FastMode CLI — Complete Agent Reference

FastMode lets you create a live website, deploy it to the cloud, and manage all its content — entirely from the command line. One-time browser login for OAuth authentication, then every operation runs in the terminal. No local servers, no manual dashboards.

• Free cloud hosting — every site gets a live URL at yoursite.fastmode.ai
• Free SSL — HTTPS included automatically
• Custom domains — connect any domain (e.g. www.example.com)
• Full CMS — any content structure (blog, team, products, portfolios, anything)
• Agent-native — every operation works via CLI, zero human intervention needed

Table of Contents

1. End-to-End Workflow
2. CRITICAL: Before You Build Anything
3. Website Analysis
4. Command Reference
5. Project Resolution
6. Schema & Field Types
7. Content Items
8. Client Portal Management
9. Package Structure
10. Manifest Format
11. Template Syntax (includes SEO rules, image handling, forms, inline editing)
12. Deployment & Build Status
13. Validation
14. Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
15. Pre-Deployment Checklist
16. Error Handling & Exit Codes

End-to-End Workflow

This is the complete sequence to go from nothing to a live website.

# 1. Authenticate (one-time — credentials persist at ~/.fastmode/credentials.json)
fastmode login

# 2. Create a project (gets a free hosted URL instantly)
fastmode projects create "Acme Corp"
fastmode use "Acme Corp"

# 3. Define content structure (write schema.json, then sync it)
fastmode schema sync -f schema.json

# 4. Add content
fastmode items create posts -n "Welcome" -d '{"title": "Welcome to Acme", "body": "\x3Cp>We build great things.\x3C/p>"}'
fastmode items create team -n "Jane Doe" -d '{"role": "Founder", "bio": "\x3Cp>Visionary leader.\x3C/p>"}'

# 5. Build HTML templates with {{tokens}}, package into a zip, validate, deploy
fastmode validate package site.zip
fastmode deploy site.zip
# Deploy waits for build to finish and reports success or failure with error details

# 6. If the build failed, check what went wrong
fastmode status
# Fix the issue, then re-deploy

CRITICAL: Before You Build Anything

STOP. Before writing ANY HTML, templates, or manifest.json, complete these steps.

Step 1: Check for Existing Projects

fastmode projects

This lists all the user's existing FastMode projects.

Step 2: Decide — Existing or New Project

If projects exist: Ask the user: "Is this website for one of your existing projects, or should I create a new one?" Let the user choose.

If NO projects exist: This is a new user — ask: "What would you like to name your new project?"

Step 3a: For EXISTING Projects

1. User selects the project from the list
2. Run fastmode use "Project Name" to set it as default
3. Run fastmode schema show to get the current collections and fields
4. Use this schema to build templates with the correct field names

Step 3b: For NEW Projects

1. Ask for the project name if you don't have it
2. Run fastmode projects create "Project Name"
3. Run fastmode use "Project Name"
4. You'll create the schema later with fastmode schema sync
5. Optionally generate sample content: fastmode generate-samples

Checkpoint — Confirm Before Continuing

If you don't have a project set, DO NOT PROCEED. Go back to Step 1.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

• For existing projects: The schema determines which fields to use in templates — get it wrong and the build fails
• For new projects: You need the project before you can deploy
• Always: The user must confirm which project to use — never assume

Website Analysis (Do This Before Writing Code)

Before writing any HTML or templates, analyze the site:

1. Map ALL URLs — document every page path (/, /about, /blog, /blog/post-slug, etc.)
2. Categorize each page — Static (fixed content), List (shows multiple items), or Detail (single item from a collection)
3. Identify collections — repeating content that should be CMS-managed (blog posts, team members, products, testimonials, etc.)
4. Document assets — all CSS, JS, image, and font file locations
5. PRESERVE original URLs — if the site uses /resources for articles, keep /resources. Do NOT change it to /blog. Use the manifest's path configuration.

Command Reference

Authentication

fastmode login                          # Open browser for OAuth device flow
fastmode logout                         # Delete ~/.fastmode/credentials.json
fastmode whoami                         # Show current user email and name

• login uses OAuth 2.0 device authorization flow: opens a browser window where the user approves access on fastmode.ai, then credentials are saved automatically. The browser is only needed for this one-time login step.
• OAuth scopes: The token grants access to the user's FastMode projects only (project management, schema editing, content CRUD, deployments). No third-party service access is requested.
• Credentials persist at ~/.fastmode/credentials.json with restricted file permissions (0o600 — owner read/write only). Treat this file as a sensitive secret.
• Tokens auto-refresh. If a token expires, the next command will refresh it silently using the stored refresh token.
• If credentials are missing or invalid, most commands will trigger the login flow automatically.
• logout deletes ~/.fastmode/credentials.json and revokes the stored tokens.

Projects

fastmode projects                       # List all projects (default action)
fastmode projects list                  # Same as above
fastmode projects create "Name"         # Create a new project
fastmode projects create "Name" --subdomain custom-sub  # Custom subdomain
fastmode projects create "Name" --force                  # Skip similar-name check
fastmode use \x3Cproject>                  # Set default project for all commands

• projects create checks for existing projects with similar names. Use --force to skip.
• Subdomain auto-generated from name if not provided (lowercase, hyphens, max 30 chars).
• use stores the default in ~/.fastmode/config.json. Does NOT validate the project exists.

