds and displays the change. |
| DC-08 | Edit service ordering and featured state | YAML types remain correct and the primary verifier passes. |
| DC-09 | Add, replace, and remove a team portrait | The selected upload renders in the team card; removal uses the initials fallback. |
| DC-10 | Upload a bounded raster image and select it in the fixed page-image record | File lands only in the approved media path and renders on the relevant primary preview page. |
| DC-11 | Attempt an oversized upload and a disallowed file type | The CMS size limit rejects the oversized file before upload; Gitea's unprotected-extension patterns reject the disallowed path. |
| DC-12 | Attempt to modify .gitea/workflows/**, source, package, script, schema, Wrangler, and site-manifest paths with the CMS account |
Gitea rejects every push. |
| DC-13 | Attempt to create a differently named branch and change a protected file | The fallback rule rejects the push; branch naming cannot bypass protection. |
| DC-14 | Attempt a direct push to main |
Gitea rejects it. |
| DC-15 | Open a pull request from cms-pilot to main |
Both sites validate; required review and merge controls are present. |
| DC-16 | Attempt to merge without status or approval | Gitea blocks the merge. |
| DC-17 | Inspect both preview responses | Expected routes work; preview metadata/headers prevent indexing; production remains unchanged. |
| DC-18 | Revert the disposable CMS changes on cms-pilot |
Preview returns to baseline without changing either public site. |
| DC-19 | Refresh, sign out, reauthenticate, and let a session expire | Session behavior is understandable and no unsaved-content loss is observed. |
| DC-20 | Review commit attribution and audit history | Gitea identifies the editor and the exact content/media changes. |
Do not merge DC-15 during the initial infrastructure and editing test. A later harmless demo-content merge requires explicit approval and repeats both public site checks after deployment.
Acceptance criteria
Accept the pilot only when:
- both site families are understandable in one CMS;
- content edits preserve every modeled field and pass Astro validation;
- previews update reliably without moving production traffic;
- direct
mainpushes and protected-path changes fail for the CMS account; - PR validation and operator approval are mandatory;
- media limits and repository growth remain acceptable;
- login/session behavior is usable; and
- rollback requires no production-domain or DNS change.
Stop and redesign if the Gitea backend cannot honor the branch/file protections, OAuth grants materially broader access than the accepted account role, content serialization loses fields, or previews require granting the CMS account control over executable deployment files.
Rollback and cleanup
If the pilot is rejected or paused:
- Revert or delete disposable changes on
cms-pilot. - Delete the two disposable preview aliases/versions if desired; do not delete production Workers or retained legacy rollback resources.
- Revoke/delete the Decap OAuth application.
- Remove the pilot CORS origins and redeploy Gitea after verifying normal Git, UI, API, and Actions behavior.
- Remove
/admin/only through a reviewed commit. - Remove or retain branch protections deliberately; never weaken
mainas cleanup.
Implementation estimate
Expected hands-on implementation time: 6–9 hours, normally one focused working day. Budget up to two elapsed days if OAuth/CORS behavior or Gitea protection semantics require troubleshooting.
| Work | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Decap admin shell, pinned dependency, and Gitea configuration | 1–1.5 hours |
| Model blog, FAQ, services, and team collections | 1.5–2 hours |
| Add secret-free PR validation and preview links/instructions | 1–1.5 hours |
| Configure CORS, OAuth, CMS branch, and protection rules | 1–1.5 hours |
| Run the authentication, editing, protection, preview, and rollback matrix | 1.5–2.5 hours |
| Record results and resolve small integration defects | 0.5 hour |
This estimate covers the internal demo pilot, not a polished client-editable service. Client rollout still needs observed usability, account invitation and offboarding procedures, support scope, media policy, and pricing.