User guide — all chapters
Publishing
I published, but my new post isn’t on the site
It is almost certainly still a Draft. Open the post’s Details, set Status to Published, and publish again. The publish screen says how many drafts were skipped each time it builds.
If the post is marked Published, check its date. A later date makes it scheduled, and it stays off the site until that day.
A scheduled post didn’t go out on its day
Selfish has no server, so nothing publishes by itself. A scheduled post goes out at the first publish on or after its day. Selfish reminds you that morning with a Publish Now button. To have it happen without you, set up a Shortcuts automation with the Publish Site action.
A deleted post is still on my live site
Deleting or unpublishing a post takes it off your live site at the next publish, photos and all, wherever you publish. So publish once more.
One exception. Selfish only ever removes files it recorded uploading. Files left on a server by publishes made before Selfish kept that record stay where they are. Delete those by hand, once.
The publish screen says posts are “Not on this device”
Your live site has posts that this device doesn’t know about. Most likely they were published from another of your devices and iCloud hasn’t brought them here yet. Wait for sync and try again. They stay online unless you choose to take them down.
It says my address still shows the previous version
Some hosts take a minute or two to switch over to a new deploy, and some caches hold a page for a while. Choose Check Again after a moment. If it persists, open the site in a private browser window to rule out your own browser’s cache.
The upload itself failed
That is a connection problem rather than a content one. The publishing troubleshooting page covers each route: refused connections, authentication, permissions, changed host keys, expired tokens and rate limits.
Addresses, feeds and previews
I renamed a post but its address didn’t change
A post’s address is fixed when it is first saved, so links you have shared keep working. To move it, edit Slug in the post’s Details. The old address then stops working, so do it before you share the link widely, or update the links you control.
My feed or sitemap is missing, or full of wrong links
Both are built from Site URL in Site Settings → Site. If it is empty they aren’t made at all. If it is wrong, every link in them is wrong. Fix it and publish again.
A link to my post shows no picture
Link previews need Site URL too. With that set, a post shows its thumbnail or first photo. A post with no photo shows a share card if Share cards for posts without a photo is on in Site Settings → Site → Photos, and otherwise your banner if you have one.
My Mastodon link isn’t showing as verified
Publish your site first, so the link back to Mastodon is really on your pages. Make sure the address in your Mastodon profile starts with https://. Then save your Mastodon profile again, because Mastodon checks when you save.
Writing and photos
My photos came out smaller, and the location data is gone
Both are intentional. Photos are resized for the web and stripped of their location as they come in. Your originals are untouched in your photo library.
I can’t find where to change my site’s description or author
They are set when a site is created, and Site Settings has no field for them yet. The title can be changed in Site Settings → Site.
There is no Suggest button in Details
Suggestions use Apple’s on-device model, so the buttons appear only where Apple Intelligence is available and switched on.
My theme changed back to Default
That happens when a premium theme’s purchase can’t be confirmed while the site is being built. The site builds with Default and tells you. Choose Restore Purchases in the theme gallery, or pick another theme.
Devices and sync
My other device doesn’t have my sites
Check both devices are signed in to the same iCloud account with iCloud Drive on, and give the first sync a moment. Selfish’s iCloud button shows what is happening.
My other device has the site but can’t publish it
Publishing passwords and tokens travel through iCloud Keychain. If it is off on either device, enter the password or token again in Site Settings → Publishing on the device that lacks it. A site that publishes to a folder needs its folder chosen on each device.
An import brought in fewer posts than I expected
If you imported by address, Selfish read the blog’s feed, and a feed holds only its latest posts. Use the platform’s own export for everything. Private, members-only and scheduled posts arrive as drafts, so look in the drafts too.