Jekyll Development Workflow

Context

This blog uses Jekyll 4.3.2 with a custom Economist-inspired theme, deployed via GitHub Actions to GitHub Pages. The workflow is optimized to avoid local server issues (SSL, remote theme fetching) by relying on pre-commit validation and GitHub Actions for builds.

Environment:

• Jekyll 4.3.2
• Ruby 3.3 (via rbenv)
• Custom Economist theme (_sass/economist-theme.scss)
• GitHub Actions for CI/CD
• Pre-commit hook for validation

Step-by-Step Instructions

0. Environment Pre-Flight Checklist (CRITICAL)

BEFORE attempting ANY jekyll serve command, run this diagnostic to avoid token waste:

echo "=== Jekyll Environment Diagnostic ==="
echo "Ruby: $(ruby -v)"
echo "Bundler: $(bundle -v 2>/dev/null || echo '❌ NOT INSTALLED')"
echo "Jekyll: $(bundle exec jekyll -v 2>/dev/null || echo '❌ NOT INSTALLED')"
echo "Port 4000: $(lsof -ti:4000 && echo '⚠️ BUSY' || echo '✅ FREE')"
echo "Config: $([ -f _config_dev.yml ] && echo '✅ YES' || echo '⚠️ NO')"
echo "==================================="

Decision Tree:

Diagnostic Result	Fix Command	Wait Until Green
Ruby = 2.6.x (system)	rbenv not initialized! See Pitfall 3 below	✅
Ruby ≠ 3.3.x	rbenv local 3.3.6	✅
Bundler missing	gem install bundler	✅
Jekyll missing	bundle install	✅
Port 4000 busy	kill -9 $(lsof -ti:4000)	✅

Token Cost Analysis:

• ❌ Without diagnostic: 5 failed attempts × 1000 tokens = 5000 tokens wasted
• ✅ With diagnostic: 1 successful attempt × 200 tokens = 200 tokens
• Net savings: 4800 tokens (96% reduction)

Rule: If 2+ diagnostics show issues, STOP and fix environment before trying server commands.

1. Make Changes

Edit the relevant files:

• Content: _posts/YYYY-MM-DD-title.md, *.md pages
• Styles: _sass/economist-theme.scss
• Layouts: _layouts/*.html
• Config: _config.yml (requires server restart if testing locally)

2. Test Locally (Optional - Only After Diagnostic Passes)

For CSS/layout work requiring rapid iteration:

cd /Users/ouray.viney/code/economist-blog-v5
bundle exec jekyll serve --config _config_dev.yml --livereload

URL: http://localhost:4000/

Note: Config changes require full server restart (Ctrl+C, then restart).

3. Commit Changes

git add <files>
git commit -m "description"

Pre-commit hook automatically validates:

• ✅ Jekyll build succeeds
• ✅ No broken internal links
• ✅ YAML front matter is valid
• ✅ Required fields present (title, date)
• ✅ Future date warnings

If validation fails: Fix the issue before committing. Never use --no-verify.

4. Push to GitHub

git push origin main

5. Monitor Deployment

• GitHub Actions builds with Jekyll 4.3.2 (~45 seconds)
• Deploys to GitHub Pages (~30 seconds)
• Total: 1-2 minutes
• Monitor: https://github.com/oviney/blog/actions

6. Verify Production

• Visit https://www.viney.ca/
• Check the specific page/post you modified
• Verify responsive design (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Check browser console for errors

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Config Changes Don't Reload

Problem: Changed _config.yml but changes not visible with jekyll serve
Solution: Stop server (Ctrl+C) and restart. Config changes require full restart.
Note: CSS/content changes auto-reload, but config does not.

Pitfall 2: Pre-commit Hook Fails on SSL Error

Problem: Remote theme fetching fails with SSL certificate error
Solution: This is expected. The hook is smart enough to skip this error. If Jekyll build fails for other reasons, fix those.
Note: GitHub Actions has no SSL issues—production builds always work.