Schema

fastmode schema show                    # Show all collections and fields
fastmode schema show -p "Project Name"  # Specify project
fastmode schema sync -f schema.json     # Create collections and fields from JSON file
fastmode schema field-types             # List all available field types (no auth needed)

• schema show requires authentication and a project.
• schema sync reads a local JSON file and creates/updates the schema. Skips duplicates. Two-phase: creates collections first, then fields (handles relation dependencies).
• schema field-types works without authentication.

Content Items

fastmode items list \x3Ccollection>                          # List all items
fastmode items list posts --limit 10 --sort publishedAt --order desc
fastmode items get \x3Ccollection> \x3Cslug>                    # Get single item
fastmode items create \x3Ccollection> -n "Name" -d '{"field": "value"}'
fastmode items create posts -n "Title" -f data.json       # Data from file
fastmode items create posts -n "Draft Post" -d '{}' --draft
fastmode items update \x3Ccollection> \x3Cslug> -d '{"field": "new value"}'
fastmode items update posts my-post -n "New Title"
fastmode items update posts my-post --publish             # Publish a draft
fastmode items update posts my-post --unpublish           # Revert to draft
fastmode items delete \x3Ccollection> \x3Cslug> --confirm       # REQUIRES --confirm
fastmode items relations \x3Ccollection>                     # Show linkable items for relation fields
fastmode items relations posts --field author             # Options for specific field

See the Content Items section below for detailed rules on data formats, relation fields, and drafts.

Client Portal Management

fastmode clients list                              # List portal clients with access
fastmode clients invite [email protected]         # Invite with default permissions
fastmode clients invite [email protected] -n "Jane" --permissions cms.read,cms.write
fastmode clients invitations                       # List pending invitations
fastmode clients update-permissions \x3CaccessId> --permissions cms.read,editor
fastmode clients revoke \x3CaccessId> --confirm       # REQUIRES --confirm
fastmode clients cancel-invite \x3CinvitationId> --confirm  # REQUIRES --confirm

See the Client Portal Management section below for details on permissions, invite flow, and examples.

Deployment & Build Status

fastmode deploy site.zip                # Deploy and wait for build to finish
fastmode deploy site.zip --force        # Skip GitHub sync check
fastmode deploy site.zip --no-wait      # Upload only, don't wait for build
fastmode deploy site.zip --timeout 300000  # Custom timeout in ms (default: 120000)
fastmode status                         # Check current build/deploy status
fastmode deploys                        # List deployment history
fastmode deploys --limit 5             # Limit number of results

See Deployment & Build Status below for the full deploy lifecycle.

Validation

fastmode validate manifest manifest.json
fastmode validate template index.html -t custom_index
fastmode validate template post.html -t custom_detail -c posts
fastmode validate template post.html -t custom_detail -c posts -p "My Project"
fastmode validate template about.html -t static_page
fastmode validate package site.zip

• Template types: custom_index (collection listing), custom_detail (single item), static_page (fixed page).
• -c specifies the collection slug (required for custom_index and custom_detail).
• -p validates tokens against the actual project schema (reports missing fields).
• All validation commands exit with code 1 on errors — safe for CI/CD pipelines.

Documentation & Examples

fastmode examples \x3Ctype>                # Code examples for a specific pattern
fastmode guide                          # Full website conversion guide
fastmode guide templates                # Template syntax guide
fastmode guide common_mistakes          # Common pitfalls to avoid
fastmode generate-samples               # Generate placeholder content for empty collections
fastmode generate-samples -c posts team # Specific collections only

Available example types: manifest_basic, manifest_custom_paths, blog_index_template, blog_post_template, team_template, downloads_template, form_handling, asset_paths, data_edit_keys, each_loop, conditional_if, nested_fields, featured_posts, parent_context, equality_comparison, comparison_helpers, youtube_embed, nested_collection_loop, loop_variables, common_mistakes.

Available guide sections: full, first_steps, analysis, structure, seo, manifest, templates, tokens, forms, assets, checklist, common_mistakes.

Project Resolution

Every project-scoped command (schema, items, deploy, status, etc.) needs a project. Resolution order:

1. -p / --project flag — explicit on the command: -p "My Project" or -p abc123-uuid
2. FASTMODE_PROJECT environment variable — set in shell: export FASTMODE_PROJECT="My Project"
3. Default project — saved by fastmode use "My Project" in ~/.fastmode/config.json

If none is set, the command prints an error and exits with code 1:

Error: No project specified.
Use -p \x3Cid-or-name>, set FASTMODE_PROJECT env var, or run: fastmode use \x3Cproject>

Project identifiers can be:

• UUID — used directly (e.g. 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000)
• Project name — resolved via API (exact match first, then partial match, case-insensitive)

