EmDash CMS Plugins

EmDash is a full-stack TypeScript CMS built on Astro, aimed at being a successor to WordPress. I started using it on client sites, kept running into things it was missing, and ended up writing four plugins for it.

github-backup backs up CMS content to a GitHub repo folder on every edit. You get file-based backups, and more usefully a full git history of every content change, so “who changed this and when” stops being guesswork.

blocks lets you edit key/value copy as clean labelled fields. The lookup keys stay in the data where the code needs them, but stay out of the editor’s face. Editors see “Button label” instead of cta.primary.label, which is a small thing that saves a surprising amount of explaining.

stars turns an integer field into clickable stars. Tiny, but the alternative is asking a client to type a number between 1 and 5 into a text box and hoping.

emailit sends transactional email from the CMS through Emailit.

Each of these was a real requirement on a real site, and none of them were client-specific. Keeping them private would just have meant writing them again on the next project.