From 9671a90726d93ee47ac855c6b7cfe9aa343800df Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Spencer Brower <6729162+sbrow@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026 22:34:52 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] refactor: Improved the way sites are loaded.

---
 AGENTS.md          | 119 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 TODOS.md           |   3 +-
 config.odin        |  68 ----------------
 feed.odin          |  70 ++++++++--------
 main.odin          |  43 ++--------
 mustache_test.odin |  48 ++++++-----
 render.odin        | 147 ++++++++++++++++++++--------------
 site.odin          | 108 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 site_test.odin     | 196 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 9 files changed, 573 insertions(+), 229 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 AGENTS.md
 delete mode 100644 config.odin
 create mode 100644 site_test.odin

diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8318c25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Thor — Odin Static Site Generator
+
+Thor is a static site generator written in [Odin](https://odin-lang.org), replacing Hugo for the `sbrow.github.io` blog. It lives at `./thor/` as a git subtree with its own `flake.nix`.
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+thor.json          ← site config (title, base_url, social, author)
+content/           ← markdown and HTML content files
+layouts/           ← Mustache templates
+assets/            ← CSS (TailwindCSS source) and JS
+public/            ← build output (generated)
+```
+
+### Source files
+
+| File | Responsibility |
+|---|---|
+| `main.odin` | Entry point. Calls `init_site`, `walk_content`, `render_site` |
+| `site.odin` | `Site` struct (config + arena), `init_site`, `load_site_config`, `site_merge`, `site_allocator`, `destroy_site` |
+| `frontmatter.odin` | JSON frontmatter parser (`{ }` delimited) |
+| `content.odin` | `Page` struct, content walker, page loader, cmark integration, footnote/alert/emoji pipeline |
+| `footnotes.odin` | Footnote definition stripping (pre-cmark) + sidenote injection (post-cmark) |
+| `alerts.odin` | GitHub alert post-processor (`> [!CAUTION]` → styled blockquote) |
+| `emoji.odin` | Emoji shortcode expander (`:shrug:` → `¯\_(ツ)_/¯`) |
+| `render.odin` | Mustache template rendering, all page types, RSS, sitemap, robots.txt |
+| `feed.odin` | RSS feed + sitemap XML generation |
+| `icons.odin` | Inline SVG icon constants (home, github, rss, chevron-up, star) |
+| `mustache/` | Vendored [odin-mustache](https://github.com/benjamindblock/odin-mustache) library |
+
+### Data flow
+
+```
+thor.json → init_site → Site (config + Dynamic_Arena)
+                            ↓
+content/ → walk_content → []Page (with body_html from cmark pipeline)
+                            ↓
+layouts/*.html → render_site (Mustache render_in_layout) → public/
+```
+
+### Markdown pipeline (in content.odin `load_page`)
+
+```
+raw markdown
+  → expand_emoji          (pre-cmark: :shortcode: → unicode)
+  → strip_definitions     (pre-cmark: extract [^id]: definitions)
+  → cmark markdown_to_html (Unsafe mode for HTML passthrough)
+  → inject_sidenotes      (post-cmark: [^id] → <label><input><span> markup)
+  → inject_alerts         (post-cmark: [!TYPE] blockquotes → styled alerts)
+```
+
+`.html` content files skip cmark entirely — body is used as-is.
+
+### Memory management
+
+- `Site` owns a `mem.Dynamic_Arena`
+- `init_site` calls `mem.dynamic_arena_init` before any allocation
+- Config loading (flags + JSON) uses the arena allocator explicitly
+- `site_allocator(site)` returns the arena allocator for callers
+- `destroy_site` frees the arena
+- **Not yet wired:** `context.allocator` is not set to the arena in `main.odin`, so rendering and content processing still use the heap allocator
+
+### Config precedence
+
+```
+CLI flags > thor.json values > hardcoded defaults
+```
+
+`init_site` handles this flow:
+1. Parse flags into a temp `Site` struct
+2. Load `thor.json` (if exists)
+3. `site_merge` — CLI overrides config values
+4. Hardcoded defaults fill remaining gaps (relative to config file's directory)