Schema & Field Types

Creating a Schema

Write a schema.json file and sync it:

fastmode schema sync -f schema.json

schema.json Format

{
  "collections": [
    {
      "slug": "posts",
      "name": "Blog Posts",
      "nameSingular": "Blog Post",
      "fields": [
        { "slug": "title", "name": "Title", "type": "text", "isRequired": true },
        { "slug": "excerpt", "name": "Excerpt", "type": "textarea" },
        { "slug": "body", "name": "Body", "type": "richText" },
        { "slug": "featured-image", "name": "Featured Image", "type": "image" },
        { "slug": "category", "name": "Category", "type": "select", "options": "News, Tutorial, Update" },
        { "slug": "tags", "name": "Tags", "type": "multiSelect", "options": "JavaScript, Python, DevOps, AI" },
        { "slug": "featured", "name": "Featured", "type": "boolean" },
        { "slug": "author", "name": "Author", "type": "relation", "referenceCollection": "team" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "team",
      "name": "Team Members",
      "nameSingular": "Team Member",
      "fields": [
        { "slug": "role", "name": "Role", "type": "text" },
        { "slug": "bio", "name": "Bio", "type": "richText" },
        { "slug": "photo", "name": "Photo", "type": "image" },
        { "slug": "email", "name": "Email", "type": "email" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

To add fields to existing collections, use fieldsToAdd:

{
  "fieldsToAdd": [
    {
      "collectionSlug": "posts",
      "fields": [
        { "slug": "reading-time", "name": "Reading Time", "type": "number" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

You can combine collections and fieldsToAdd in the same file. Duplicate collections and fields are automatically skipped.

Available Field Types

Relation Fields — CRITICAL

Relation fields link items between collections (e.g. a post has an author from the team collection). When creating or updating items with relation fields:

• You MUST use the item's UUID, not its name or slug
• Use fastmode items relations \x3Ccollection> to get the available IDs
• Example: fastmode items relations posts --field author shows team member IDs

# First, find the author's item ID
fastmode items relations posts --field author
# Output shows: ID: 550e8400-..., Name: Jane Doe, Slug: jane-doe

# Then use that ID when creating a post
fastmode items create posts -n "My Post" -d '{"title": "My Post", "author": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"}'

WRONG: "author": "Jane Doe" — this will NOT work. CORRECT: "author": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000" — use the UUID.

Content Items

Creating Items

fastmode items create \x3Ccollection> -n "Item Name" -d '{"field": "value"}'

Data rules:

• -d value must be valid JSON. Keys are field slugs.
• -f reads from a JSON file. If both -f and -d are given, -f wins.
• If neither -d nor -f is given, the item is created with just the name (no field data).
• Rich text fields accept raw HTML: "body": "\x3Ch2>Title\x3C/h2>\x3Cp>Content here.\x3C/p>"
• Relation fields require UUIDs (see above).
• Without --draft, items are published immediately (publishedAt set to now).

Updating Items

fastmode items update \x3Ccollection> \x3Cslug> -d '{"field": "new value"}'

Update is a partial merge. Only the fields you provide in -d are changed. All other fields remain as they are.

Deleting Items

fastmode items delete \x3Ccollection> \x3Cslug> --confirm

The --confirm flag is required. Without it, the command refuses to run and exits with code 1. This is a safety measure — deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Always ask the user for confirmation before deleting.

Draft / Publish Mechanics

• Draft items have publishedAt: null and are not visible on the live site.
• Published items have a publishedAt timestamp and appear on the live site.
• Without --draft, new items are published immediately.

Client Portal Management

The client portal lets you give external clients (your customers, collaborators) limited access to manage content on your FastMode site. Clients get their own login, separate from your admin account, with configurable permissions.

How It Works

1. You invite a client by email — they receive a unique invite link
2. Client clicks the link — creates a password and gets portal access
3. Client manages content — based on the permissions you assigned
4. You control access — update permissions or revoke access at any time

The portal is auto-enabled on the project when you send the first invitation. No manual setup needed.

Available Permissions

Default permissions (used when none specified): cms.read, cms.write, editor, forms.read

Inviting Clients

# Invite with default permissions
fastmode clients invite [email protected]

# Invite with a name
fastmode clients invite [email protected] -n "Jane Smith"

# Invite with specific permissions
fastmode clients invite [email protected] -n "Jane Smith" --permissions cms.read,forms.read

# Invite with all permissions
fastmode clients invite [email protected] --permissions cms.read,cms.write,editor,forms.read,dns,api,notifications,billing

The command returns an invite URL — share this with the client. The link expires in 7 days.

Important:

• Each email can only be invited once per project
• If a client already has access, the invite will fail
• If a pending invitation already exists for the email, the invite will fail

Listing Clients and Invitations

# See who has portal access
fastmode clients list

# See pending (unaccepted) invitations
fastmode clients invitations

clients list shows the access ID for each client — you need this ID to update permissions or revoke access.

Updating Permissions

# First, get the access ID from the list
fastmode clients list

# Update permissions (replaces ALL existing permissions)
fastmode clients update-permissions \x3CaccessId> --permissions cms.read,cms.write,editor

Permissions are replaced entirely — if a client had cms.read,cms.write,editor,forms.read and you set --permissions cms.read, they will ONLY have cms.read.

Revoking Access

# Revoke a client's portal access (requires --confirm)
fastmode clients revoke \x3CaccessId> --confirm

The --confirm flag is required. Without it, the command refuses to run.

Always ask the user for confirmation before revoking access.

Revoking access is a soft delete — the client's account still exists but they cannot access this project's portal. Their active sessions are terminated immediately.

