Build Documentation

This page documents every step taken to build this website using only an AI agent.

Understanding the Tech Stack

What is Eleventy?

Eleventy (11ty) is a static site generator — a build tool that takes our source files and converts them into final HTML. It's not a service or hosting platform — just software that runs during deployment.

How It Works

1. Source Files: We create templates in src/
2. Eleventy Builds: Processes templates, wraps content in layouts
3. Output: Generates final HTML in _site/ folder
4. GitHub Pages: Hosts the built HTML files

Why Use Eleventy?

• Reusable layouts: Write navigation and footer once
• Clean URLs: documentation.html becomes /documentation/
• Template variables: Easy page titles and content management
• No JavaScript: Pure static HTML output

The Complete Stack

1. Eleventy: Builds the site (development tool)
2. GitHub: Stores code and runs builds (version control + CI/CD)
3. GitHub Pages: Hosts the built HTML (web hosting)

Phase 1: Planning & Setup

Step 1: Domain Research ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 13:41 NZDT

Researched domain options:

• buildwith.ai - TAKEN
• aibuiltthis.site - AVAILABLE ($2.99 USD on name.com)
• agentmade.dev - TAKEN

Step 2: Initial Research via ChatGPT ✓

Date: January 17, 2026

Conducted preliminary research to explore different approaches for building a documentation website. Key topics included: static HTML structure, hosting options, SEO, Docker, and static site generators.

Step 3: Domain Registration ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:10 NZDT

• Domain: aibuiltthis.site
• Registrar: moreweb.nz
• Price: NZ$52.90 (NZ$46.00 + NZ$6.90 GST)

Step 4: Tech Stack Finalized ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:21 NZDT

Final decision: Eleventy (11ty) + GitHub + GitHub Pages

Rationale: GitHub enables fully browser-based development, automatic deployment, and commit history serves as build documentation.

Step 5: GitHub Account Setup ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:28 NZDT

Action Required: Human intervention needed. Dean created a GitHub account and connected it to Strawberry browser.

Step 6: GitHub Repository Created ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:32 NZDT

• Name: aibuiltthis
• URL: github.com/ideanwarwick/aibuiltthis
• Owner: ideanwarwick
• Visibility: Public

Step 7: Eleventy Project Setup ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:35 NZDT

Created core project files via browser-based GitHub commits:

• package.json - Node.js dependencies and scripts
• .eleventy.js - Eleventy configuration
• .gitignore - Git ignore rules
• src/css/style.css - Minimal black/and-white styles
• src/_includes/layout.html - Base HTML template
• src/index.html - Homepage content
• src/documentation.html - This page!

Step 8: Hosting Decision ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:40 NZDT

Decided to use GitHub Pages instead of Stormkit - completely free, already integrated, and simpler deployment.

Step 9: Deployment Setup ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:43 NZDT

Created GitHub Actions workflow to automatically build and deploy the site on every commit. Dean enabled GitHub Pages in repository settings.

Step 10-11: Build Errors & Fixes ✓

Date: January 17, 2026, 14:50 - 14:58 NZDT

First build failed due to missing package-lock.json (fixed by removing cache). Second build failed due to typo in package name: @11ty/11ty instead of @11ty/eleventy (fixed).

View the Source

Every commit, every change, and every file is available on GitHub.