HugoStarter

vnovel — Hugo Starter Template

By opera7133

vnovel is a Hugo theme for novels with an interface style close to Pixiv, suitable for building serialized or short story sites focused on text reading.

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Recorded 2026-10-03View source

What stands out

A quick read of the recorded project description.

Interface style referencing Pixiv, aimed at novel reading scenarios

Responsive layout, adapting to desktop and mobile

Supports tags, light and dark theme switching, adjustable font and background colors

Built-in ruby annotation and page break

Supports English and Japanese interfaces, and integrates Google Analytics, Giscus, and RSS

Template Details

vnovel is a Hugo theme released by opera7133, positioned as a novel reading site with an interface style referencing Pixiv. It provides a responsive layout, tag support, light and dark theme switching, and adjustable font and background colors, making it easy to customize the appearance according to reading preferences. The theme includes built-in ruby annotation and page break support, suitable for texts that require pronunciation annotations or control over chapter pacing. The site also integrates Google Analytics, Giscus comments, and RSS subscription, and supports both English and Japanese interface languages.

There are two installation methods: clone the repository into the themes/vnovel directory of a Hugo site, or add it as a git submodule. After that, copy files such as package.json and hugo.toml from exampleSite to the site root, run npm install to install dependencies, then use hugo server for local preview and hugo to build. The theme is released under the MIT license, and the code can be used, modified, and distributed for free; however, third-party assets such as sample images, fonts, and icons require separate license verification, and external services such as domains and hosting may also incur costs.

HugoStarter

Is it right for your project?

Use Cases

Building a reading site for personal novels or serialized works
Providing ruby display for texts that require pronunciation annotations
Publishing long content with pagination by chapter
Organizing different works or genres through tags
Writing sites that require multilingual interfaces and comment sections

Suitable For

Writers and novel authors using Hugo
Users who want to build their own novel site without relying on third-party platforms
Sites that need light and dark themes and adjustable reading appearance
Content publishers targeting English or Japanese readers

Getting started & customization

Use these recorded setup notes alongside the repository instructions for your chosen version.

1
Clone the repository into the themes/vnovel directory of a Hugo site, or add it as a git submodule
2
Copy files such as package.json and hugo.toml from themes/vnovel/exampleSite to the site root
3
Run npm install in the site root to install dependencies
4
Use hugo server for local preview and hugo to build the site
5
The code is MIT licensed, but third-party assets such as sample images, fonts, and icons require separate license verification

Read repository instructions

License & source material

Usage conditions & limitations

Free to use · keep license notice

This entry covers the free version under the MIT license in the public repository; the free scope is the code of this version and does not mean external services or third-party assets are free.

Must comply with when using

Free use, modification, commercial use, and distribution of this version's code are permitted.
When distributing copies or substantial portions of the code, retain the original author's copyright notice and the full MIT license notice.
The code is provided as is; warranties and limitations of liability are governed by the original license and applicable law.

Additional costs & items to verify

Demo images, fonts, icons, and other third-party assets must be checked against their respective licenses and cannot be judged solely by the code's MIT license.
External services such as domains, hosting, databases, payments, or AI may incur additional charges.

View Original Text Basis

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge
Original License Text

https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel/blob/main/LICENSE https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel/blob/main/README.md

Compiled by DeepSeek based on repository license and README ·2026-10-04. Results only cover the materials read; dependencies, images, fonts, and subsequent term changes are subject to their respective original texts.

Project checks & description sources

Template Information

Source platforms: Hugo Themes
Documentation and maintenance reference score: More documented · 79 / 100
Technologies: Hugo
Website type: Starter

How this score is calculated

Our heuristic uses license records (up to 30), a demo link (12), a preview (10), stars (15), recorded maintenance (15), description completeness (8), feature records (5) and classification data (5). It is not a code, security or performance test, or a Google score. A link does not establish tested functionality.

What to verify for this project

Repository update recorded: 2026-02-19
Screenshot last checked: 2026-10-04

A demo link is listed. Check it with your own content and viewport sizes; its presence does not confirm that forms, authentication or payments work.

The catalog identifies Hugo as the primary stack. Check the actual dependency manifest and lockfile for versions and hosting requirements. These notes use recorded metadata, not a code audit or a deployment test.

Use a selection guide →

How this description was prepared

AI-assisted description based on catalog records and repository material. Repository authors are not automatically the reviewers of this description.

Review declaration: [email protected] · 2026-10-05

Inspect the recorded source material

SHA-256: 735e08ce233a4715b8b4e0ade385a46f51467d41521255d7ec7c18dfde1fd7f1

2026-10-04T20:40:22.578Z

Source file / repository

# VNovel

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/opera7133/vnovel/main/images/screenshot.png)

Pixiv-like theme for novels.

The demo can be seen here: https://vnovel.pages.dev

## Features

- Responsive
- Support tags
- Switch Light / Dark
- Changeable font and background color
- Ruby
- Page break
- Google Analytics
- Giscus
- RSS Feeds
- Supported i18n (en/ja)
- [Lighthouse 100/100](https://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/https-vnovel-pages-dev/xzwf25qvaw?form_factor=mobile)

## Installation

### Method 1

Inside the folder of your Hugo site run:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel themes/vnovel
```

Updating theme:

```bash
cd themes/vnovel
git pull
```

### Method 2

Inside the folder of your Hugo site run:

```bash
git submodule add https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel.git themes/vnovel
```

Updating theme:

```bash
git submodule update --remote --merge
```

### Install dependencies

Copy at least the following files from `themes/vnovel/exampleSite` to the root folder of your site.

- package.json

```bash
npm install
```

For more information read the official [setup guide](https://gohugo.io/overview/installing/) of Hugo.

## Getting started

After installing the theme successfully it requires a just a few more steps to get your site running.

### Update config file

Copy the hugo.toml in the exampleSite to the root of your Hugo site. Change strings as you like.

### Check your site

In order to see your site in action, run Hugo's built-in local server.

```bash
hugo server
```

Now enter `localhost:1313` in the address bar of your browser.

### Build your site

```bash
hugo
```

## Contributing

If you find a bug or have an idea for a feature, feel free to write an [issue](https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel/issues) or make a PR.

## License

This theme is released under the [MIT license](https://github.com/opera7133/vnovel/blob/master/LICENSE).

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