Canceling Invitations

# Cancel a pending invitation (requires --confirm)
fastmode clients cancel-invite \x3CinvitationId> --confirm

The invitation link will no longer work. Use fastmode clients invitations to get the invitation ID.

Typical Workflow

# 1. Invite your client
fastmode clients invite [email protected] -n "Design Agency" --permissions cms.read,cms.write,editor

# 2. Share the invite URL from the output with the client

# 3. Later, check who has access
fastmode clients list

# 4. Restrict a client to read-only
fastmode clients update-permissions abc12345 --permissions cms.read

# 5. Remove a client who no longer needs access
fastmode clients revoke abc12345 --confirm

Package Structure

The deployment package is a .zip file with this exact structure:

site.zip
├── manifest.json              # REQUIRED — defines pages and CMS templates
├── pages/                     # Static HTML pages
│   ├── index.html             # Homepage (REQUIRED — must have path "/")
│   ├── about.html
│   └── contact.html
├── templates/                 # CMS-powered templates (if using collections)
│   ├── posts_index.html       # Blog listing page
│   ├── posts_detail.html      # Single blog post page
│   └── team_index.html        # Team listing page
└── public/                    # ALL static assets (CSS, JS, images, fonts)
    ├── css/
    │   └── style.css
    ├── js/
    │   └── main.js
    └── images/
        ├── logo.png
        └── favicon.ico

Strict Rules

1. manifest.json MUST be at the root of the zip.
2. Static pages go in pages/. One HTML file per page.
3. CMS templates go in templates/. Convention: {collection}_index.html and {collection}_detail.html.
4. ALL static assets go in public/. CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts — everything.
5. Reference assets with /public/ prefix in HTML. Example: \x3Clink href="/public/css/style.css" rel="stylesheet">.
6. A homepage is required. One page must have "path": "/" in the manifest.

Critical: Asset Paths

WRONG — will 404:

\x3Clink href="/assets/css/style.css" rel="stylesheet">
\x3Clink href="/css/style.css" rel="stylesheet">
\x3Clink href="../css/style.css" rel="stylesheet">
\x3Cscript src="js/main.js">\x3C/script>

CORRECT:

\x3Clink href="/public/css/style.css" rel="stylesheet">
\x3Cscript src="/public/js/main.js">\x3C/script>
\x3Cimg src="/public/images/logo.png" alt="Logo">

This also applies inside CSS files — background images AND fonts:

/* WRONG */
background-image: url('../images/bg.jpg');
background-image: url('images/bg.jpg');
src: url('../fonts/custom.woff2');

/* CORRECT */
background-image: url('/public/images/bg.jpg');
src: url('/public/fonts/custom.woff2');

Asset path conversion table:

External URLs (Google Fonts, CDNs, etc.) stay unchanged.

Manifest Format

The manifest.json file defines the site structure. It uses a FLAT format for CMS templates (not nested).

Basic Example (Static Only)

{
  "pages": [
    { "path": "/", "file": "pages/index.html", "title": "Home" },
    { "path": "/about", "file": "pages/about.html", "title": "About" },
    { "path": "/contact", "file": "pages/contact.html", "title": "Contact" }
  ]
}

With CMS Collections

{
  "pages": [
    { "path": "/", "file": "pages/index.html", "title": "Home" },
    { "path": "/about", "file": "pages/about.html", "title": "About" }
  ],
  "cmsTemplates": {
    "postsIndex": "templates/posts_index.html",
    "postsIndexPath": "/blog",
    "postsDetail": "templates/posts_detail.html",
    "postsDetailPath": "/blog",
    "teamIndex": "templates/team_index.html",
    "teamIndexPath": "/team"
  }
}

CMS Template Keys — FLAT Format

Each collection needs 2-4 keys in cmsTemplates. The format is {collectionSlug}Index, {collectionSlug}IndexPath, {collectionSlug}Detail, {collectionSlug}DetailPath.

Example for a "services" collection:

"cmsTemplates": {
  "servicesIndex": "templates/services_index.html",
  "servicesIndexPath": "/services",
  "servicesDetail": "templates/services_detail.html",
  "servicesDetailPath": "/services"
}

Common Manifest Mistakes — AI Agents Frequently Get This Wrong

AI agents frequently use a nested object format or "collections" key that FastMode does NOT support. Read carefully.

WRONG — using "collections" key (MOST COMMON AI MISTAKE):

{
  "collections": {
    "posts": {
      "indexPath": "/blog",
      "indexFile": "collections/posts/index.html",
      "detailPath": "/blog/:slug",
      "detailFile": "collections/posts/detail.html"
    }
  }
}

WRONG — nested objects inside cmsTemplates:

"cmsTemplates": {
  "posts": {
    "indexPath": "/blog",
    "detailPath": "/blog"
  }
}

WRONG — singular slug names:

"postIndex": "..."   // Should be "postsIndex"
"postDetail": "..."  // Should be "postsDetail"

CORRECT — flat keys using cmsTemplates, matching the collection slug exactly:

"cmsTemplates": {
  "postsIndex": "templates/posts_index.html",
  "postsIndexPath": "/blog",
  "postsDetail": "templates/posts_detail.html",
  "postsDetailPath": "/blog"
}

Key rules:

