strand-content-schema
Every Strand post is an MDX file at content/posts/<slug>.mdx whose YAML frontmatter must satisfy PostFrontmatter (defined in packages/core/schema.ts). A post that does not validate cannot be committed or merged. Write frontmatter to pass on the first try, then self-check with strand validate <slug> or the MCP validate_post tool.
Required vs optional fields
Required: title, slug, description, publishedAt, author.
Defaulted (safe to omit): status (draft), tags ([]), type (BlogPosting), noindex (false), faq ([]), sources ([]).
Optional: updatedAt, canonicalUrl, featureImage, og, summary.
Rules that commonly trip validation
title ≤ 70 characters (SEO title length). Write for the SERP, not just the page.description 50–160 characters (Bing SEO/GEO hard window is 25–160; authored posts keep the 50-char quality floor). Soft target 120–160 for SERP snippets. Make it a real summary with the primary keyword, not filler. @strand-cms/core also clamps via metaDescription() at emit time, but authored copy must still validate.slug is kebab-case ^[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*$. No spaces, capitals, underscores, or trailing hyphens. It must match the filename.publishedAt / updatedAt are ISO 8601 datetimes.author must reference an existing content/authors/<id>.mdx. Create the author file if the persona is new.featureImage.alt is required when featureImage is present (accessibility + image SEO).- The body must not open with an
# H1 heading — Strand themes render the frontmatter title as the page <h1>, so an in-body H1 ships a duplicate. Start the body with the answer-first lede paragraph; use ## for sections.
Get the GEO fields right (they are why this project exists)
summary — a ≤280-char TL;DR. It powers speakable schema and is the snippet AI search engines extract. Lead with the answer.type — use NewsArticle for time-sensitive news, BlogPosting otherwise. This drives the JSON-LD type.faq — 2–5 genuine question/answer pairs that match how people actually query. Emitted as FAQPage schema and frequently surfaced verbatim by AI search.sources — every external factual claim should map to an entry here (see strand-fact-check-cite). Cited posts are trusted more by both Google and LLMs.
Example
---
title: "Bulgaria's 2026 EV Charging Grid: What Changed"
slug: bulgaria-2026-ev-charging-grid
description: "A plain-language look at Bulgaria's 2026 EV charging expansion: new fast-charger counts, grid funding, and what it means for drivers."
publishedAt: "2026-06-05T08:00:00Z"
author: maria-petrova
type: NewsArticle
tags: [bulgaria, ev, infrastructure]
summary: "Bulgaria added X fast chargers in 2026 under EU grid funding, concentrated on the A1/A2 corridors; rural coverage still lags."
faq:
- q: "How many public EV chargers does Bulgaria have in 2026?"
a: "Roughly N, up from M in 2025, with most growth on motorway corridors."
sources:
- title: "Ministry of Energy 2026 infrastructure report"
url: "https://example.gov.bg/report-2026"
publisher: "Ministry of Energy"
---
After writing frontmatter, always run validation and fix any reported field before handing off to strand-publish.
1---2name: strand-content-schema3description: Write or repair the frontmatter of a Strand article so it validates and is correctly structured for SEO and AI-search. Use this whenever creating a new Strand post, editing an existing post's frontmatter, or before publishing — and whenever a validation error mentions frontmatter, schema, slug, meta description, or required fields. Use it even when the user just asks to "write an article for the blog", because the frontmatter contract must be satisfied for the post to publish at all.4---56# strand-content-schema78Every Strand post is an MDX file at `content/posts/<slug>.mdx` whose YAML frontmatter must satisfy `PostFrontmatter` (defined in `packages/core/schema.ts`). A post that does not validate cannot be committed or merged. Write frontmatter to pass on the first try, then self-check with `strand validate <slug>` or the MCP `validate_post` tool.910## Required vs optional fields1112**Required:** `title`, `slug`, `description`, `publishedAt`, `author`.13**Defaulted (safe to omit):** `status` (`draft`), `tags` (`[]`), `type` (`BlogPosting`), `noindex` (`false`), `faq` (`[]`), `sources` (`[]`).14**Optional:** `updatedAt`, `canonicalUrl`, `featureImage`, `og`, `summary`.1516## Rules that commonly trip validation1718- `title` ≤ 70 characters (SEO title length). Write for the SERP, not just the page.19- `description` 50–160 characters (Bing SEO/GEO hard window is 25–160; authored posts keep the 50-char quality floor). Soft target 120–160 for SERP snippets. Make it a real summary with the primary keyword, not filler. `@strand-cms/core` also clamps via `metaDescription()` at emit time, but authored copy must still validate.20- `slug` is kebab-case `^[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*$`. No spaces, capitals, underscores, or trailing hyphens. It must match the filename.21- `publishedAt` / `updatedAt` are ISO 8601 datetimes.22- `author` must reference an existing `content/authors/<id>.mdx`. Create the author file if the persona is new.23- `featureImage.alt` is required when `featureImage` is present (accessibility + image SEO).24- The body must **not** open with an `# H1` heading — Strand themes render the frontmatter `title` as the page `<h1>`, so an in-body H1 ships a duplicate. Start the body with the answer-first lede paragraph; use `##` for sections.2526## Get the GEO fields right (they are why this project exists)2728- `summary` — a ≤280-char TL;DR. It powers `speakable` schema and is the snippet AI search engines extract. Lead with the answer.29- `type` — use `NewsArticle` for time-sensitive news, `BlogPosting` otherwise. This drives the JSON-LD type.30- `faq` — 2–5 genuine question/answer pairs that match how people actually query. Emitted as `FAQPage` schema and frequently surfaced verbatim by AI search.31- `sources` — every external factual claim should map to an entry here (see `strand-fact-check-cite`). Cited posts are trusted more by both Google and LLMs.3233## Example3435```yaml36---37title: "Bulgaria's 2026 EV Charging Grid: What Changed"38slug: bulgaria-2026-ev-charging-grid39description: "A plain-language look at Bulgaria's 2026 EV charging expansion: new fast-charger counts, grid funding, and what it means for drivers."40publishedAt: "2026-06-05T08:00:00Z"41author: maria-petrova42type: NewsArticle43tags: [bulgaria, ev, infrastructure]44summary: "Bulgaria added X fast chargers in 2026 under EU grid funding, concentrated on the A1/A2 corridors; rural coverage still lags."45faq:46 - q: "How many public EV chargers does Bulgaria have in 2026?"47 a: "Roughly N, up from M in 2025, with most growth on motorway corridors."48sources:49 - title: "Ministry of Energy 2026 infrastructure report"50 url: "https://example.gov.bg/report-2026"51 publisher: "Ministry of Energy"52---53```5455After writing frontmatter, always run validation and fix any reported field before handing off to `strand-publish`.
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