<!-- skill: Ghost Publish | version: 1.0.0 | description: Ghost posts, Handlebars themes, members and newsletters | category: Web -->
## Instructions
- Install paths: Ghost(Pro) managed (fastest) vs self-host `ghost install` on Ubuntu 22.04 Node 18 + MySQL 8 + Nginx + systemd; `ghost ls/config/set url` for domain; 1GB RAM minimum, swap on 1GB droplets.
- Content model: Posts (feed/newsletter) vs Pages (static about/contact); Tags (public taxonomy) vs Authors (bylines); `html/mhtml/mobiledoc` API bodies; featured + `visibility: public|members|paid`.
- Editor: Koenig cards (image/gallery/callout/bookmark/html); canonical slug auto from title, custom `canonical_url`, `codeinjection_head/foot` per post for embeds; schedule + `send_email_when_published` flag.
- Themes (Handlebars): `post.hbs/page.hbs/index.hbs/author.hbs/tag.hbs`, partials `partials/card.hbs`, helpers `{{#foreach posts}}{{title}}{{excerpt words="40"}}{{/foreach}}`, `{{ghost_head}}/{{ghost_foot}}` required; zip upload in Design settings.
- Custom settings: `package.json {engines, custom: {templates, settings}}` theme settings (accent, feed layout); routes.yaml `collections: /blog/: /podcast/:` + redirects.yaml 301s for migrations.
- Members: `members/signup` Portal, tiers Free/Monthly/Yearly with Stripe connect, `{{#if @member.paid}}` gating, complimentary plans via Admin; `newsletters` multi-brand with `slug` + sender identity.
- Newsletters: publish → email to `all|free|paid` segments, `email_subject`, `email_only` posts, batch sending via Mailgun; test with `?uuid` preview link before blast; archive page auto.
- Domain + mail: custom domain A/CNAME to Ghost(Pro) or self Nginx `proxy_pass 127.0.0.1:2368`; transactional via Mailgun (`mail__options`), bulk newsletter Mailgun API key in config; SPF/DKIM/DMARC TXT records required.
- API: Content API (`/ghost/api/content/posts/?key=...&include=tags,authors`) public reads; Admin API JWT (`AdminAPI key id:secret` → HS256) for writes/migrations; webhooks `post.published` → rebuild search/social.
- SEO: `{{ghost_head}}` meta/canonical/JSON-LD, `robots.txt` + `sitemap.xml` auto, Twitter/FB cards in post settings, `og:image` 1200x630; redirects.yaml preserves SEO on replatform.
- Backups: `ghost backup` + MySQL `mysqldump` nightly to S3, `content/images/` rsync; export JSON in Labs before theme surgery; test restore on staging droplet.
- Perf: Cloudflare proxy + `cache-control` on images, `srcset` responsive in theme (`{{img_url feature_image size="l"}}`), lazy `loading="lazy"`, remove unused JS; Ghost(Pro) edge cache handles spikes.
## Examples
- Paid newsletter: Free + $8/mo tiers, `visibility:paid` deep-dives, free teasers with `<!--members-only-->` cut, Mailgun bulk, Portal signup, Stripe test clock before launch.
- Company blog: custom `blog.hbs` collection, `routes.yaml /blog/` + `/docs/` pages, Algolia/Typesense webhook index on `post.published`, custom domain + Cloudflare.
- Migration: WordPress Ghost plugin export → `ghost import`, redirects.yaml from old `/p?id=` URLs, theme port to Handlebars partials, members CSV import with Stripe IDs.
## Workflows
1. Provision: Ghost(Pro) trial or `ghost install` (MySQL+Nginx+SSL), set URL, admin user, Mailgun keys + domain DNS.
2. Theme: activate Source/Casper, customize `post.hbs` partials + accent, upload zip, set `routes.yaml` collections + `redirects.yaml`.
3. Model: tags/authors/pages, member tiers + Stripe, newsletters brands, Portal copy + pricing page.
4. Publish: draft → Koenig cards → slug/canonical/OG → test email → schedule or publish+send to segment.
5. Operate: backups (DB+images+JSON), updates `ghost update`, webhook search/social, Cloudflare cache + analytics.
## Templates
- Theme post + routes:
```hbs
{{! post.hbs }}
{{!< default}}
<article>{{#post}}<h1>{{title}}</h1><p>{{authors}}</p>
{{#if feature_image}}<img src="{{img_url feature_image size="xl"}}" loading="lazy" />{{/if}}
<section>{{content}}</section>
{{#if @member.paid}}<p>Thanks member!</p>{{else}}<a href="#/portal/signup">Go paid</a>{{/if}}{{/post}}</article>
{{ghost_head}}
```
```yaml
# routes.yaml
routes: { /about/team/: { template: team, data: page.team } }
collections: { /blog/: { permalink: /blog/{slug}/, template: index, filter: 'tag:blog' }, /: { permalink: /{slug}/, template: index } }
```
- Content API + webhook:
```js
const api = new GhostContentAPI({ url: 'https://blog.example.com', key: 'CONTENT_KEY', version: 'v5.0' });
const posts = await api.posts.browse({ limit: 5, include: 'tags,authors', filter: 'tag:news' });
// webhook server
app.post('/ghost/published', express.json(), async (req, res) => {
  if (req.body.post?.current) await indexSearch(req.body.post.current);
  res.sendStatus(200);
});
```
- Nginx + mail config:
```
server { server_name blog.example.com;
  location / { proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:2368; proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https; } }
```
```json
{ "url": "https://blog.example.com", "mail": { "transport": "SMTP",
  "options": { "host": "smtp.mailgun.org", "port": 587, "auth": { "user": "postmaster@mg.example.com", "pass": "KEY" } } } }
```
## Tools
- SARAH shell_run for `ghost install/ls/update/backup`, `gscan` theme check, `mysqldump`, Mailgun log tail.
- SARAH file_write for `*.hbs/routes.yaml/redirects.yaml`; web_fetch for Ghost + Handlebars + Mailgun docs.
## Advanced
- Headless Ghost: Content API + Next.js/Astro SSG (`getStaticProps` revalidate 300), Preview API drafts with `?key` + basic auth, webhook `post.published` → Vercel redeploy; keep `{{ghost_head}}` equivalent meta in frontend.
- Multi-brand: two newsletters (Weekly + DeepDive) separate slugs/senders, `filter: newsletter:slug` collections, per-newsletter `routes.yaml` archives, Stripe multiple products mapped to tiers.
- Scale: MySQL read tuning + `ghost restart` zero-downtime via systemd, Cloudflare APO + image `size="w600/w1000/w1600"` srcsets, Uptime Kuma on `/ghost/api/admin/site/`, S3 `content/images` offload via storage adapter.
## Documentation
- https://ghost.org/docs/
- https://ghost.org/docs/themes/
- https://ghost.org/docs/members/
- https://ghost.org/docs/config/
- https://handlebarsjs.com/guide/