• Use cmsTemplates, NOT collections
• Use FLAT keys: {slug}Index, {slug}Detail, {slug}IndexPath, {slug}DetailPath
• Do NOT nest objects inside collection names
• Use fastmode validate manifest manifest.json to catch these errors before deploying

Optional: Head/Body Injection

{
  "pages": [...],
  "cmsTemplates": {...},
  "defaultHeadHtml": "\x3Clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"/public/css/global.css\">",
  "defaultBodyEndHtml": "\x3Cscript src=\"/public/js/analytics.js\">\x3C/script>"
}

Template Syntax

FastMode templates use Handlebars-style tokens. There are three types of templates:

• Static pages (pages/): Fixed HTML with optional data-edit-key attributes for inline CMS editing and optional {{#each}} loops for dynamic content.
• Index templates (templates/): Collection listing pages. MUST contain at least one {{#each collectionSlug}} loop.
• Detail templates (templates/): Single item pages. MUST contain CMS tokens like {{name}}, {{{body}}}, etc.

SEO Tags — Do NOT Include

FastMode automatically manages all SEO meta tags. Including them in your HTML will cause duplicate tags (bad for SEO ranking). Remove ALL of these from your templates:

Correct \x3Chead> structure:

\x3Chead>
  \x3Cmeta charset="UTF-8">
  \x3Cmeta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  \x3C!-- SEO managed by Fast Mode — do not add title, description, or OG tags -->
  \x3Clink rel="stylesheet" href="/public/css/style.css">
  \x3C!-- External fonts, scripts, etc. are fine -->
  \x3Clink href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
\x3C/head>

Built-in Fields (Every Item Has These)

Regular Fields — Double Braces {{field}}

Used for text, number, date, image, url, email, select, boolean fields:

\x3Ch1>{{name}}\x3C/h1>
\x3Cp>{{excerpt}}\x3C/p>
\x3Cimg src="{{featured-image}}" alt="{{name}}">
\x3Cspan>Category: {{category}}\x3C/span>
\x3Ca href="{{website-url}}">Visit\x3C/a>

Rich Text Fields — Triple Braces {{{field}}}

CRITICAL: Rich text fields contain HTML. You MUST use triple braces {{{ }}} so the HTML renders correctly. Double braces will escape the HTML and display raw tags as text.

\x3C!-- CORRECT — HTML renders properly -->
\x3Cdiv class="content">{{{body}}}\x3C/div>
\x3Cdiv class="bio">{{{bio}}}\x3C/div>

\x3C!-- WRONG — HTML appears as escaped text like <p>Hello</p> -->
\x3Cdiv class="content">{{body}}\x3C/div>

Loops — {{#each collection}}

Used in index templates and static pages to iterate over collection items.

Basic loop:

{{#each posts}}
  \x3Carticle>
    \x3Ch2>\x3Ca href="{{url}}">{{name}}\x3C/a>\x3C/h2>
    \x3Cp>{{excerpt}}\x3C/p>
  \x3C/article>
{{/each}}

Loop modifiers:

Combined modifiers:

\x3C!-- Latest 3 featured posts, newest first -->
{{#each posts featured=true limit=3 sort="publishedAt" order="desc"}}
  \x3Carticle>{{name}}\x3C/article>
{{/each}}

Loop Variables

Available only inside {{#each}} blocks:

Do NOT use loop variables outside {{#each}} blocks — they will produce warnings and undefined values.

{{#each posts}}
  {{#if @first}}
    \x3Cdiv class="hero">
      \x3Ch1>{{name}}\x3C/h1>
    \x3C/div>
  {{else}}
    \x3Cdiv class="card">
      \x3Ch3>{{name}}\x3C/h3>
    \x3C/div>
  {{/if}}
{{/each}}

Conditionals — {{#if}}, {{#unless}}

\x3C!-- Show if field has a value -->
{{#if image}}
  \x3Cimg src="{{image}}" alt="{{name}}">
{{/if}}

\x3C!-- Show if field has a value, with fallback -->
{{#if thumbnail}}
  \x3Cimg src="{{thumbnail}}" alt="">
{{else}}
  \x3Cdiv class="placeholder">No image\x3C/div>
{{/if}}

\x3C!-- Show if field is empty/missing -->
{{#unless posts}}
  \x3Cp>No posts yet.\x3C/p>
{{/unless}}

Equality & Comparison Helpers

\x3C!-- Equal -->
{{#if (eq status "published")}}
  \x3Cspan class="badge">Published\x3C/span>
{{/if}}

\x3C!-- Not equal — useful for "Related Items" excluding current item -->
{{#unless (eq slug ../slug)}}
  \x3Ca href="{{url}}">{{name}}\x3C/a>
{{/unless}}

\x3C!-- Numeric comparisons -->
{{#if (lt @index 1)}}   \x3C!-- Less than -->
{{#if (gt @index 0)}}   \x3C!-- Greater than -->
{{#if (lte price 100)}} \x3C!-- Less than or equal -->
{{#if (gte stock 5)}}   \x3C!-- Greater than or equal -->
{{#if (ne status "draft")}} \x3C!-- Not equal -->

Hero + grid layout pattern:

