decide how content goes live
Copy mode
Copy mode prepares every article for you to paste into your own site. No access is needed. See the workflow, download contents, benefits and limits.
What Copy mode does#
In Copy mode PilotDeck researches, writes and reviews your content, then hands it to you. You paste the approved article into your own website. PilotDeck never touches your site. The card reads Copy it yourself: "We prepare everything and you paste it in. Nothing automatic, but no access needed."
No access needed
You do not share a login, key or repository. Your site stays entirely in your hands.
The default
Every new site starts in Copy mode, so you can review real drafts before you decide on a connection.
Easy to leave
You can move to CMS or Clone mode at any time from Settings > Publishing.
Before you start#
| You need | Details |
|---|---|
| A PilotDeck login | Permission to change the publish mode. If your role cannot, the button explains why. |
| A way to edit your site | Copy mode only gives you the content. You paste it into your own editor and add the image and metadata yourself. |
| A site that can hold the article | Any site works, because you do the pasting. |
Overview#
- 1PilotDeck writes a draft and sends it to reviewPilotDeck
- 2You read the draft and click ApproveYou
- 3Download the article as a .zip fileYou
- 4Paste the body into your site, add the cover image and the metadataYou
- 5Click Mark as Published in PilotDeckYou
- 6PilotDeck records the article as publishedVerify
Open the draft from Content and read it. Click Approve when you are happy. In Copy mode, approving does not publish anything. It marks the draft ready for you to copy.
Click Download .zip. The file is named after the article's slug and contains three files:
| File | What it holds |
|---|---|
body.md | The article body, in Markdown. |
| The cover image | Added only when the article has a cover image. |
README.md | Page metadata, structured data (JSON-LD) and author details to paste into your page. |
Create the page or post in your own editor. Paste the body, upload the cover image, and copy the title, description and structured data from the README into your page's SEO fields.
Back in PilotDeck, click Mark as Published. PilotDeck stores the deploy status as deployed and shows a Published badge with the date. Marking it published is also what starts the follow-up work that depends on a live page, such as social posts for the article.
Clicked it too early? Use Redo to Draft to undo. Un-marking only clears the flag.
Benefits#
- No access to grant. Nothing about your hosting, repository or CMS is shared.
- Full control. You decide the exact moment and wording on your site.
- A safe way to start. Review real drafts before you connect anything.
- Works on any site. There is no platform list to match.
Limitations#
- Everything is manual. Each article needs a download, a paste and a click.
- No automatic fixes or new pages. The Publishing card lists copying the fixes and the pages, but PilotDeck sends site fixes only in Clone mode.
- No scheduled auto-publish. Scheduled publishing needs a place to publish to, so PilotDeck refuses it in Copy mode.
- Metadata is yours to add. The README gives you the values, but you place them.
Frequently asked questions#
Why is Mark as Published disabled?
Another article on the same site already uses the same slug. Change the slug, then try again.
The download fails with a cover image error.
PilotDeck could not fetch the cover image. Check the image, replace it if needed and download again.
Can I see which articles I already marked?
Yes. Marked articles show a Published badge with the date.
How do I get automatic publishing?
Switch to CMS mode or Clone mode. See Choose a publish mode to compare them.