Lone Wolf Theme

Lone Wolf Theme is a free, MIT-licensed Jekyll theme built on Bootstrap 4 that lets you launch a GitHub Pages-compatible blog or static site by adding one line to your _config.yml.

What is Lone Wolf Theme?

Lone Wolf Theme is a simple Bootstrap-based Jekyll theme created by Mani Kumar and distributed via GitHub and RubyGems. It takes a Jekyll project and produces a static site with Bootstrap's responsive grids and components. The theme is compatible with GitHub Pages because it only uses GitHub Pages-compatible gems, and it integrates Bootswatch wrappers plus animate.css for styling and animations.

Key Features

• Bootstrap 4 base — Uses Bootstrap 4 for a responsive layout, grid system, and UI components.
• Bootswatch wrappers — Lets you switch between Bootswatch themes to change the site's visual design without editing CSS files.
• animate.css integration — Adds a library of CSS animations to enhance page transitions and element movement.
• GitHub Pages gem compatibility — Works with the gems listed at pages.github.com/versions, so it can be served directly from a repository on GitHub Pages.
• One-line remote theme install — Set remote_theme: "manid2/lone-wolf-theme" in _config.yml and GitHub Pages builds the site with this theme.
• Ruby gem distribution — Available as lone-wolf-theme on RubyGems, so you can install it via Gemfile and run Jekyll plugins on any host.
• MIT licensed — The theme is free to use, modify, and redistribute under the MIT license, with donations accepted via Buy Me a Coffee.

Who is it for?

• Bloggers and small-site owners who want a clean, Bootstrap-styled blog without hand-coding a theme.
• GitHub Pages users who want to move from the default Minima theme to a Bootstrap design using just one config line.
• Developers who build custom Jekyll sites and want a forked theme they can modify and own completely.

Use cases

• Personal blogging: Launch a blog on GitHub Pages by adding the remote_theme setting and writing Markdown posts in your repository.
• Self-hosted static sites: Install the theme as a Ruby gem, add Jekyll plugins, and build the site on any server that supports Ruby and Jekyll.
• Theme customization: Fork the repository, edit the Bootstrap/Bootswatch-based templates, and use the theme as a foundation for a fully bespoke design.

How do I install it?

The README lists three installation methods. The simplest is remote theme installation: add remote_theme: "manid2/lone-wolf-theme" to your _config.yml. For plugin-heavy builds, add gem "lone-wolf-theme" to your Gemfile, run bundle, and then set theme: "lone-wolf-theme" in _config.yml. A third option is to fork the theme's repository to gain full control of the source code.

Pricing

Lone Wolf Theme is free and released under the MIT license. The developer requests voluntary donations via Buy Me a Coffee to support further development.

FAQ

Is Lone Wolf Theme free?

Yes. Lone Wolf Theme is licensed under MIT, so it is free to use, modify, and distribute, including in commercial projects. The author accepts optional donations through Buy Me a Coffee.

How do I use Lone Wolf Theme on GitHub Pages?

Add remote_theme: "manid2/lone-wolf-theme" to your _config.yml file and push the repository. GitHub Pages automatically builds the site using the theme, provided the repository uses the supported Jekyll version.

Can I use Jekyll plugins with Lone Wolf Theme?

You can use Jekyll plugins when installing the theme as a Ruby gem on your own server. GitHub Pages restricts plugins to its list of supported gems, and the remote theme method only works with those.

What is the theme built on?

The theme is built on Bootstrap 4, includes Bootswatch wrappers for theme swapping, and uses animate.css for CSS animations. Its dependency set is limited to GitHub Pages-compatible gems.

Who develops Lone Wolf Theme?

Lone Wolf Theme is developed by Mani Kumar (manid2) and hosted on GitHub. The README includes a sponsor link to Buy Me a Coffee for voluntary financial support.