The native CMS for Astro

A CMS for your Astro site that isn't a second backend.

No vendor, no server, no API. Lumen opens your project like an IDE opens a folder, and turns your content folder into a real editor. Files stay files. Git stays the source of truth.

Download free How it works

~/Sites/almanac · main

Essays

12 entries · sorted by date

On building software in the open

edited 2m ago

A short note about why source-available isn't the same as open source, and why the difference matters when you're…
The case for local-first tools

2026-04-22

There's a kind of software that quietly assumes its users will always have an internet connection and a…
Notes from a small studio

2026-03-18

A few habits that have made a two-person studio feel less like two freelancers and more like a…
Markdown is enough

2026-02-04

essays on-building-in-the-open.md

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title

On building software in the open

string

date

2026-05-09

date

author

TG Tyler Gray

ref → authors

On building software in the open

There's a particular kind of patience you only develop when you ship software to people who can read the source. You stop writing for the demo. You start writing for the person scrolling through your repo at 11pm wondering if your project is the right thing to depend on.

The shape of the work changes. Naming becomes a public act. The "good enough for now" comment in a private codebase becomes a quiet embarrassment in a public one. You make different tradeoffs, and usually, better ones.

What changes

Most of the difference isn't in the code itself. It's in the small decisions around it: which examples to put in the README, whether to ship the test fixtures, what the changelog actually says.

dev server :4321 · ready in 184ms synced with origin

ln 14 · col 38 utf-8 markdown

FIG. 01 · The Lumen editor, opened on a content collection. Frontmatter becomes a typed form. The Markdown body keeps its formatting.

01 · You own this

Your content isn't locked into Lumen.

Most Astro-adjacent CMSes put a vendor between you and your content. Lumen doesn't.

01
Your files stay in your repo

Lumen reads and writes the Markdown and JSON you already commit. No proxy, no mirror, no export. Your repo stays the source of truth.
02
No cloud lock-in

Lumen's server only handles Relay invites and license checks. Never your content. If we shut down tomorrow, your sites keep working.
03
No per-seat math

Pro and Studio include unlimited editor invites via Relay. We charge by the project, not the headcount.
04
Software you own

Your installed version keeps working without an active subscription. Updates and new Relay invites require renewal.

02 · Built for Astro

Write. Edit. Publish.

title Welcome to Lumen

date 2026-05-09

draft

tags writing notes

Your frontmatter, as a form.

Markdown and MDX with inline images and click-to-edit on the live preview. Frontmatter becomes a typed form.

src/content

blog/24 entries

essays/12 entries

guides/detected

authors/5 entries

Reads your Astro collections automatically.

Lumen detects your collections and infers field types. Hand-written Zod schemas in src/content.config.ts always win. Legacy src/pages sites convert in a click.

$ npm run dev

▲ Astro 4.21

┃ Local http://localhost:4321

ready in 184ms

›

Built-in git and deploys.

Live HMR, a real git UI, and one-click Netlify deploys.

03 · The other half

Click the page. Edit the page.

Every other CMS hides your content behind a wall of form fields. Lumen shows you the real, rendered page, then lets you click any heading, paragraph, or photo to edit it in place. No mapping fields to layout in your head. No tabbing back and forth to preview. The page is the editor.

~/Projects/northfield-studio · main

Northfield

Architecture Studio

Houses Shaped by
Light and Land

An independent studio designing quiet, durable homes for the Pacific Northwest. Site-specific, hand-detailed, built to last.

Studio

Portland, Oregon

Commissions

Booking Through 2027

› dev server :52103 · ready in 1.35s synced with origin

utf-8 json

a

Hover any text

Blue outline confirms what's editable. Headings, paragraphs, list items, blockquotes: anything rendered from your Markdown or frontmatter.
b

Click to edit in place

The element becomes editable with the cursor where you clicked. Type. Press Enter to save, Escape to revert. No modal, no sidebar.
c

Click any image to swap

A camera badge appears over images on hover. Click to open the media picker; the new image swaps in instantly with no rebuild.

FIG. 02 · Lumen's live edit mode. The page is the editor. Click anything you can see.

04 · Relay

Your client doesn't need a GitHub account.

Send a magic-link invite. They install Lumen, click the link, and they're editing your real content. Revoke any time.

See what Relay looks like for editors

01

You stay in Lumen

Open Lumen on your Mac the way you always do. Files in your repo. Real git. Real schema. Nothing changes.
02

They get an email link

Send a magic-link invite from inside Lumen. Your editor downloads Lumen, clicks the link, and they're signed in. No GitHub account, no OAuth dance, no per-seat math.
03

Commits go to your repo

Edits flow through Lumen back to your repo. Optimistic concurrency keeps two editors from clobbering each other. Your repo stays the source of truth.

05 · Setup

One step, not seven.

Headless CMSes ask you to rebuild your project in their dashboard. Lumen reads what's already there.

× With a headless CMS

01 Install their SDK
02 Define your content model in their dashboard
03 Configure preview rendering
04 Map fields to components
05 Set up webhooks
06 Manage API keys
07 Pay per editor per month

With Lumen

01 Open the folder.

See every capability that ships in the box

06 · Pricing

No per-editor math.

Headless CMSes charge by the seat because your content lives on their server. Lumen charges by the project.

Free

$0 forever

For a personal site, a portfolio, or a side project.

What's included

1 site
Full editing surface Editor, click-to-edit preview, schema tools, image library.
Git, GitHub & Netlify
No editor invites Relay is a Pro feature.

Download Free

Recommended

Pro

$179 per year

For devs whose clients want to edit too.

Everything in Free, plus

10 sites
Unlimited editor invites Revoke any time.
Magic-link sign-in No GitHub, no Node, no terminal on their machine.
Commit history
Netlify deploys Streaming build logs.
Email support
Bring your own AI Claude, Codex, or any MCP client.

Get Pro

Studio

$499 per year

For small studios and freelance collectives running their own sites.

Everything in Pro, plus

Unlimited sites
Unlimited editors
Priority support

Get Studio

Refunds 14 days, no questions. Email and we'll send the refund.
Relay limits Pro and Studio include unlimited editor invites.
If you stop renewing Your installed version keeps working. New Relay invites and app updates require an active subscription.
Billing Annual only.

07 · FAQ

Frequently asked.

01 Does Lumen work with my existing Astro project?

Yes. Open the folder; Lumen reads what's already there. Hand-written Zod schemas in src/content.config.ts win.
02 What happens to my sites if Lumen disappears?

Your files are still in your repo. Lumen only handles Relay invites and license checks on the server, never your content. Your site keeps building without us.
03 What platforms does Lumen support?

macOS 12 and later, universal binary. Windows and Linux are coming soon. Leave your email on the download page and we'll let you know.
04 What counts as a "site"?

Any local Astro project folder you've added to Lumen's library. Free covers 1. Pro covers 10. Studio is unlimited.

See all questions

Try Lumen on your Astro project.

Free for one site. macOS 12+. No account, no setup.

Download Lumen See pricing

The native CMS for Astro

A CMS for your Astro site that isn't a second backend.

On building software in the open

What changes

Your files stay in your repo

No cloud lock-in

No per-seat math

Software you own

Your frontmatter, as a form.

Reads your Astro collections automatically.

Built-in git and deploys.

Hover any text

Click to edit in place

Click any image to swap

You stay in Lumen

They get an email link

Commits go to your repo

Try Lumen on your Astro project.