This is the Jekyll source for veereshelango.github.io, a personal website built on Jekyll 3.9, GitHub Pages gems, and the Minimal Mistakes remote theme.
The site includes blog posts, static pages, profile and research content, and standalone photobooks. Read the root README.md for commands and workflows before changing those systems.
The configured permalink pattern is /:categories/:title/. A post categorized as posts is published at /posts/<title-slug>/.
Working safely
Inspect the relevant files and current Git status before editing. The worktree may contain user-authored or untracked work; preserve it and do not revert or overwrite it.
Make focused changes that serve the request. Follow the existing Liquid, YAML, Markdown, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Jekyll patterns in the touched area.
Do not edit _site/, .jekyll-cache/, .sass-cache/, or other generated output by hand. Change its source and rebuild instead.
Do not change dependency versions, theme configuration, deployment settings, or build tooling unless the request requires it.
Do not commit changes unless asked.
Do not expose credentials, personal contact details, private photo originals, or other sensitive material in documentation, generated pages, logs, or external services. Ask before publishing new identifiable people or private media.
Content conventions
Posts and pages
Add articles as dated Markdown files in _posts/, with clear YAML front matter and categories, tags, and excerpts consistent with nearby posts.
Keep post-specific media in assets/images/posts/<slug>/; use site-root URLs in Jekyll front matter and article content.
Preserve the site’s established first-person voice for personal articles. Link to primary sources when useful, and ensure external links support the text.
Add or update static content in _pages/; update _data/navigation.yml only when the requested change affects primary navigation.
Use the configured Jekyll layouts and includes instead of duplicating existing shared components.
Photobooks and media
Each book is a standalone site under photobooks/<slug>/; the gallery metadata belongs in _data/photobooks.yml. Keep the book’s internal links and media paths relative so its static pages remain self-contained.
Treat photo processing as destructive: scripts/optimize_photos.py rewrites oversized or EXIF-oriented input JPEGs in place, removing metadata including GPS. Preserve originals, inspect the exact target directory, and only run this tool when requested.
Keep accessibility and performance in mind: use meaningful image alt text, appropriately sized images, and the established lazy-loading behavior.
Validation
For Jekyll content or configuration changes, run bundle exec jekyll build; when useful, start bundle exec jekyll serve --host 127.0.0.1 and verify the affected URL and assets.
Jekyll 3.9/Liquid 4 are incompatible with Ruby 4’s removal of tainted? and untaint. If the build fails with those methods, report the environment compatibility failure; do not add a repository shim or alter dependencies unless requested.
For photobooks/stone-and-light/, run python build_book.py only when its generated book needs updating, then run node --test html-contract.test.mjs for the book HTML contract.
For changes to the root JavaScript build inputs, use the relevant root npm script in package.json. Do not run unrelated asset rebuilds.
For documentation-only changes, check Markdown structure and links in context; a full site build is not required unless the docs affect a generated page or a documentation check exists.
In the final summary, state what changed and which checks ran. Report blockers and test failures explicitly.
