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Jekyll Remote Theme

Author Avatar Theme by Benbalter
Updated: 15 Jan 2026
317 Stars

Jekyll plugin for building Jekyll sites with any GitHub-hosted theme

Github

Overview

Jekyll Remote Theme is a Jekyll plugin that allows users to build Jekyll sites using any public GitHub-hosted theme. It provides a seamless way to incorporate themes from GitHub repositories into Jekyll websites.

Features

  • Easy installation and setup
  • Ability to choose from a wide range of public GitHub-hosted Jekyll themes
  • Option to specify a specific branch, tag, or commit to use for the theme
  • Support for both public GitHub and Enterprise GitHub instances
  • Debugging option with additional information

Installation

To install Jekyll Remote Theme, follow these steps:

  1. Add the following code snippet to your Gemfile:
gem 'jekyll-remote-theme'
  1. Run the following command to install the plugin:
bundle install
  1. Add the following code snippet to your site’s _config.yml file to activate the plugin:
plugins:
  - jekyll-remote-theme

Note: If you are using Jekyll version 3.5.0 or earlier, use the gems key instead of plugins.

  1. Specify your desired theme by adding the following code snippet to your site’s _config.yml file:
remote_theme: OWNER/REPOSITORY

Replace OWNER with the owner of the repository and REPOSITORY with the name of the GitHub repository that hosts the theme.

  1. Optionally, you can specify a branch, tag, or commit to use for the theme by appending @ and the Git ref to the theme declaration. For example:
remote_theme: OWNER/REPOSITORY@v1.0.0

This will use the v1.0.0 version of the theme.

Note: For Enterprise GitHub instances, the remote theme declaration should be in the form of http[s]://GITHUBHOST.com/OWNER/REPOSITORY, representing a public GitHub-hosted Jekyll theme.

Summary

Jekyll Remote Theme is a powerful plugin that allows users to easily incorporate any public GitHub-hosted theme into their Jekyll websites. With its simple installation process and flexible customization options, it provides a seamless way to enhance the design and functionality of Jekyll sites. Additionally, its debugging feature helps developers troubleshoot any issues that may arise during the build or serve process.