+
+## Building
+
+### Local development
+
+```bash
+nix develop
+# From blog root:
+odin run ./thor -- -drafts
+tailwindcss --input assets/css/main.css --output public/css/main.css --minify
+cp assets/js/main.js public/js/main.js
+caddy run  # serves public/ on blog.localhost
+```
+
+### Production build
+
+```bash
+nix build  # runs thor + tailwindcss + cp js, outputs to ./result/
+```
+
+### Tests
+
+```bash
+cd thor
+odin test .           # site + mustache smoke tests
+odin test . -all-packages  # also runs mustache spec tests
+```
+
+## Vendored mustache patches
+
+Two modifications to `mustache/mustache.odin`:
+
+1. **`any` unwrapping** in `map_get` and `data_type` — when values come from `map[string]any`, the inner `any` wrapper is unwrapped so type detection works correctly for nested maps and lists.
+
+2. **Layout partials** — `layout_template.partials = tmpl.partials` added so partials (`{{> nav}}`, `{{> footer}}`) work inside the base layout template.
+
+## Known limitations
+
+- Partials inside Mustache sections (`{{#list}}...{{> partial}}...{{/list}}`) produce duplicate items — library token insertion bug. Workaround: inline the markup.
+- cmark allocates via C malloc, not the arena. HTML output leaks until process exit.
+- CSS/JS cache busting uses manual `?v=N` query params instead of content hashing.
+- The `shrug` emoji has a backslash that may not display correctly.
+
+## TODO
+
+See `TODOS.md` for the full list.
diff --git a/TODOS.md b/TODOS.md
index 82ec02c..1cfea04 100644
--- a/TODOS.md
+++ b/TODOS.md
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 - [ ] OpenGraph meta tags — verify all fields match production site
 - [ ] Review every file in thor
   - [ ] Review alerts.odin
-  - [ ] Review config.odin
   - [ ] Review content.odin
   - [ ] Review emoji.odin
   - [ ] Review feed.odin
@@ -27,4 +26,4 @@
   - [ ] Review main_test.odin
   - [ ] Review mustache_test.odin
   - [ ] Review render.odin
-  - [ ] Review site.odin
+  - [x] Review site.odin
diff --git a/config.odin b/config.odin
deleted file mode 100644
index b3363ee..0000000
--- a/config.odin
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,68 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-import "core:encoding/json"
-import "core:fmt"
-import "core:os"
-import "core:strings"
-
-Social_Link :: struct {
-	name: string,
-	url:  string,
-}
-
-Site_Config :: struct {
-	config_path: string `args:"name=config"`,
-	title:       string,
-	description: string,
-	base_url:    string `args:"name=base-url"`,
-	content_dir: string `args:"name=content"`,
-	output_dir:  string `args:"name=output"`,
-	layouts_dir: string,
-	author:      string,
-	social:      []Social_Link,
-	drafts:      bool   `args:"name=drafts"`,
-}
-
-load_config :: proc(path: string) -> (config: Site_Config, ok: bool) {
-	data, err := os.read_entire_file_from_path(path, context.allocator)
-	if err != nil {
-		return
-	}
-
-	value, parse_err := json.parse_string(string(data), spec = .JSON)
-	if parse_err != nil {
-		fmt.eprintfln("thor: failed to parse %s: %v", path, parse_err)
-		return
-	}
-	defer json.destroy_value(value)
-
-	obj, obj_ok := value.(json.Object)
-	if !obj_ok {
-		return
-	}
-
-	config.title       = json_get_string(obj, "title")
-	config.description = json_get_string(obj, "description")
-	config.base_url    = json_get_string(obj, "base_url")
-	config.content_dir = json_get_string(obj, "content_dir")
-	config.output_dir  = json_get_string(obj, "output_dir")
-	config.author      = json_get_string(obj, "author")
-
-	if v, found := obj["social"]; found {
-		if arr, arr_ok := v.(json.Array); arr_ok {
-			social: [dynamic]Social_Link
-			for elem in arr {
-				if elem_obj, eo_ok := elem.(json.Object); eo_ok {
-					link := Social_Link{}
-					link.name = json_get_string(elem_obj, "name")
-					link.url  = json_get_string(elem_obj, "url")
-					append(&social, link)
-				}
-			}
-			config.social = social[:]
-		}
-	}
-
-	ok = true
-	return
-}
diff --git a/feed.odin b/feed.odin
index 1d02c62..8791e6e 100644
--- a/feed.odin
+++ b/feed.odin
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@ import "core:strings"
 
