Using Project Broadsheet without the terminal

Two paths to a live publication for writers, journalists, and educators who prefer not to use the command line.

The standard install path requires a terminal and Node.js. If that is not your environment — you are a journalist, educator, or writer who works entirely in a browser — you have two options.

Option 1: Fork on GitHub + Decap CMS (recommended)

This approach gives you a fully functional publication with a browser-based content editor, access control, and an editorial approval workflow. You never open a terminal.

What you need

• A free GitHub account
• A free Cloudflare account (for both Pages hosting and Zero Trust Access)

Step 1: Fork the repository

1. Go to github.com/jonajinga/broadsheet
2. Click Fork in the top-right corner
3. Choose your GitHub account as the destination
4. Give the repository a name that fits your publication

Forking creates your own copy of Project Broadsheet under your GitHub account. You own it completely.

Step 2: Deploy to Cloudflare Pages

1. Log in to dash.cloudflare.com → Workers & Pages → Create → Pages → Connect to Git
2. Authorize Cloudflare to access your GitHub account
3. Select the forked repository
4. Set the build command: npm run build
5. Set the output directory: _site
6. Set an environment variable: NODE_VERSION = 18
7. Click Save and Deploy

Cloudflare builds the site automatically. The first build takes 2–3 minutes. You will receive a free .pages.dev subdomain immediately.

Step 3: Set up GitHub OAuth and the auth proxy

Decap CMS uses a GitHub OAuth App plus a small Cloudflare Pages Function to authenticate writers. This is a one-time setup.

A. Create the GitHub OAuth App:

1. In GitHub, go to Settings → Developer settings → OAuth Apps → New OAuth App
2. Set Authorization callback URL to https://your-domain.pages.dev/api/auth (use your actual domain)
3. Click Register application, note the Client ID, then click Generate a new client secret and note the Client Secret

B. Add environment variables in Cloudflare Pages:

In Cloudflare Pages → your project → Settings → Environment Variables, add under Production:

• GITHUB_CLIENT_ID → your Client ID
• GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET → your Client Secret

C. Update src/admin/config.yml:

In your forked repo, open src/admin/config.yml and update the backend block:

backend:
  name: github
  repo: your-github-username/your-repo-name
  branch: main
  base_url: https://your-domain.pages.dev
  auth_endpoint: api/auth

Replace your-github-username/your-repo-name with your actual repository and your-domain.pages.dev with your Cloudflare Pages domain.

Step 4: Set up Cloudflare Zero Trust Access

This step controls who can reach the /admin/ editor. Only email addresses you approve will get through.

1. In Cloudflare → Zero Trust → Access → Applications → Add an application
2. Choose Self-hosted; set domain to your-domain.com/admin/
3. Under Policies, add an email allowlist with each writer's email address
4. Save

Free Zero Trust accounts support up to 50 users at no cost.

Step 5: Invite writers

For each person who needs CMS access:

1. Add their email to the Cloudflare Access allowlist
2. Add them as a GitHub collaborator with Write access (repo → Settings → Collaborators)

Writers visit https://your-domain.com/admin/, enter an email one-time PIN, sign in with GitHub, and see the full editor. Every save they make creates a draft pull request — nothing goes live until you review and merge it.

Step 6: Edit your site settings

In Decap CMS, open Site Configuration → Site Settings to set your publication name, email, description, newsletter provider, and social links. Every change saved in the CMS creates a PR; merge it to deploy.

See the Decap CMS integration guide for full configuration details.

Option 2: Hire me to set it up

If you want a fully configured publication — custom domain, brand colors, sections, newsletter, analytics — without handling any of the above yourself, I can do it for you.

Setup typically takes 3–4 hours at $150/hour. Educational institutions and registered nonprofits qualify for a reduced rate — mention it when you book.

Book a call →

What "forking" means

A fork is your own independent copy of a repository. Changes you make to your fork do not affect the original Project Broadsheet source. When Project Broadsheet releases an update, you can choose to pull those changes in — or not. You are never forced to update.

What to do next

• After your first deploy for the setup checklist once your site is live.
• Decap CMS for the full browser-based editing configuration.
• Education if you are setting up a student publication or classroom project.