Chiri

Chiri is a minimal Astro blog theme that compiles Markdown and MDX posts into a static site with light/dark mode, KaTeX math rendering, RSS, sitemap, and OpenGraph support.

What is Chiri?

Chiri is a free, MIT-licensed blog theme built with Astro, created by the3ash. It takes Markdown or MDX files stored in src/content/posts as input and produces a static dist/ directory ready for any static hosting platform. The theme includes built-in RSS generation, sitemap, OpenGraph tags, and responsive design with both light and dark color schemes.

Key Features

The feature set is intentionally small: Astro static generation, Markdown and MDX authoring, KaTeX math, light/dark mode, and SEO essentials.

• Astro framework — Built on Astro, which ships zero JavaScript by default and outputs a fully static site.
• Markdown and MDX support — Write posts as Markdown or MDX files in src/content/posts.
• KaTeX math rendering — Render LaTeX-style mathematical formulas inside posts out of the box.
• Light and dark mode — Toggleable color schemes; the README shows side-by-side screenshots of both.
• RSS feed — Auto-generated RSS feed for your posts.
• Sitemap and OpenGraph — Generated sitemap for search engines and OpenGraph metadata for social sharing.
• Responsive layout — Designed to work on mobile and desktop.
• Link-card metadata — Automatically fetches link metadata during development and build, storing it in src/data/link-card-metadata.json so link cards render as static HTML without client-side JavaScript.

Who is it for?

Chiri suits anyone who wants a no-frills blog focused on content.

• Indie bloggers — Publish a clean, distraction-free personal blog without managing a CMS.
• Technical writers — Write in Markdown/MDX and render math formulas with KaTeX.
• Developers — Fork the repository, customize src/config.ts, and deploy with one click to Netlify or Vercel.
• Minimalist design fans — Get a fast, content-focused layout inspired by sites like paco.me and benji.org.

What can you do with Chiri?

Chiri’s workflows cover writing, building, and deploying a blog.

• Publish long-form articles — Use the pnpm new <title> command to scaffold a new post, with _title creating drafts.
• Share posts via RSS — Let readers subscribe to your content through the built-in RSS feed.
• Render technical papers — Use KaTeX inline math in MDX for formulas and equations.
• Deploy to any static host — Run pnpm build and upload the dist/ directory to Netlify, Vercel, or any other static hosting service.

How does Chiri work?

1. Fork the repository or create a new one from the template on GitHub.
2. Run pnpm install and pnpm dev to start a local development server.
3. Edit src/config.ts and src/content/about/about.md to set your blog name, bio, and site metadata.
4. Add posts under src/content/posts or use the pnpm new command.
5. Run pnpm build to generate static files, then deploy the dist/ folder.

FAQ

Is Chiri free?

Yes, Chiri is open source under the MIT license, so you can use, modify, and redistribute it without cost.

How do I create a new post?

Run pnpm new <title> in the terminal. Prefix the title with an underscore (for example _draft) to create a draft post. Alternatively, you can manually add a Markdown or MDX file to src/content/posts.

Does Chiri support math formulas?

Yes, Chiri includes KaTeX support, so you can write math using LaTeX-style notation inside Markdown or MDX files.

Can I deploy Chiri to Vercel or Netlify?

Yes, the README includes one-click deploy buttons for both Vercel and Netlify, and the static output works with any hosting platform.