 WEEKDAYS: [7]string = {"Sun", "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat"}
 
-generate_rss :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
+generate_rss :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site) -> string {
 	parts: [dynamic]string
 	defer delete(parts)
 
-	append(&parts, fmt.aprintf(
-		`<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
+	append(
+		&parts,
+		fmt.aprintf(
+			`<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
 <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
 <channel>
 <title>%s</title>
@@ -18,11 +20,12 @@ generate_rss :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 <description>%s</description>
 <language>en-us</language>
 <atom:link href="%s/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>`,
-		xml_escape(config.title),
-		config.base_url,
-		xml_escape(config.description),
-		config.base_url,
-	))
+			xml_escape(config.title),
+			config.base_url,
+			xml_escape(config.description),
+			config.base_url,
+		),
+	)
 
 	for page in pages {
 		if page.type == .Home {
@@ -34,8 +37,10 @@ generate_rss :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 			pub_date = format_rfc822(page.date)
 		}
 
-		append(&parts, fmt.aprintf(
-			`<item>
+		append(
+			&parts,
+			fmt.aprintf(
+				`<item>
 <title>%s</title>
 <link>%s%s</link>
 <pubDate>%s</pubDate>
@@ -43,14 +48,15 @@ generate_rss :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 <description>%s</description>
 </item>
 `,
-			xml_escape(page.title),
-			config.base_url,
-			page.permalink,
-			pub_date,
-			config.base_url,
-			page.permalink,
-			xml_escape(page.body_html),
-		))
+				xml_escape(page.title),
+				config.base_url,
+				page.permalink,
+				pub_date,
+				config.base_url,
+				page.permalink,
+				xml_escape(page.body_html),
+			),
+		)
 	}
 
 	append(&parts, "</channel>\n</rss>")
@@ -74,12 +80,10 @@ generate_sitemap :: proc(pages: []Page, base_url: string) -> string {
 		if page.date != "" {
 			lastmod = fmt.aprintf("<lastmod>%s</lastmod>", page.date)
 		}
-		append(&parts, fmt.aprintf(
-			"<url><loc>%s%s</loc>%s</url>\n",
-			base_url,
-			page.permalink,
-			lastmod,
-		))
+		append(
+			&parts,
+			fmt.aprintf("<url><loc>%s%s</loc>%s</url>\n", base_url, page.permalink, lastmod),
+		)
 	}
 
 	// Posts list page
@@ -105,8 +109,11 @@ format_rfc822 :: proc(iso: string) -> string {
 		return iso
 	}
 
-	year := (int(iso[0]) - 0x30) * 1000 + (int(iso[1]) - 0x30) * 100 +
-		(int(iso[2]) - 0x30) * 10 + (int(iso[3]) - 0x30)
+	year :=
+		(int(iso[0]) - 0x30) * 1000 +
+		(int(iso[1]) - 0x30) * 100 +
+		(int(iso[2]) - 0x30) * 10 +
+		(int(iso[3]) - 0x30)
 	month := (int(iso[5]) - 0x30) * 10 + (int(iso[6]) - 0x30)
 	day := (int(iso[8]) - 0x30) * 10 + (int(iso[9]) - 0x30)
 	time := iso[11:19]
@@ -125,15 +132,7 @@ format_rfc822 :: proc(iso: string) -> string {
 	}
 	dow := (y + y / 4 - y / 100 + y / 400 + t[month - 1] + day) % 7
 
-	return fmt.aprintf(
-		"%s, %d %s %d %s %s",
-		WEEKDAYS[dow],
-		day,
-		MONTHS[month - 1],
-		year,
-		time,
-		tz,
-	)
+	return fmt.aprintf("%s, %d %s %d %s %s", WEEKDAYS[dow], day, MONTHS[month - 1], year, time, tz)
 }
 
 xml_escape :: proc(s: string) -> string {
@@ -142,3 +141,4 @@ xml_escape :: proc(s: string) -> string {
 	r, _ = strings.replace_all(r, ">", "&gt;")
 	return r
 }
+
diff --git a/main.odin b/main.odin
index 48cef1c..cbfa3c8 100644
--- a/main.odin
+++ b/main.odin
@@ -1,46 +1,13 @@
 package main
 
