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Recipe YAML Schema

When to Use

Every recipe requires a recipe.yml file defining metadata, dependencies, extensions, configuration, inputs, and content.

Decision

Field Type Required Purpose
name string Yes Human-readable recipe name
description string No Short description of the recipe
type string No Recipe category for organizational purposes
recipes array No List of recipe machine names to apply before this recipe
install array No List of module/theme machine names to install
config associative_array No Configuration to import and config actions to apply
input associative_array No Defines user-provided values for the recipe
content array No Reserved for default content configuration
extra associative_array No Extension-specific data keyed by extension name

Pattern

Minimal recipe.yml structure:

name: 'My Recipe'
description: 'Example recipe.'
type: 'Feature'
install:
  - node
config:
  strict: false
  import:
    node:
      - views.view.content
  actions:
    user.role.authenticated:
      grantPermission: 'access content'
input:
  site_name:
    description: 'The name of the site'
    data_type: string
    default:
      source: config
      config: [system.site, name]
extra:
  my_module:
    custom_setting: value

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Omitting name → Right: Required field, validation fails without it
  • Wrong: Using relative paths in recipes list → Right: Recipe names are machine names, not paths
  • Wrong: Listing themes before modules in install → Right: Themes depend on modules; runner handles order automatically
  • Wrong: Misspelling config action keys → Right: Actions silently fail if plugin ID doesn't exist
  • Wrong: Forgetting to install extensions that provide config being imported → Right: Validation catches this for config actions, not always for imports

See Also