Limits

Decap CMS is powerful. But it has limits. This page lists what it cannot do — and how to work around it.

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What Decap CMS Cannot Do

Task	Why	Workaround
Create new folders in docs/	Decap CMS edits content, not structure	Create the folder manually in code
Create _category_.json	Same as above	Create the file manually
Add docs to sidebars.ts	sidebars.ts is config	Edit sidebars.ts manually
Edit docusaurus.config.ts	It's a TypeScript config file	Edit manually
Edit src/css/nocturne.css	CSS file	Edit manually
Edit React components	.tsx files	Edit manually

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Why These Limits Exist

Decap CMS works with content, not code.

• Content = Markdown files, JSON data — editable in a browser
• Code = TypeScript, CSS, React — editable in a text editor

_category_.json and sidebars.ts are code — they control structure, not content.

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The Workaround

For every category you want to add:

Step 1 — Create the folder in code:

mkdir docs/tutorials

Step 2 — Create _category_.json:

{
  "label": "Tutorials",
  "position": 5,
  "collapsed": false,
  "link": {
    "type": "generated-index",
    "title": "Tutorials",
    "description": "Step-by-step tutorials for Nocturne."
  }
}

Step 3 — Add to sidebars.ts:

{
  type: 'category',
  label: 'Tutorials',
  collapsed: false,
  link: {
    type: 'doc',
    id: 'tutorials/index',
  },
  items: [
    'tutorials/index',
    'tutorials/first-tutorial',
  ],
},

Step 4 — Now use Decap CMS to create the docs inside the category.

The structure is code. The content is CMS.

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The Workflow

Here's the ideal workflow for adding a new category:

Step	Tool	What
1	Terminal	Create the folder
2	Text editor	Create _category_.json
3	Text editor	Add to sidebars.ts
4	Decap CMS	Create the docs inside
5	Decap CMS	Edit the docs

Structure in code. Content in CMS.

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What Decap CMS Can Do

To be clear, Decap CMS can do a lot:

Task	Supported?
Edit homepage content	✅
Edit navbar	✅
Edit footer	✅
Edit widgets	✅
Create new docs	✅
Edit existing docs	✅
Create blog posts	✅
Upload images	✅
Edit static pages	✅

Almost everything content-related.

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What Requires Code

Task	Requires Code?
Add a new category	✅
Add a new doc to sidebar	✅
Change site title	✅
Change theme colors	✅
Add a React component	✅
Add a Docusaurus plugin	✅

Anything that changes structure or code.

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Why We Chose This Design

Nocturne uses Decap CMS because:

• Git-based — content lives in your repo
• No backend — no server to maintain
• Free — runs from a CDN
• Open source — no lock-in

The trade-off: structure is code. It's a deliberate choice — the sidebar should be intentional, not auto-generated.

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Tips

• Plan categories ahead — create them all at once
• Keep categories stable — don't rename once published
• Use Decap CMS for content — not structure
• Edit code in VS Code — not in the CMS

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Troubleshooting

I added a doc in CMS but it doesn't appear

You need to add it to sidebars.ts manually.

I renamed a category

You need to update _category_.json and sidebars.ts.

I want to add a new section to the homepage

Add the field to home.json and config.yml — see Data Files.

I want to change the theme colors

Edit src/css/nocturne.css — see Theme.

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What's Next?

You've completed the Content Management section.

• Back to Overview
• Back to Introduction
• Developer Guide