-import "core:flags"
-import "core:fmt"
 import "core:os"
-import "core:strings"
 
 main :: proc() {
-	// Phase 1: parse flags on empty config to get config_path
-	phase1: Site_Config
-	flags.parse_or_exit(&phase1, os.args, .Odin)
+	site: Site
+	init_site(&site, os.args)
 
-	path := phase1.config_path
-	if path == "" {
-		path = "./thor.json"
-	}
+	pages := walk_content(site.content_dir, site.drafts)
 
-	// Phase 2: load config file
-	config, _ := load_config(path)
-
-	// Phase 3: re-parse flags on loaded config (CLI overrides file values)
-	flags.parse_or_exit(&config, os.args, .Odin)
-
-	// Defaults relative to config file's directory
-	config_dir := "./"
-	if idx := strings.last_index(path, "/"); idx >= 0 {
-		config_dir = path[:idx]
-	}
-
-	if config.content_dir == "" {
-		config.content_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/content", config_dir)
-	}
-	if config.output_dir == "" {
-		config.output_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/public", config_dir)
-	}
-	if config.layouts_dir == "" {
-		config.layouts_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/layouts", config_dir)
-	}
-	if config.base_url == "" {
-		config.base_url = "http://localhost:8080"
-	}
-
-	pages := walk_content(config.content_dir, config.drafts)
-
-	render_site(pages, config)
+	render_site(pages, site)
 }
+
diff --git a/mustache_test.odin b/mustache_test.odin
index 8b40112..768f33e 100644
--- a/mustache_test.odin
+++ b/mustache_test.odin
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 #+test
 package main
 
-import "core:fmt"
 import "core:testing"
-import mustache "mustache"
+import "mustache"
 
 @(test)
 test_simple_substitution :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]string{"name" = "World"}
+	data := map[string]string {
+		"name" = "World",
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("Hello, {{name}}!", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "Hello, World!")
@@ -16,7 +17,9 @@ test_simple_substitution :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 
 @(test)
 test_bool_section :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]bool{"show" = true}
+	data := map[string]bool {
+		"show" = true,
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("{{#show}}visible{{/show}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "visible")
@@ -24,7 +27,9 @@ test_bool_section :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 
 @(test)
 test_inverted_section :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]bool{"show" = false}
+	data := map[string]bool {
+		"show" = false,
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("{{^show}}hidden{{/show}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "hidden")
@@ -32,7 +37,9 @@ test_inverted_section :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 
 @(test)
 test_unescaped :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]string{"html" = "<b>bold</b>"}
+	data := map[string]string {
+		"html" = "<b>bold</b>",
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("{{{html}}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "<b>bold</b>")
@@ -45,7 +52,9 @@ test_array_iteration :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 	append(&items, map[string]string{"name" = "Alice"})
 	append(&items, map[string]string{"name" = "Bob"})
 
-	data := map[string][dynamic]map[string]string{"items" = items}
+	data := map[string][dynamic]map[string]string {
+		"items" = items,
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("{{#items}}{{name}} {{/items}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "Alice Bob ")
@@ -53,8 +62,12 @@ test_array_iteration :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 
 @(test)
 test_partial :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]string{"name" = "Test"}
-	partials := map[string]string{"greeting" = "Hello, {{name}}!"}
+	data := map[string]string {
+		"name" = "Test",
+	}
+	partials := map[string]string {
+		"greeting" = "Hello, {{name}}!",
+	}
 	result, err := mustache.render("{{>greeting}}", data, partials)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "Hello, Test!")
@@ -62,34 +75,28 @@ test_partial :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 
 @(test)
 test_mixed_types :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	data := map[string]any{
+	data := map[string]any {
 		"site_title" = "One Idiot Developer",
 		"has_date"   = true,
 		"date"       = "17 Jul 2025",
 	}
 
-	result, err := mustache.render(
-		"{{site_title}}: {{#has_date}}{{date}}{{/has_date}}",
-		data,
-	)
+	result, err := mustache.render("{{site_title}}: {{#has_date}}{{date}}{{/has_date}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "One Idiot Developer: 17 Jul 2025")
 }
 
 @(test)
 test_nested_context :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
-	page := map[string]string{
+	page := map[string]string {
 		"title" = "My Post",
 	}
-	data := map[string]any{
+	data := map[string]any {
 		"site_title" = "One Idiot Developer",
 		"page"       = page,
 	}
 