{{#each posts}}
  {{#if (lt @index 1)}}
    \x3Cdiv class="hero">\x3Ch1>{{name}}\x3C/h1>\x3C/div>
  {{else}}
    {{#if (lt @index 4)}}
      \x3Cdiv class="featured">\x3Ch3>{{name}}\x3C/h3>\x3C/div>
    {{else}}
      \x3Cdiv class="list-item">{{name}}\x3C/div>
    {{/if}}
  {{/if}}
{{/each}}

Relation Fields — Dot Notation

Access fields on related items using dot notation:

{{#each posts}}
  \x3Carticle>
    \x3Ch2>{{name}}\x3C/h2>
    {{#if author}}
      \x3Cspan class="author">By {{author.name}}\x3C/span>
      {{#if author.photo}}
        \x3Cimg src="{{author.photo}}" alt="{{author.name}}">
      {{/if}}
    {{/if}}
  \x3C/article>
{{/each}}

Available: {{relation.name}}, {{relation.slug}}, {{relation.url}}, {{relation.anyField}}.

Parent Context — ../

Inside a loop, access the parent scope (the current page's item) with ../:

\x3C!-- On an author detail page, show only THIS author's posts -->
\x3Ch1>{{name}}\x3C/h1>

\x3Ch2>Posts by {{name}}\x3C/h2>
{{#each posts}}
  {{#if (eq author.name ../name)}}
    \x3Carticle>
      \x3Ch2>\x3Ca href="{{url}}">{{name}}\x3C/a>\x3C/h2>
    \x3C/article>
  {{/if}}
{{/each}}

Nested Loops with @root.

When nesting loops, use @root. to reference root-level collections:

{{#each categories}}
  \x3Ch3>{{name}}\x3C/h3>
  {{#each @root.posts where="category.slug:{{slug}}"}}
    \x3Ca href="{{url}}">{{name}}\x3C/a>
  {{/each}}
{{/each}}

Inline Editing — data-edit-key (CRITICAL for Static Pages)

Without data-edit-key attributes, static pages have NO editable content in the CMS dashboard. Every text element that should be editable MUST have one.

\x3C!-- Static pages — REQUIRED for editable content -->
\x3Ch1 data-edit-key="home-hero-title">Welcome to Our Site\x3C/h1>
\x3Cp data-edit-key="home-hero-subtitle">We build amazing things.\x3C/p>
\x3Cp data-edit-key="home-about-text">Our story began in 2020...\x3C/p>

\x3C!-- Hierarchical naming for sections -->
\x3Csection class="about">
  \x3Ch2 data-edit-key="about-section-title">About Us\x3C/h2>
  \x3Cp data-edit-key="about-section-paragraph-1">First paragraph...\x3C/p>
  \x3Cp data-edit-key="about-section-paragraph-2">Second paragraph...\x3C/p>
\x3C/section>

\x3C!-- CMS templates — optional, for hardcoded headers -->
\x3Ch1 data-edit-key="blog-page-title">Our Blog\x3C/h1>

Naming convention: {page}-{section}-{element}

Examples: home-hero-title, about-team-heading, contact-form-intro, services-cta-button

Rules:

• Keys must be unique across the entire site (not just the page).
• Use lowercase with hyphens.
• For different pages, prefix with the page name.
• Static pages without edit keys will appear in the CMS but have nothing editable.

Video Embeds

{{#if video}}
  \x3Ciframe
    src="{{video}}"
    allowfullscreen
    referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    title="Video"
  >\x3C/iframe>
{{/if}}

The referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" attribute is required for YouTube embeds — without it, videos may show Error 150/153.

Images — Static vs CMS Content

There are two types of images and they are handled differently:

1. Static/UI images — logos, icons, decorative backgrounds bundled with the site:

\x3C!-- KEEP these as static /public/ paths -->
\x3Cimg src="/public/images/logo.png" alt="Company Logo">
\x3Cimg src="/public/images/icons/arrow.svg" alt="">

2. CMS content images — post images, team photos, product images managed through the CMS:

\x3C!-- USE CMS tokens — NEVER hardcode content image URLs -->
{{#if image}}
  \x3Cimg src="{{image}}" alt="{{name}}">
{{/if}}

Rule of thumb: If it's site branding/design → keep static. If it's content that changes per item → use CMS tokens.

Always wrap CMS images in {{#if}} — not every item may have an image:

{{#if image}}
  \x3Cimg src="{{image}}" alt="{{name}}">
{{else}}
  \x3Cdiv class="placeholder-image">\x3C/div>
{{/if}}

Common mistake — mixing static and CMS images:

\x3C!-- WRONG: hardcoded image inside a CMS loop -->
{{#each products}}
  \x3Cimg src="/images/product-placeholder.jpg" alt="Product">  \x3C!-- BAD -->
  \x3Ch2>{{name}}\x3C/h2>
{{/each}}

\x3C!-- CORRECT: all content comes from CMS -->
{{#each products}}
  {{#if image}}
    \x3Cimg src="{{image}}" alt="{{name}}">
  {{/if}}
  \x3Ch2>{{name}}\x3C/h2>
{{/each}}

Forms

\x3Cform data-form-name="contact" action="/_forms/contact" method="POST">
  \x3Cinput type="text" name="name" placeholder="Your name" required>
  \x3Cinput type="email" name="email" placeholder="Your email" required>
  \x3Ctextarea name="message" placeholder="Your message" required>\x3C/textarea>
  \x3Cbutton type="submit">Send Message\x3C/button>
\x3C/form>

Rules:

• data-form-name attribute is required.
• action must point to /_forms/{formName}.
• All inputs must have name attributes.
• A submit button is required.

