Launch Checklist

A step-by-step reference for going from an empty folder to a live website powered by your Obsidian vault. This checklist works with any Vault CMS-compatible theme.

Paths: Free/open path uses Vault CMS + Astro Modular. Premium path uses Axis for a faster, opinionated setup with support.

Prerequisites

• Obsidian installed (desktop version)
• Node.js 22.x installed (nodejs.org)
• Git installed (git-scm.com)
• GitHub account (or GitLab/Gitea)
• Hosting account (Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare)
• Package manager: npx comes with Node.js (or install pnpm: npm install -g pnpm)

Get Your Astro Theme

Find an Astro theme you like. Browse the Astro theme directory, search GitHub, or use a theme recommended by the community. Some themes have a CLI installer (like Starlight: npm create astro@latest), but most are downloaded as a ZIP or cloned from GitHub.

Install Vault CMS

Once you have your theme project locally, install Vault CMS into it:

1. CLI (recommended): Run npx create-vaultcms (or npm create vaultcms, pnpm create vaultcms, yarn create vaultcms) from inside your theme’s project folder
2. Manual: Download the latest release and copy _bases, .obsidian, and _GUIDE.md into your project (typically src/content)

Open in Obsidian

• Open the project folder as a vault in Obsidian
• Install the Vault CMS plugin if not already included
• Complete the setup wizard (or select a preset if available)

Customize Your UI (Optional)

Presets ship with opinionated defaults. Make it yours right away:

• Change the Obsidian theme (Settings > Appearance) if the preset’s theme isn’t your style
• Use UI Tweaker’s “Reset all to defaults” to restore the standard Obsidian interface if the preset hides elements you want visible
• Enable the Editing Toolbar plugin for a familiar formatting bar (bold, italic, headings, lists)

Configure Content

• Set your content types (posts, pages)
• Map your properties (title, date, description)
• Choose your plugins (Bases CMS, Astro Composer, SEO, etc.)

Connect Git

• Generate a GitHub Personal Access Token
• Add it to the Vault CMS wizard (stored securely in Obsidian Secrets)
• Create or connect your GitHub repository
• Test: Ctrl+Shift+S should commit and push

Deploy

• Connect your GitHub repo to your hosting provider
• Set build command: pnpm build (or npm run build)
• Set output directory: dist
• Trigger first deploy
• Visit your live site URL and confirm it loads

Write Your First Post

• Ctrl+N to create a new post (Astro Composer)
• Write some content
• Ctrl+Shift+S to publish
• Verify the post appears on your live site

Custom Domain (Optional)

• Add your domain in your hosting provider’s dashboard
• Update DNS records (CNAME or A record)
• Enable HTTPS/SSL
• Update the site URL in your theme’s config
• Redeploy and confirm

You’re Live

• Share your site with someone
• Keep writing. Your workflow is now: write, Ctrl+Shift+S, done.