-	result, err := mustache.render(
-		"{{site_title}}: {{#page}}{{title}}{{/page}}",
-		data,
-	)
+	result, err := mustache.render("{{site_title}}: {{#page}}{{title}}{{/page}}", data)
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "One Idiot Developer: My Post")
 }
@@ -104,3 +111,4 @@ test_layout :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
 	testing.expect(t, err == nil)
 	testing.expect(t, result == "<html><body><p>Hello!</p></body></html>")
 }
+
diff --git a/render.odin b/render.odin
index 43fe15d..6d95836 100644
--- a/render.odin
+++ b/render.odin
@@ -8,8 +8,18 @@ import "core:os"
 import "core:strings"
 
 MONTHS: [12]string = {
-	"Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun",
-	"Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec",
+	"Jan",
+	"Feb",
+	"Mar",
+	"Apr",
+	"May",
+	"Jun",
+	"Jul",
+	"Aug",
+	"Sep",
+	"Oct",
+	"Nov",
+	"Dec",
 }
 
 Page_Context :: struct {
@@ -36,7 +46,7 @@ build_page_context :: proc(page: Page) -> Page_Context {
 	if page.is_starred {
 		star = ICON_STAR
 	}
-	return Page_Context{
+	return Page_Context {
 		permalink = page.permalink,
 		title = page.title,
 		star = star,
@@ -46,14 +56,14 @@ build_page_context :: proc(page: Page) -> Page_Context {
 	}
 }
 
-build_social_context :: proc(config: Site_Config) -> [dynamic]map[string]string {
+build_social_context :: proc(config: Site) -> [dynamic]map[string]string {
 	social_ctx := make([dynamic]map[string]string)
 	for link in config.social {
 		append(
 			&social_ctx,
-			map[string]string{
+			map[string]string {
 				"name" = link.name,
-				"url"  = link.url,
+				"url" = link.url,
 				"icon" = social_icon(link.name),
 			},
 		)
@@ -66,7 +76,7 @@ strip_html_tags :: proc(s: string) -> string {
 	defer delete(parts)
 	in_tag := false
 	start := 0
-	for i in 0..<len(s) {
+	for i in 0 ..< len(s) {
 		if s[i] == '<' && !in_tag {
 			if i > start {
 				append(&parts, s[start:i])
@@ -93,7 +103,7 @@ og_type :: proc(is_article: bool) -> string {
 	return "website"
 }
 
-render_site :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) {
+render_site :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site) {
 	sort_pages_by_date(pages)
 
 	// Find home page
@@ -148,47 +158,48 @@ render_site :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) {
 	fmt.printfln("Rendered %d pages to %s", total, config.output_dir)
 }
 
-render_page_html :: proc(page: Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
+render_page_html :: proc(page: Page, config: Site) -> string {
 	social_ctx := build_social_context(config)
 	defer delete(social_ctx)
 
 	is_article := page.type == .Post
 
-	data := map[string]any{
-		"title"         = fmt.tprintf("%s | %s", page.title, config.title),
-		"page_title"    = page.title,
-		"body_html"     = page.body_html,
-		"has_date"      = page.date != "",
-		"date_iso"      = page.date,
-		"date_display"  = format_date(page.date),
-		"is_post"       = is_article,
-		"home_icon"     = ICON_HOME,
-		"chevron_up"    = ICON_CHEVRON_UP,
-		"year"          = "2026",
-		"author"        = config.author,
-		"social"        = social_ctx[:],
-		"og_url"        = fmt.tprintf("%s%s", config.base_url, page.permalink),
-		"og_site_name"  = config.title,
-		"og_title"      = strip_html_tags(page.title),
+	data := map[string]any {
+		"title"          = fmt.tprintf("%s | %s", page.title, config.title),
+		"page_title"     = page.title,
+		"body_html"      = page.body_html,
+		"has_date"       = page.date != "",
+		"date_iso"       = page.date,
+		"date_display"   = format_date(page.date),
+		"is_post"        = is_article,
+		"home_icon"      = ICON_HOME,
+		"chevron_up"     = ICON_CHEVRON_UP,
+		"year"           = "2026",
+		"author"         = config.author,
+		"social"         = social_ctx[:],
+		"og_url"         = fmt.tprintf("%s%s", config.base_url, page.permalink),
+		"og_site_name"   = config.title,
+		"og_title"       = strip_html_tags(page.title),
 		"og_description" = config.description,
-		"og_type"       = og_type(is_article),
-		"is_article"    = is_article,
-		"og_section"    = "posts",
-		"og_published"  = page.date,
-		"og_image"      = fmt.tprintf("%s/avatar.jpg", config.base_url),
+		"og_type"        = og_type(is_article),
+		"is_article"     = is_article,
+		"og_section"     = "posts",
+		"og_published"   = page.date,
+		"og_image"       = fmt.tprintf("%s/avatar.jpg", config.base_url),
 	}
 
 	partials := load_partials(config.layouts_dir)
 