Pitfall 3: Forgot to Test Responsive Design

Problem: Looks good on desktop but broken on mobile
Solution: Always test at multiple breakpoints (320px, 768px, 1024px, 1920px)
Tool: Browser DevTools responsive mode

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Starting Server Without Diagnostic

Problem: Wasting tokens on 5+ failed server start attempts
Solution: ALWAYS run environment diagnostic first (see Step 0)
Token Cost: 4800 tokens wasted per incident
Root Cause: Skipping environment validation

Pitfall 2: Port 4000 Already in Use

Problem: Address already in use - bind(2) for 127.0.0.1:4000
Solution: Kill existing process: kill -9 $(lsof -ti:4000)
Why: Previous Jekyll process didn't terminate cleanly

Pitfall 3: rbenv Not Initialized (Ruby shows 2.6.x system version)

Problem: Diagnostic shows Ruby: ruby 2.6.10 (system Ruby instead of rbenv-managed version)
Root Cause: rbenv is not initialized in your shell (missing from ~/.zshrc)
Solution:

# 1. Add rbenv to ~/.zshrc (one-time setup)
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init - zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

# 2. Reload shell config
source ~/.zshrc

# 3. Verify rbenv is working
rbenv versions  # Should show installed Ruby versions

# 4. Set local Ruby version for this project
cd /Users/ouray.viney/code/economist-blog-v5
rbenv local 3.3.6

# 5. Verify fix
ruby -v  # Should now show 3.3.6, not 2.6.10

Check: ruby -v should show ruby 3.3.6 (not 2.6.10)
Token Cost: This single pitfall caused the 5-iteration server start failure (5000 tokens wasted)

Pitfall 4: Bypassing Pre-commit Hook

Problem: Used git commit --no-verify to skip failing checks
Solution: NEVER bypass checks. Fix the underlying issue. Pre-commit hooks prevent broken deployments.

Pitfall 5: Hardcoded Values in SCSS

Problem: Used magic numbers like 16px, #E3120B directly in styles
Solution: Use variables from _sass/economist-theme.scss (e.g., $economist-red, $spacing-unit)

Code Snippets/Patterns

Complete Environment Fix (From Diagnostic Failure)

When diagnostic shows: Ruby: ruby 2.6.10 + Bundler: ❌ NOT INSTALLED

# Step 1: Initialize rbenv in zsh (one-time setup)
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init - zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Step 2: Verify rbenv is working
rbenv versions
# Should show: * 3.3.6 (set by /Users/ouray.viney/code/economist-blog-v5/.ruby-version)

# Step 3: Set local Ruby version
cd /Users/ouray.viney/code/economist-blog-v5
rbenv local 3.3.6

# Step 4: Verify Ruby version switched
ruby -v
# Should show: ruby 3.3.6 (not 2.6.10)

# Step 5: Install bundler
gem install bundler

# Step 6: Install Jekyll and dependencies
bundle install

# Step 7: Re-run diagnostic to confirm all green
echo "Ruby: $(ruby -v)"
echo "Bundler: $(bundle -v)"
echo "Jekyll: $(bundle exec jekyll -v)"
# All should now show proper versions

# Step 8: NOW start server (will succeed on first try)
bundle exec jekyll serve --config _config_dev.yml --livereload

Token Savings: This workflow replaces 5+ failed iterations (5000 tokens) with 1 successful setup (500 tokens)

Starting Local Server

cd /Users/ouray.viney/code/economist-blog-v5
bundle exec jekyll serve --config _config_dev.yml --livereload

When to use: CSS/layout work requiring rapid iteration
Notes: Config changes require restart; content/CSS auto-reloads

Committing Changes

git add <files>
git commit -m "feat: add new blog post about X"
# Pre-commit hook runs automatically
git push origin main

When to use: Every code change
Notes: Use conventional commit format (feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore)

Emergency Bypass (Use Sparingly)

git commit --no-verify -m "Emergency fix"

When to use: ONLY in genuine emergencies (production down)
Notes: Document why bypass was needed in commit message

Manual Pre-commit Test

.git/hooks/pre-commit

When to use: Testing hook behavior without committing
Notes: Useful for debugging hook issues

Related Files

• `docs/DEVELOPMENT_WORKFLOW.md` - Full workflow documentation
• `docs/conventions/testing.md` - Testing conventions
• `.git/hooks/pre-commit` - Pre-commit validation script
• `.github/workflows/jekyll.yml` - CI/CD pipeline
• `_config_dev.yml` - Development config overrides

Success Criteria

• Changes committed successfully (pre-commit hook passed)
• GitHub Actions build succeeded
• Changes visible on production (https://www.viney.ca/)
• No console errors in browser
• Responsive design works on mobile/tablet/desktop
• No visual regressions on other pages

Version History

• 1.0.0 (2026-01-05): Initial skill creation from DEVELOPMENT_WORKFLOW.md