Setting Up a GitHub Pages Blog with Claude Code

From zero to blog in minutes with intelligent automation

Posted by Jamie Houston on September 07, 2025 · 5 mins read

Setting Up a GitHub Pages Blog with Claude Code

Today I decided to set up a GitHub Pages blog, and I thought it would be interesting to document the entire process using Claude Code - Anthropic’s CLI tool for development tasks.

The Initial Prompt

Here’s exactly what I asked Claude Code to get this whole process started:

“I want to setup a github blog. I think I can do it from a github repo (that I’m currently in). If that’s true, help me set it up. Also create the first blog post, which documents how I set it up using Claude Code”

That single prompt kicked off the entire automated setup process you’re reading about!

What is GitHub Pages?

GitHub Pages and Jekyll

GitHub Pages is a static site hosting service that takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files straight from a repository on GitHub, optionally runs the files through a build process, and publishes a website. It’s perfect for blogs, project documentation, and personal websites.

The Setup Process

Here’s how Claude Code helped me set up this blog:

1. Repository Analysis

Claude Code started by examining my existing repository structure. I already had a partial Jekyll setup with:

  • A basic _config.yml file
  • A GitHub Actions workflow for Jekyll deployment
  • An existing index.md with useful development tools

2. Jekyll Configuration

Claude Code enhanced my _config.yml with proper blog settings:

title: Jamie Houston's Blog
description: A blog about development tools, tips, and tech adventures
author: Jamie Houston
baseurl: ""
url: "https://jamie-houston.github.io"

# Build settings
markdown: kramdown
highlighter: rouge
theme: jekyll-theme-architect

# Plugins
plugins:
  - jekyll-feed
  - jekyll-sitemap

# Posts settings
permalink: /:categories/:year/:month/:day/:title:output_ext

3. Directory Structure

The essential Jekyll directories were created:

  • _posts/ - Where blog posts live
  • _layouts/ - Custom page layouts (if needed)

4. Homepage Transformation

The existing index.md was transformed from a simple tools list into a proper blog homepage that:

  • Shows recent blog posts
  • Maintains the useful tools section
  • Has proper Jekyll front matter

5. First Blog Post

And here we are! This very post documents the setup process, creating a nice meta-documentation loop.

What’s Impressive About Using Claude Code

Using Claude Code for this setup was remarkably efficient:

  1. Contextual Understanding: It immediately recognized this was a GitHub Pages repository and understood the existing structure
  2. Best Practices: It applied Jekyll and GitHub Pages best practices without me having to research them
  3. Preservation: It kept my existing useful tools content while transforming the site into a blog
  4. Automation: The entire process was systematic and tracked with a todo list
  5. Documentation: It created this post documenting its own work!

Next Steps

With the blog now set up, I can:

  • Write more posts about development tools and techniques
  • Customize the theme further
  • Add more Jekyll features like categories and tags
  • Set up local development environment for testing

The GitHub Actions Workflow

The repository already had a Jekyll GitHub Actions workflow that will automatically build and deploy the site whenever I push changes. This means the blog is fully automated - I just need to write posts and push them to the repository.

Conclusion

Setting up a GitHub Pages blog with Claude Code was surprisingly smooth. What could have taken hours of researching Jekyll documentation and GitHub Pages setup guides was completed in minutes with intelligent assistance that understood both the technical requirements and best practices.

The combination of GitHub Pages’ free hosting, Jekyll’s powerful static site generation, and Claude Code’s intelligent setup assistance makes for a powerful blogging solution for developers.

This post was created as part of the initial blog setup using Claude Code on September 10, 2025.

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