-	post_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/post.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-
-	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(
-		string(post_tpl),
-		data,
-		string(base_tpl),
-		partials,
+	post_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/post.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
 	)
+	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
+
+	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(string(post_tpl), data, string(base_tpl), partials)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.eprintfln("thor: mustache error rendering page: %v", err)
 		return ""
@@ -199,19 +210,28 @@ render_page_html :: proc(page: Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 load_partials :: proc(layouts_dir: string) -> map[string]string {
 	partials: map[string]string
 
-	nav, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/nav.html", layouts_dir), context.allocator)
+	nav, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/nav.html", layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
 	partials["nav"] = string(nav)
 
-	footer, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/footer.html", layouts_dir), context.allocator)
+	footer, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/footer.html", layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
 	partials["footer"] = string(footer)
 
-	head, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/head.html", layouts_dir), context.allocator)
+	head, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/partials/head.html", layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
 	partials["head"] = string(head)
 
 	return partials
 }
 
-render_home_html :: proc(home: Page, pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
+render_home_html :: proc(home: Page, pages: []Page, config: Site) -> string {
 	list_pages := make([dynamic]Page_Context)
 	defer delete(list_pages)
 	for page in pages {
@@ -224,7 +244,7 @@ render_home_html :: proc(home: Page, pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> stri
 	social_ctx := build_social_context(config)
 	defer delete(social_ctx)
 
-	data := map[string]any{
+	data := map[string]any {
 		"title"          = config.title,
 		"home_body"      = home.body_html,
 		"list_pages"     = list_pages[:],
@@ -244,15 +264,16 @@ render_home_html :: proc(home: Page, pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> stri
 
 	partials := load_partials(config.layouts_dir)
 
-	home_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/home.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-
-	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(
-		string(home_tpl),
-		data,
-		string(base_tpl),
-		partials,
+	home_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/home.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
 	)
+	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
+
+	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(string(home_tpl), data, string(base_tpl), partials)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.eprintfln("thor: mustache error: %v", err)
 		return ""
@@ -260,7 +281,7 @@ render_home_html :: proc(home: Page, pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> stri
 	return result
 }
 
-render_posts_html :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
+render_posts_html :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site) -> string {
 	// Group posts by year
 	year_sections := make([dynamic]Year_Section)
 	defer delete(year_sections)
@@ -286,7 +307,7 @@ render_posts_html :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 	social_ctx := build_social_context(config)
 	defer delete(social_ctx)
 
-	data := map[string]any{
+	data := map[string]any {
 		"title"          = fmt.tprintf("Posts | %s", config.title),
 		"year_sections"  = year_slices[:],
 		"home_icon"      = ICON_HOME,
@@ -305,15 +326,16 @@ render_posts_html :: proc(pages: []Page, config: Site_Config) -> string {
 
 	partials := load_partials(config.layouts_dir)
 
-	posts_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/posts_list.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(	fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir), context.allocator)
-
-	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(
-		string(posts_tpl),
-		data,
-		string(base_tpl),
-		partials,
+	posts_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/posts_list.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
 	)
+	base_tpl, _ := os.read_entire_file_from_path(
+		fmt.tprintf("%s/base.html", config.layouts_dir),
+		context.allocator,
+	)
+
+	result, err := mustache.render_in_layout(string(posts_tpl), data, string(base_tpl), partials)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.eprintfln("thor: mustache error: %v", err)
 		return ""
@@ -354,7 +376,7 @@ get_year :: proc(iso: string) -> string {
 }
 
 sort_pages_by_date :: proc(pages: []Page) {
-	for i in 1..<len(pages) {
+	for i in 1 ..< len(pages) {
 		key := pages[i]
 		j := i - 1
 		for j >= 0 && pages[j].date < key.date {
@@ -386,3 +408,4 @@ write_file :: proc(path: string, html: string) {
 		fmt.eprintfln("thor: cannot write %s: %v", path, err)
 	}
 }
+
diff --git a/site.odin b/site.odin
index 48fb166..4024ae1 100644
--- a/site.odin
+++ b/site.odin
@@ -1,13 +1,113 @@
 package main
 
