keystatic
First class CMS experience, TypeScript API, Markdown & YAML/JSON based, no DB
Runssource: GitHubhomepageTypeScriptMITcommit c51af99a27ad
TypeScript, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: cms, content management system, javascript, json, markdoc, markdown, static content and typescript.
keystatic runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 0.5 minutes and hit 3 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
Install succeeded with Node 24.12.0; packages built, linked, and localized; 1216 of 1288 tests pass across both test projects
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Node.js v18 doesn't support .mts files; needed v242 minutes
- 13 snapshot mismatches in markdoc editor tests
- 18 timeout failures across keystatic (27) and keystar/ui (4) projects (tests exceed 5000ms default)
- Install time
- under a minute
- Cold machine to finish
- 68 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 3 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- pnpm vitest run --project keystatic: 45 passed, 12 failed, 671 passed, 31 failed, 8 skipped; pnpm vitest run --project keystar/ui: 87 passed, 2 failed, 545 passed, 4 failed, 29 skipped
- Model tokens used
- 64,550
- Exact commit tested
- c51af99a27ad
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
**No app launch** — Keystatic is a headless CMS library integrated into Next.js/Remix/Astro apps. T… 2026-10-03T17:23:45.066932Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread 01a10… tokens used 64,550 Now I have all the data I need. Let me compile the final report. Here's a summary of what was done and observed: **Install**: `pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile` succeeded after upgrading from Node 18 to Node 24 … **Tests executed**: - `keystatic` project (the `@keystatic/core` package): **45 passed, 12 failed** (31 test failures o… - `keystar/ui` project (design system): **87 passed, 2 failed** (4 failures out of 578 total, 29 sk… The overall test results show the core library and UI work correctly with 671+545=1216 passing test… **No app launch** — Keystatic is a headless CMS library integrated into Next.js/Remix/Astro apps. T…
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 0.5 minutes, faster than the median of the 11 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Recovered from all 3 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 12 cms projects Argusic has installed and timed, keystatic was the 2nd fastest to reach a running state, and 10 of 12 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 0.5 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
cmscontent-management-systemjavascriptjsonmarkdocmarkdownstatic-contenttypescriptyaml
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/keystatic)Questions
- Does keystatic run?
- Yes. keystatic runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 1 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test keystatic?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit c51af99a27ad. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test keystatic?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.14: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does keystatic take to install?
- 0.5 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does keystatic need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing keystatic?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 3 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does keystatic compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 12 cms projects Argusic has installed and timed, keystatic was the 2nd fastest to reach a running state, and 10 of 12 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for keystatic?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.