CRITICAL: Remove Original Form Handlers

If the source site has JavaScript that handles form submissions, you MUST remove or replace it. Original site JS often does e.preventDefault() and shows a "fake" success toast — the data goes nowhere.

// PROBLEM: This blocks real submissions!
form.addEventListener('submit', (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
  showToast('Message sent!');  // FAKE! Data not saved!
});

Option A (simplest): Remove the original JavaScript form handler entirely. The native \x3Cform action="/_forms/contact" method="POST"> will submit correctly.

Option B (keep JS UX): Replace the handler with one that actually POSTs to FastMode:

form.addEventListener('submit', async (e) => {
  e.preventDefault();
  const formName = form.dataset.formName;
  const response = await fetch('/_forms/' + formName, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify(Object.fromEntries(new FormData(form)))
  });
  if (response.ok) {
    form.reset();
    alert('Message sent!');  // NOW it's real!
  }
});

Deployment & Build Status

How Deployment Works

1. Upload: fastmode deploy site.zip reads the zip, validates it, and uploads it to the server.
2. Build: The server processes the package (renders templates, publishes pages). This happens asynchronously.
3. Wait: By default, deploy polls for build status every 3 seconds until the build completes or times out (default 2 minutes).
4. Result: Success message with page count and version, or failure message with error details.

Deploy Flags

Checking Build Status

After every deploy or content change, check the build status:

fastmode status

If the build failed, status shows:

• The error message
• Build logs
• What went wrong

Always run fastmode status after deploying to verify the build succeeded.

If a build fails:

1. Run fastmode status to see the error
2. Fix the issue (template errors, invalid tokens, missing files, etc.)
3. Re-deploy with fastmode deploy site.zip

Deploy History

fastmode deploys                # Show last 10 deployments
fastmode deploys --limit 5     # Show last 5

Shows status, version, duration, source, and errors for each deployment.

Exit Codes

• deploy: Exits 1 if the build fails (when waiting).
• status: Exits 1 if the latest deploy shows "Failed".
• Both: Exit 1 if no project is specified.

Validation

Always validate before deploying. Validation catches errors that would cause build failures.

Validation Workflow

# 1. Validate the manifest
fastmode validate manifest manifest.json

# 2. Validate each template
fastmode validate template pages/index.html -t static_page
fastmode validate template templates/posts_index.html -t custom_index -c posts
fastmode validate template templates/posts_detail.html -t custom_detail -c posts

# 3. Validate the complete package
fastmode validate package site.zip

What Gets Checked

Manifest validation:

• Valid JSON syntax
• pages array exists and is not empty
• Homepage (path /) exists
• All file paths are valid
• cmsTemplates format is correct (flat keys, not nested)

Template validation:

• Balanced tags: {{#each}} has matching {{/each}}, {{#if}} has {{/if}}
• Index templates have at least one {{#each}} loop
• Detail templates have CMS tokens
• Rich text fields use triple braces {{{field}}}
• Loop variables only used inside loops
• Asset paths use /public/ prefix
• Forms have required attributes
• YouTube iframes have referrerpolicy

Package validation:

• manifest.json exists at root
• All referenced files exist in the zip
• Assets are in public/ (not assets/ or root)
• Templates are in templates/ (not collections/)
• All templates pass individual validation

Validation with Schema Check

Add -p to validate tokens against the actual project schema:

fastmode validate template templates/posts_detail.html -t custom_detail -c posts -p "My Project"

This reports which tokens reference fields that don't exist in the schema yet, with instructions to create them via fastmode schema sync.

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

1. Assets return 404

Problem: CSS, JS, or images don't load. Cause: Files are in /assets/ instead of /public/, or paths don't include /public/. Fix: Move all static files to the public/ folder. Reference them as /public/css/style.css.

2. Rich text shows as raw HTML

Problem: Content displays \x3Cp>Hello\x3C/p> as text instead of rendering it. Cause: Using double braces {{body}} on a rich text field. Fix: Use triple braces {{{body}}} for all richText fields.

3. Collection listing page is blank

Problem: Index template shows no items. Cause: Missing {{#each collectionSlug}} loop. Fix: Add a loop: {{#each posts}}...{{/each}}.

4. All detail pages look the same

Problem: Every item page shows identical content. Cause: Detail template has no CMS tokens — just static HTML. Fix: Use tokens like {{name}}, {{{body}}}, {{image}} in the detail template.

5. Manifest uses wrong format

Problem: Build fails with manifest errors. Cause: Using nested objects or "collections" instead of flat "cmsTemplates" keys. Fix: Use flat format: "postsIndex", "postsIndexPath", "postsDetail", "postsDetailPath".

6. Relation field is empty after create

Problem: Created an item with a relation field but it's null. Cause: Used the item's name instead of its UUID. Fix: Run fastmode items relations \x3Ccollection> --field \x3Cfield> to get the UUID, then use that.

7. Forms don't submit

Problem: Form appears to submit (shows toast/alert) but no data is received. Cause: Original JavaScript calls preventDefault() and shows a fake success message. Fix: Remove any form JavaScript that blocks submission. Use data-form-name and action="/_forms/formName".

