Astro Sites Manager

Astro Framework — v7

MCP Documentation Access

This skill works alongside the Astro Docs MCP server. Before answering Astro questions, check if the astro-docs MCP tool is available and query it for the latest documentation. The MCP server provides real-time access to docs.astro.build and is the single source of truth for current APIs.

MCP Server: astro-docs
Tool: search_astro_docs

If the MCP server is unavailable, fall back to the reference material in this skill and https://docs.astro.build.

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Best Practices

Component Design

• One .astro component per file. Keep components small and focused.
• Use frontmatter (---) for data fetching and logic; template below for markup only.
• Prefer Astro components over framework components unless client interactivity is needed.
• Use client:* directives sparingly — each adds JavaScript to the bundle.
• Directive hierarchy: client:idle > client:visible > client:load (prefer lazy).

Routing & Pages

• Use file-based routing in src/pages/. Dynamic routes: [slug].astro, [...path].astro.
• Always export getStaticPaths() for prerendered dynamic routes.
• For SSR pages: export const prerender = false at the top.
• Use src/fetch.ts (v7) only when you need control beyond middleware — don't use it for simple auth.

Content Collections

• Define schemas in content.config.ts with Zod — never trust untyped content.
• Use getCollection() for lists, getEntry() for single items.
• Prefer glob() loader for local files, custom loaders for CMS data.

Performance

• Default to static (prerender = true). Use SSR only for personalized/dynamic content.
• Use ` from astro:assets — never raw ` for local images.
• Prefer Sätteri (default v7) over unified for Markdown — it's significantly faster.
• Use Server Islands (server:defer) for mixing static shells with dynamic fragments.

Styling

• Scoped ` in .astro` files is default and preferred.
• Use is:global only when truly needed (third-party component styling).
• Tailwind: install with astro add tailwind, don't configure manually.

TypeScript

• Run astro sync after changing content schemas or env variables.
• Run astro check before committing — catches template type errors other tools miss.
• Use astro:env/server and astro:env/client for typed env variables (never process.env directly).

Development Workflow

• Use astro dev for HMR. Never use python -m http.server or other static servers.
• Use astro add for official integrations — don't manually edit config for them.
• Use astro build && astro preview to test production behavior locally.
• In AI agent workflows: use astro dev --background and validate via /_astro/status.

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CLI Commands

npx astro dev              # Dev server (foreground)
npx astro dev --background # Dev server (detached, for AI agents)
npx astro dev --json       # Dev server with JSON structured logs
npx astro build            # Production build
npx astro preview          # Serve production build locally
npx astro check            # Type checking and diagnostics
npx astro sync             # Generate TypeScript types
npx astro add # Install and configure integration

Background Dev Server (AI Agents)

When working as an AI agent, use background mode:

# Start (blocks until ready, then detaches)
astro dev --background
# → Dev server running at http://localhost:4321 (pid 12345)

# Check status
astro dev status

# Read logs
astro dev logs

# Stop
astro dev stop

# Health check endpoint (JSON)
curl http://localhost:4321/_astro/status
# → {"ok": true}

Key behaviors:

• Lockfile prevents duplicate instances — starting again returns existing instance
• All commands are idempotent (stop when not running = silent success)
• Auto-detected when running inside an AI agent (no flag needed)
• Opt out: ASTRO_DEV_BACKGROUND=0 astro dev

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Project Structure

src/
├── pages/          # File-based routing (.astro, .md, .mdx)
├── layouts/        # Reusable page layouts
├── components/     # Astro & framework components
├── content/        # Content collections (type-safe)
├── middleware.ts   # Request middleware
├── fetch.ts        # Advanced routing (v7, optional)
├── styles/         # Global CSS
├── assets/         # Optimized assets (images, fonts)
├── actions/        # Server actions
└── env.d.ts        # Environment type declarations
astro.config.mjs    # Main configuration
content.config.ts   # Content collection schemas
tsconfig.json       # TypeScript config

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Configuration (v7)

import { defineConfig, memoryCache, logHandlers } from 'astro/config';

export default defineConfig({
  // Output mode
  output: 'static', // or configure per-page with server adapter

  // Route caching (stable in v7)
  cache: {
    provider: memoryCache(),
  },
  routeRules: {
    '/blog/[...path]': { maxAge: 300, swr: 60 },
  },

  // Logger (stable in v7)
  logger: logHandlers.json(), // or .console(), or .compose(...)

  // Markdown (Sätteri is default in v7)
  markdown: {
    // No config needed for defaults (GFM, smartypants, heading IDs)
    // For extra features:
    // processor: satteri({ features: { directive: true, math: true } })
  },

  // Advanced routing file (default: src/fetch.ts)
  // fetchFile: null, // disable if src/fetch.ts is used for other purposes

  // Whitespace (v7 default: 'jsx')
  compressHTML: 'jsx', // or true (v6 behavior), or false (preserve all)
});

---

Islands Architecture (client:* directives)

Decision guide: No directive (default) = zero JS, static HTML. Add directive only when user interaction is required.

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Image Optimization

---
import { Image } from 'astro:assets';
import heroImage from '../assets/hero.jpg';
---

Config for remote images:

// astro.config.mjs
image: {
  domains: ['cdn.example.com'],
  remotePatterns: [{ protocol: 'https', hostname: '**.cloudinary.com' }],
}

---

Detailed References

• [Install MCP Server](references/install-mcp.md) — Setup Astro Docs MCP for any AI tool (Kiro, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, etc.)
• [Migration Guide v6→v7](references/migration-v6-to-v7.md) — Step-by-step upgrade plan with breaking changes checklist
• [Validation Checklist](references/validation-checklist.md) — Verify installation, detect breaking/deprecated patterns
• [AI Dev Server](references/ai-dev-server.md) — Background mode, JSON logging, agent detection
• [Astro v7 Features](references/v7-features.md) — Rust compiler, Sätteri, Advanced Routing, Route Caching, CDN providers
• [Astro v6 Features](references/v6-features.md) — Content Collections v2, Actions, Sessions, Server Islands, env module
• [Testing](references/testing.md) — Vitest components, Playwright E2E, link checking, CI pipeline
• [SEO Full Stack](references/seo-full-stack.md) — JSON-LD graph, agent discovery, IndexNow, OG images, build-time validation, performance
• [Starlight & Patterns](references/starlight-and-patterns.md) — Docs sites, Pagefind search, i18n, pagination, RSS
• [Deployment](references/deployment.md) — Cloudflare, Vercel, Netlify, Firebase, GitHub Pages, Docker/Coolify, Azure
• [Coolify Deploy](references/coolify-deploy.md) — Self-hosted deploy on Coolify (Dockerfile, API, gotchas, recommended stack)

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: fabricioctelles
• Source: fabricioctelles/skills
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://skill.dev.br

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.