3 min read 726 words Updated Mar 14, 2026 Created Mar 14, 2026

Generate Command

The generate command converts your Obsidian vault into a complete static HTML website. It processes every Markdown note, resolves wikilinks, renders [Obsidian-flavored Markdown](../Features/Rendering/Obsidian Markdown.md), generates navigation and graph data, and outputs a ready-to-deploy site.

Run this command every time you add or update content in your vault.

Usage

kiln generate [flags]

A minimal build with default settings:

kiln generate

This reads from ./vault, writes to ./public, and applies the default theme, font, and layout.

Flags

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--theme`	`-t`	`default`	Sets the color scheme. See [Themes & Visuals](../Features/User Interface/Themes.md) for available options.
`--font`	`-f`	`inter`	Sets the font family. See [Fonts & Typography](../Features/User Interface/Fonts.md) for available options.
`--url`	`-u`	`""`	The public URL of your site (e.g., `https://example.com`). Required for [Sitemap.xml](../Features/SEO/Sitemap xml.md) and [Robots.txt](../Features/SEO/Robots txt.md) generation.
`--name`	`-n`	`My Notes`	The site name displayed in the browser tab and [Meta Tags & SEO](../Features/SEO/Meta Tags.md).
`--input`	`-i`	`./vault`	Path to the source directory containing your Markdown notes.
`--output`	`-o`	`./public`	Path where the generated HTML files are saved.
`--mode`	`-m`	`default`	Build mode. Use `default` for standard vault rendering or `custom` for [Custom Mode](../Features/Custom Mode/What is Custom Mode.md) with collection configs and templates.
`--layout`	`-L`	`default`	Page layout to use. See [Layouts](../Features/User Interface/Layouts.md) for available options.
`--flat-urls`		`false`	Generate flat files (`note.html`) instead of directories (`note/index.html`).
`--disable-toc`		`false`	Hides the [Table of Contents](../Features/User Interface/Table of Contents.md) from the right sidebar.
`--disable-local-graph`		`false`	Hides the [Local Graph](../Features/User Interface/Local Graph.md) from the right sidebar. Disabling TOC, local graph, and backlinks removes the right sidebar entirely.
`--disable-backlinks`		`false`	Hides the Backlinks panel from the right sidebar.
`--log`	`-l`	`info`	Log verbosity. Choose `info` or `debug`.

What Gets Generated

The build produces a complete static site including:

HTML pages for every Markdown note, folder index, tag page, and [Canvas](../Features/Rendering/Obsidian Canvas.md) file in your vault.
CSS and JavaScript — theme styles, font files, sidebar navigation, search, and the interactive [Global Graph](../Features/User Interface/Global Graph.md).
SEO files — [sitemap.xml](../Features/SEO/Sitemap xml.md) and [robots.txt](../Features/SEO/Robots txt.md) when you provide --url.
Static assets — images, PDFs, and attachments are copied to the output directory.
Special files — CNAME, favicon.ico, and _redirects are carried over if present in your vault.

The output directory is cleaned automatically before each build, so there are no stale files from previous runs.

Examples

Production Build

When deploying to the web, always include --url and --name so that SEO features, sitemaps, and meta tags work correctly:

kiln generate \
  --name "My Digital Garden" \
  --url "https://notes.mysite.com" \
  --theme "nord" \
  --font "inter"

Custom Layout and Subdirectory Deployment

Build with a specific layout and a base path for hosting under a subdirectory:

kiln generate \
  --name "Documentation" \
  --url "https://example.com/docs" \
  --layout "simple"

The Serve Command respects this base path when previewing locally.

Remove the table of contents and local graph to create a cleaner reading experience:

kiln generate --disable-toc --disable-local-graph

Custom Mode

Use [Custom Mode](../Features/Custom Mode/What is Custom Mode.md) to build a site with collection configs and custom templates instead of the default vault layout:

kiln generate --mode custom --input ./my-project

Full Workflow

A typical workflow from a fresh project to a live local preview:

# 1. Scaffold a new vault
kiln init

# 2. Check for broken links
kiln doctor --input ./vault

# 3. Build the site
kiln generate --name "My Notes" --url "https://notes.example.com" --theme dracula

# 4. Preview locally
kiln serve

See the Init Command, Doctor Command, and Serve Command for details on each step. After verifying the output, deploy to [GitHub Pages](../Deployment/GitHub Pages.md), Netlify, Vercel, [Cloudflare Pages](../Deployment/Cloudflare Pages.md), or any [static web server](../Deployment/Web Servers.md).

For active development with automatic rebuilds, use the Dev Command instead — it combines building, watching for changes, and serving into a single step.