8. Static pages can't be edited in CMS

Problem: Pages appear in the CMS but have no editable content. Cause: Missing data-edit-key attributes on text elements. Fix: Add data-edit-key="unique-key" to every text element that should be editable.

9. Deploy blocked by GitHub

Problem: deploy refuses to upload, says GitHub is connected. Cause: Project has GitHub auto-deploy enabled. Fix: Use --force flag: fastmode deploy site.zip --force.

10. Build fails after deploy

Problem: Upload succeeds but build fails. Fix: Run fastmode status to see the error. Common causes: invalid tokens, missing template files, malformed manifest. Fix the issue and re-deploy.

11. Template URLs don't match manifest

Problem: Links in templates point to wrong paths. Cause: Template hardcodes /posts/ but manifest sets "postsIndexPath": "/blog". Fix: Make sure hardcoded links in templates match the paths defined in manifest.json.

12. Loop variables undefined

Problem: {{@index}} or {{@first}} shows nothing. Cause: Used outside of a {{#each}} block. Fix: Only use loop variables inside {{#each}}...{{/each}}.

13. Duplicate SEO meta tags

Problem: SEO tags show up twice in the rendered HTML. Cause: HTML templates include \x3Ctitle>, \x3Cmeta name="description">, or Open Graph tags. Fix: Remove all SEO tags from templates. FastMode manages them automatically via CMS Settings. See the SEO Tags section above.

14. CSS background images and fonts broken

Problem: Background images or custom fonts don't load. Cause: CSS files use relative paths like url('../images/bg.jpg') or url('../fonts/custom.woff'). Fix: Update all paths inside CSS files to use /public/ prefix: url('/public/images/bg.jpg'), url('/public/fonts/custom.woff2').

15. Hardcoded example content instead of CMS tokens

Problem: Index page shows static placeholder cards instead of real CMS data. Cause: Template has hardcoded HTML cards instead of {{#each}} loops with CMS tokens. Fix: Replace hardcoded content blocks with {{#each collection}}...{{/each}} loops using CMS field tokens.

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Run through this checklist before every deploy:

Structure:

• manifest.json at package root
• Static pages in pages/ folder
• CMS templates in templates/ folder
• ALL assets in public/ folder (not assets/)

SEO (CRITICAL):

• NO \x3Ctitle> tags in HTML
• NO \x3Cmeta name="description"> tags
• NO \x3Cmeta property="og:*"> tags
• NO \x3Clink rel="icon"> tags

Manifest:

• Homepage page with "path": "/" exists
• CMS templates use flat cmsTemplates keys (NOT nested, NOT collections)
• Paths match original site URLs

Templates:

• Index templates have {{#each}} loops
• Detail templates have CMS tokens ({{name}}, {{{body}}}, etc.)
• Rich text fields use triple braces {{{field}}}
• All {{#each}} have matching {{/each}}
• All {{#if}} have matching {{/if}}
• Static UI images use /public/ paths
• Content images use CMS tokens with {{#if}} wrappers

Static Pages:

• data-edit-key on every editable text element
• Keys are unique across the entire site
• Forms have data-form-name and action="/_forms/{name}"
• Original form JavaScript handlers removed or replaced

Assets:

• All HTML asset paths use /public/ prefix
• CSS background-image and font url() paths use /public/ prefix
• External URLs (Google Fonts, CDNs) unchanged

Validation:

fastmode validate manifest manifest.json
fastmode validate template \x3Ceach-template> -t \x3Ctype> [-c \x3Ccollection>]
fastmode validate package site.zip

Error Handling & Exit Codes

All commands exit with code 0 on success and code 1 on failure.

Commands that exit 1

Error Messages

Error: No project specified.
Use -p \x3Cid-or-name>, set FASTMODE_PROJECT env var, or run: fastmode use \x3Cproject>

Error: File not found: schema.json

Error: Invalid JSON in --data argument

Error: Deletion requires the --confirm flag. This action cannot be undone.

Authentication Errors

Most commands auto-trigger fastmode login if credentials are missing or expired. If authentication fails:

1. Run fastmode login manually
2. Complete the browser flow
3. Retry the command

File Locations

Both files have restricted permissions (0o600 — owner read/write only).

Notes

• All project-scoped commands use your default project (set with fastmode use). Override with -p \x3Cname-or-id>.
• Item data (-d) must be valid JSON. For complex data, write a file and use -f data.json.
• Rich text fields accept HTML content (e.g. \x3Cp>, \x3Ch2>, \x3Cul>, \x3Ca>). Always use triple braces in templates.
• Relation fields require item IDs (UUIDs). Use fastmode items relations to find available IDs.
• The --draft flag creates unpublished items. Use --publish/--unpublish to change status.
• Every site gets free hosting, free SSL, and a .fastmode.ai subdomain. Custom domains can be configured.
• After deploying or making content changes, always run fastmode status to verify the build succeeded.
• Use fastmode examples \x3Ctype> and fastmode guide [section] for built-in documentation and code snippets.

Package Provenance

• npm package: fastmode-cli
• Source code: github.com/arihgoldstein/fastmode-mcp
• Website: fastmode.ai
• Author: Arih Goldstein
• License: MIT