+import "core:encoding/json"
+import "core:flags"
+import "core:fmt"
+import "core:mem"
+import "core:os"
+import "core:strings"
+
 Site :: struct {
-	base_url: string,
-	title:    string,
-	socials:  []Social_Icon,
+	arena:       mem.Dynamic_Arena,
+	config_path: string `args:"name=config"`,
+	title:       string,
+	description: string,
+	base_url:    string `args:"name=base-url"`,
+	content_dir: string `args:"name=content"`,
+	output_dir:  string `args:"name=output"`,
+	layouts_dir: string,
+	author:      string,
+	social:      []Social_Link,
+	drafts:      bool `args:"name=drafts"`,
 }
 
-Social_Icon :: struct {
+Social_Link :: struct {
 	name: string,
 	url:  string,
 }
 
+init_site :: proc(site: ^Site, args: []string) {
+	_flags: Site
+	mem.dynamic_arena_init(&site.arena)
+	alloc := site_allocator(site)
+	flags.parse_or_exit(&_flags, args, .Odin, alloc)
+
+	path := _flags.config_path
+	if path == "" {
+		path = "./thor.json"
+	}
+
+	if load_site_config(site, path, alloc) {
+		site_merge(site, _flags)
+	} else {
+		_flags.arena = site.arena
+		site^ = _flags
+	}
+
+	// Determine config file's directory for relative defaults
+	config_dir := "./"
+	if idx := strings.last_index(path, "/"); idx >= 0 {
+		config_dir = path[:idx]
+	}
+
+	// Hardcoded defaults (lowest precedence)
+	if site.content_dir == "" {
+		site.content_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/content", config_dir)
+	}
+	if site.output_dir == "" {
+		site.output_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/public", config_dir)
+	}
+	if site.layouts_dir == "" {
+		site.layouts_dir = fmt.tprintf("%s/layouts", config_dir)
+	}
+	if site.base_url == "" {
+		site.base_url = "http://localhost:8080"
+	}
+}
+
+load_site_config :: proc(
+	config: ^Site,
+	path: string,
+	allocator := context.allocator,
+) -> (
+	ok: bool,
+) {
+	data, err := os.read_entire_file_from_path(path, allocator)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	unmarshal_err := json.unmarshal_string(string(data), config, allocator = allocator)
+	if unmarshal_err != nil {
+		fmt.eprintfln("thor: failed to parse %s: %v", path, unmarshal_err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	ok = true
+	return
+}
+
+site_merge :: proc(config: ^Site, flags: Site) {
+	if flags.base_url != "" {
+		config.base_url = flags.base_url
+	}
+	if flags.content_dir != "" {
+		config.content_dir = flags.content_dir
+	}
+	if flags.output_dir != "" {
+		config.output_dir = flags.output_dir
+	}
+	if flags.drafts {
+		config.drafts = true
+	}
+	config.config_path = flags.config_path
+}
+
+site_allocator :: proc(site: ^Site) -> mem.Allocator {
+	return mem.dynamic_arena_allocator(&site.arena)
+}
+
+destroy_site :: proc(site: ^Site) {
+	mem.dynamic_arena_destroy(&site.arena)
+}
+
diff --git a/site_test.odin b/site_test.odin
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61c0791
--- /dev/null
+++ b/site_test.odin
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+#+feature dynamic-literals
+#+test
+package main
+
+import "core:fmt"
+import "core:mem"
+import "core:os"
+import "core:testing"
+
+write_temp_config :: proc(name: string, content: string) -> string {
+	path := fmt.tprintf("./test_thor_%s.json", name)
+	write_err := os.write_entire_file_from_string(path, content)
+	if write_err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return path
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_load_site_config :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	path := write_temp_config(
+		"valid",
+		`{"title":"Test Site","description":"Test desc","base_url":"https://example.com","author":"Tester","social":[{"name":"github","url":"https://github.com/test"},{"name":"rss","url":"/index.xml"}]}`,
+	)
+	defer os.remove(path)
+
+	site: Site
+	ok := load_site_config(&site, path, context.temp_allocator)
+
+	testing.expect(t, ok)
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.title, "Test Site")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.description, "Test desc")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.base_url, "https://example.com")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.author, "Tester")
+	testing.expect_value(t, len(site.social), 2)
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.social[0].name, "github")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.social[0].url, "https://github.com/test")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.social[1].name, "rss")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.social[1].url, "/index.xml")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_load_site_config_missing_file :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	site: Site
+	ok := load_site_config(&site, "./nonexistent_thor_test.json", context.temp_allocator)
+	testing.expect(t, !ok)
