Hugo, without the terminal.

  • Freeno license or subscription
  • Any editorworks with the project files on disk
  • Local projectsno account required

How it works

Preview, preflight and publish.

  1. 01Preview
  2. 02Preflight
  3. 03Publish

01Preview

Run your site locally.

Start or stop Hugo's server, adjust content flags and keep the build log in view.

HugoKit runs hugo server with the settings saved for the site and shows the exact command and output.
  • Toggle drafts, future and expired content without remembering flags.
  • Read colour-coded logs and see the exact command HugoKit runs.
  • Open the local preview from the same window.
Docs Running the server
The Server view: live URL, stop and restart actions, and toggles for drafts, future and expired content.

02Preflight

Check the site before you publish.

Preflight builds the site and looks for problems in its config, assets, links, templates and static JavaScript.

Preflight runs before every publish. Suggested fixes are shown as diffs and applied only after approval.
  • Checks the build, config, assets and common subpath traps.
  • Shows every suggested fix as a diff before writing anything.
  • Ranks findings as errors, warnings or information.
Docs Preflight – what it checks and why
HugoKit's preflight check presenting a fix as a diff before publishing.

03Publish

Publish where your site lives.

Use GitHub Pages, FTP or SFTP, with the settings kept for each site.

Each target stores its own build settings, status and history. Review Changes counts the added, changed and deleted files before a publish, and HugoKit checks the public URL afterwards when one is configured.
  • Publish to GitHub Pages, FTP or SFTP – one target or several.
  • Review Changes works out what a publish would add, change and delete on each target before it runs.
  • See status and history per target, followed by a live-site check.
  • Keep deploy credentials in the macOS Keychain.
Docs Publishing to GitHub Pages Docs Publishing over SFTP
The Deploy view: a configured deploy target with Review Changes, Add Deploy Target and a history of successful deploys.

What you can do

Site health

Find broken links, missing alt text, large images, deprecated config and content issues.

⇧⌘HFrom anywhere

Snapshots and undo

Before HugoKit changes a file, it keeps a snapshot and records a diff you can restore.

Native and private

Built in SwiftUI, with deploy credentials in Keychain and no account system or backend.

Keychain · no sign-in

All your sites

Keep your Hugo sites together: add one, clone from Git or scan a folder of projects.

⌘OAdd a site

Create new sites

Start with the HugoKit Starter or Hugo's blank template, with Git setup if you want it.

Template preview

Choose a layout and see it rendered with a matching page while the server is running.

Theme scaffolding

See installed themes, create a blank one and preview its layouts as you work.

Content overview

Find pages, read what changed and edit front matter, with the page's own files beside it.

Config editor

Edit the Hugo config as fields or raw text, then check the diff before anything is saved.

Hugo Reference

Look up 195 Hugo reference entries without leaving the app.

Keyboard shortcuts

Use shortcuts for Publish, Preflight, Site Health, Template Preview and Hugo Reference.

Menu bar extra

Start and stop sites, open previews and check server status without opening the main window.

Notifications

Choose which server, build and publish events are worth a macOS notification.

Hugo, managed

Already have Hugo? HugoKit finds it. If not, it can install Hugo Extended for you.

Homebrew or direct download

Why it exists

Anders Mortensen Anders Mortensenandersmortensen.com

I build and maintain several Hugo sites, and I wanted one place to start the server, check a build and publish. HugoKit started as a tool for my own work, and it’s still the app I use on those sites.

HugoKit is a personal, non-commercial project. Donations help cover its running costs: Donate

FAQ

Does it work with my existing Hugo site?

Yes – add the site's folder or watch a parent folder. HugoKit uses the project as it is, without converting its files.

Does it replace my editor?

No – keep writing in the editor you already use. HugoKit handles the server, checks and publishing, and reloads the preview when files change.

Any editorPlain Markdown
Do I need Hugo installed first?

Not necessarily. If Hugo is already installed, HugoKit uses it; otherwise it offers to install Hugo Extended during setup.

Auto-install
Where does my content live?

Right where it already is: in the project folder on your Mac. HugoKit does not copy content into its own format.

What if HugoKit breaks something?

That's what snapshots are for. Before HugoKit writes to a file, it keeps a copy and records a diff. You can restore one file or the full operation, and Preflight fixes still require approval.

SnapshotsDiffsUndo
Where can it publish to?

GitHub Pages, FTP and SFTP. You can keep one target or several for each site. Netlify and Vercel are not supported as direct targets.

GitHub PagesFTP / SFTPMultiple targets
Is it really free?

Yes. It's free to download and use, with no account or subscription.

Which Macs does it run on?

Any Mac running macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later.

macOS 26+
How do updates work?

HugoKit uses Sparkle to check for signed updates from hugokit.com. It shows the release notes and asks before installing. Sparkle system profiling is disabled.

Built-in updatesRelease notes in-appSigned
Who's behind it?

I'm Anders Mortensen, based in Denmark. I built HugoKit for the Hugo sites I maintain and continue to develop it as a personal project. Bug reports and feature requests are welcome by email.

Download HugoKit

HugoKit is a Mac app for running Hugo sites locally and publishing them to GitHub Pages, FTP or SFTP.

Version
0.4.0
Size
8.0 MB
Architecture
Universal – Apple silicon and Intel
Requires
macOS 26 or later
Released
August 2026
Download for macOS

What is Hugo?

Hugo is an open-source static site generator: you write content and templates, and Hugo turns them into a complete site of static files.

Why people use it

FastHugo builds most sites in less than a second, including sites with thousands of pages.
Live preview`hugo server` rebuilds the site and reloads the browser after a file is saved.
Plain filesContent is stored in Markdown files that can be edited, copied and versioned.
Host anywhereThe build output is HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other static files.
Built-in toolsHugo includes menus, taxonomies, image processing, RSS and sitemap generation.
Free and open sourceHugo is free and open source.

HugoKit runs that same setup from a Mac interface, alongside whichever editor you prefer.

Learn more at gohugo.io

Latest release · 9 August 2026

HugoKit 0.4.0

Adds search, find and replace, an outline, backlinks and page resources to the editor, and shows what a publish will change before it happens.

  • 01 Find and replaceSearch the Content list, then find and replace inside the open Raw document.
  • 02 Page resourcesThe files in a page's bundle, with Quick Look and insert-a-reference.
  • 03 Review ChangesSee what publishing would add, change and delete on each target.
View full changelog