Upload routes.yaml file

Once you activate Crimson, your website may look very empty at first—this is completely normal.

By default, Ghost ships with only one sample post titled “Coming Soon”. Since Crimson is designed for content-heavy and multilingual publishing, it relies on proper routing and real content to display layouts like hero sections, archives, and member pages correctly.

In the next section, we’ll walk through how to add posts and start publishing content so your site begins to resemble the Crimson demo.

Before that, it’s important to upload the included routes.yaml file.

Why routes.yaml Is Required

Ghost uses a file called routes.yaml to control how URLs, collections, and custom pages are structured on your website.

Crimson includes its own routes.yaml file because it enables:

• Custom member pages (Sign in, Sign up, Subscribe, Membership, Account)

• Proper routing for custom archive templates

• Correct handling of tags, authors, and post listings

• Support for Crimson’s advanced layouts and multilingual structure

Without uploading this file:

• Custom pages may not load correctly

• Member-related pages may show errors or fall back to default templates

• Some layouts may not behave as intended

---

Where to Find the routes.yaml File

The routes.yaml file is included inside the Crimson download package.

1. Locate the Crimson ZIP file you downloaded.

2. Extract (unzip) the file on your computer.

3. Inside the extracted folder, you will find a file named: routes.yaml

This is the file you will upload to Ghost Admin.

routes.yaml file inside the Crimson theme package

---

Step-by-Step: Uploading routes.yaml in Ghost Admin

Follow these steps carefully—no coding knowledge is required.

Step 1 — Open Ghost Admin

1. Open your browser.

2. Go to your Ghost Admin URL: https://example.com/ghost

3. Log in using your administrator credentials.

Step 2 — Navigate to the Routes Settings

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings (⚙️ icon).

2. Scroll down and open Labs (or Advanced, depending on your Ghost version).

3. Find the section labeled Routes.

This section controls how Ghost handles URLs and page structures.

Routes settings in Ghost Admin

Step 3 — Upload the routes.yaml File

1. In the Routes section, click Upload routes file.

2. A file picker dialog will open.

3. Select the routes.yaml file from the extracted Crimson folder on your computer.

4. Confirm the upload.

Ghost will immediately apply the new routing configuration.

Uploading a new routes.yaml file replaces the existing routes configuration. This is expected and safe for new installs. However, it is advisable to download the existing routes.yaml file as a backup.

Upload/Download routes.yaml file

---

What Happens After Uploading routes.yaml

Once the file is uploaded:

• Crimson’s custom member pages become active

• Archive pages (tags, authors, posts) follow the intended structure

• Navigation and templates align correctly with the theme

• Your site is now fully ready for content creation

At this stage, the site may still look minimal—that’s because content has not been added yet, not because something is broken.

---

Common Questions & Troubleshooting

My site still looks empty. Is something wrong?

No. This is expected until you add posts, tags, and featured content.

Will this delete my posts?

No. Uploading routes.yaml does not delete content. It only changes how URLs and templates are structured.

Can I edit routes.yaml later?

Yes. Advanced users can customize routes later, but we recommend using the default Crimson file unless you know exactly what you’re changing.