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_load_site_config_invalid_json :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	path := write_temp_config("invalid", `{not valid json}`)
+	defer os.remove(path)
+
+	site: Site
+	ok := load_site_config(&site, path, context.temp_allocator)
+	testing.expect(t, !ok)
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_load_site_config_partial :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	path := write_temp_config("partial", `{"title":"Partial"}`)
+	defer os.remove(path)
+
+	site: Site
+	ok := load_site_config(&site, path, context.temp_allocator)
+
+	testing.expect(t, ok)
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.title, "Partial")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.description, "")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.author, "")
+	testing.expect_value(t, len(site.social), 0)
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_site_merge_overrides :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	config := Site {
+		base_url    = "https://original.com",
+		content_dir = "./content",
+	}
+	flags := Site {
+		base_url = "https://override.com",
+	}
+
+	site_merge(&config, flags)
+
+	testing.expect_value(t, config.base_url, "https://override.com")
+	testing.expect_value(t, config.content_dir, "./content")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_site_merge_empty_flags_keep_config :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	config := Site {
+		base_url    = "https://keep.com",
+		content_dir = "./keep",
+	}
+	flags := Site{}
+
+	site_merge(&config, flags)
+
+	testing.expect_value(t, config.base_url, "https://keep.com")
+	testing.expect_value(t, config.content_dir, "./keep")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_site_merge_drafts_true :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	config := Site {
+		drafts = false,
+	}
+	flags := Site {
+		drafts = true,
+	}
+
+	site_merge(&config, flags)
+	testing.expect(t, config.drafts)
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_site_merge_drafts_false_preserves :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	config := Site {
+		drafts = false,
+	}
+	flags := Site {
+		drafts = false,
+	}
+
+	site_merge(&config, flags)
+	testing.expect(t, !config.drafts)
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_site_merge_config_path :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	config := Site{}
+	flags := Site {
+		config_path = "./custom/thor.json",
+	}
+
+	site_merge(&config, flags)
+	testing.expect_value(t, config.config_path, "./custom/thor.json")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_init_site_defaults_no_config :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	site: Site
+	args := []string{"thor", "-config:./nonexistent.json"}
+	init_site(&site, args)
+	defer destroy_site(&site)
+
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.content_dir, "./content")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.output_dir, "./public")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.layouts_dir, "./layouts")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.base_url, "http://localhost:8080")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_init_site_config_dir_relative :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	site: Site
+	args := []string{"thor", "-config:./sub/nonexistent.json"}
+	init_site(&site, args)
+	defer destroy_site(&site)
+
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.content_dir, "./sub/content")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.output_dir, "./sub/public")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.layouts_dir, "./sub/layouts")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_init_site_flag_overrides_default :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	site: Site
+	args := []string{"thor", "-config:./nonexistent.json", "-drafts", "-base-url:https://flag.com"}
+	init_site(&site, args)
+	defer destroy_site(&site)
+
+	testing.expect(t, site.drafts)
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.base_url, "https://flag.com")
+}
+
+@(test)
+test_init_site_full_pipeline :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	path := write_temp_config(
+		"pipeline",
+		`{"title":"Pipeline Test","description":"Full","base_url":"https://config.com","author":"Author"}`,
+	)
+	defer os.remove(path)
+
+	site: Site
+	args := []string{"thor", fmt.tprintf("-config:%s", path), "-drafts"}
+	init_site(&site, args)
+	defer destroy_site(&site)
+
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.title, "Pipeline Test")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.description, "Full")
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.author, "Author")
+	testing.expect(t, site.drafts)
+	testing.expect_value(t, site.base_url, "https://config.com")
+}
+