Open-source flat-file CMS
Every post leaves a wake.
A CMS made of Markdown files, with analytics, consent and AI assistants built in. No database. Runs on the hosting you already have.
One file · four people
Everyone works on the same file.
A post in Wake is one Markdown file. Each person on a project sees it from their side. Pick yours.
--- title: Summer festival 2027 category: events start: 2027-07-03 15:00 --- Join us at the old church …
Wake for developers
Laravel without a database.
Wake is a Laravel 13 app that keeps content in files. You get the tools you know, minus migrations, a database server and a build step.
Read the developer docs →- 01Content lives in Git
Markdown with YAML front matter, one folder per post. Diff, review and deploy content like code.
- 02Plugins in plain PHP
Add cards, field types, routes, maintenance tasks and commands from one plugin.php.
- 03MCP server and content API
AI assistants and other tools read and write through scoped tokens.
- 04Runs on shared hosting
No SSH, no cron, no Node. A page cache answers before Laravel starts.
- 05Tested and documented
300+ Pest tests. An undocumented setting is a failing test.
Wake for designers
Your design, no page builder in the way.
Themes are folders with Blade templates and your CSS. Start from Tide or from an empty folder, and hand editors only the options they should change.
Build a theme →- 01Blade themes
Templates per page type and category, layouts, partials. Plain HTML and CSS.
- 02Options in the panel
Colours, switches and texts from theme.yml, editable without touching code.
- 03Cards as components
Callouts, buttons, embeds or your own, rendered by your views.
- 04Images done right
Responsive sizes, WebP, and a focus point per image for clean crops.
- 05Share as a ZIP
Install a theme in the panel. Assets are published automatically.
Wake for site owners
Your site, your data, no licence fees.
Wake is free and runs on ordinary web hosting. Statistics stay on your own server, and there is no pro tier waiting behind a paywall.
See the requirements →- 01Free, MIT licence
No licence fees, no paid plan, no vendor lock-in. Your content stays readable files.
- 02Analytics without cookies
See what works and where readers come from. The data never leaves your server.
- 03Consent manager built in
A banner only when one is needed, with Decline as prominent as Accept.
- 04Safe to hand over
Roles and rights, two-factor sign-in, and a closed mode while the site is being built.
- 05Backups as one ZIP
Download everything, restore it on the same or a new server.
Wake for editors
A calm place to write.
Write, drop in images, schedule, done. Wake keeps every version and shows how each post is doing, right next to the text.
Write and publish →- 01A focused editor
Markdown shortcuts, drag-and-drop images, and cards from the slash menu.
- 02Schedule and preview
Publish later, share a preview link, restore any earlier version.
- 03Events built in
Dates, places, registration and repeating series, with calendar files.
- 04More than one language
One file per language, each with its own address.
- 05An assistant that asks first
Claude can draft posts for you. You decide what gets published.
Leave a wake.
Download the ZIP, upload it to your web space, open /wake. That's the whole installation.