Edge Oil
A Cloudflare Workers CMS with inline editing. Powers inertspace.com.
What it is
Edge Oil is a Cloudflare Workers CMS: inline editing in the browser, no database, no server to run. It is the framework this site runs on.
Why it matters
Not every site needs WordPress. Edge Oil is the answer for a site that needs to be genuinely editable without a database, without a server, and without a monthly platform fee. It is also the framework this site runs on, so every edit made here is a live test of it.
It is also the framework this site runs on, so every edit made here is a live test of the framework. That is most of why it stays healthy without a dedicated development push: it cannot rot quietly, because we would be the first to notice.
Current state
Where it is right now: in production and stable, as an internal system rather than a roadmap item. The canonical framework exists as a distributable template, and the site you are reading runs on it, which means every edit made here is a live test of it.
How it gets developed: when we need something from it. Edge Oil is worked on as our own requirements move it, and otherwise it stays as-is. That is a deliberate position, not neglect: the framework does its job today, and a tool that already does its job does not need a release cadence invented for it. Quiet months mean it kept working, not that it was abandoned.
The one known debt: inertspace.com and the framework's development tree still share a worker deploy, so the two are entangled. It is on the list for whenever that entanglement actually costs us something.
Connections
Sibling of TopSoil (one admin layer for WordPress sites, one for sites that need no server at all). Runs on Cloudflare Workers, like the Address API. Owned by the Cooperative.
Build log
Framework release, then first client, then quiet, while the sibling stack got the airtime.
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Early phase
The wall clients kept hitting
Every simple site needed the same thing: a way for the client to change a headline or swap an image without a support ticket. Existing "inline editors" all wanted a database and a subscription. Edge Oil is the answer to "what if the Cloudflare Worker was the CMS?"
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Apr 24, 2026
The InertSpace site tree gets seeded
The dev environment starts as the InertSpace site itself. From day one the framework and the site are being built together.
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Apr 28, 2026
Edge Oil admin lands
The portable inline-admin system ships. Every content page gets a clean-copy rewrite the same day.
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Apr 29, 2026
Admin nav + login flow polish
Admin link on every page, dynamic login flow, improved restore workflow.
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May 6, 2026
Admin v1.5.0 · undo/redo, validation, reorder, rich fields
Admin gets the ergonomics needed for real client use. Not just editors: editors that don't lose your work.
More
- Undo / redo: real history stack. A misclick doesn't cost a page.
- Field validation: types checked before save, not after publish. Broken content stops at the door.
- Reorder: lists and sections can be rearranged directly, not by hand-editing JSON.
- Rich fields: proper text editing (headings, links, emphasis) instead of raw markdown.
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May 7 – 8, 2026
Framework template extracted as its own thing Canonical
Edge Oil becomes a distributable framework, separate from the InertSpace site tree. Version tracking, admin auto-injection, and the "View Live Site / Edit Site" toggle ship alongside.
More
- Distributable form: a clean template a new site can start from, with no InertSpace-specific content baked in.
- Version tracking + version endpoint: a site knows what framework version it's running, and can ask itself in production.
- Admin auto-injection: the inline editor loads only when the toggle says so, so no admin bytes shipped to public visitors.
- View / Edit toggle: the same URL is either the live site or the editable site, depending on who you are.
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May 18, 2026
First outside site shipped
The first site built for someone else goes live on the framework, with its copy editable inline by its owner. Last active work on the Edge Oil repos since.
More
- The proof that a real site could ship on the framework without hand-holding.
- Copy is editable inline by the site's owner. The ergonomics that landed in Admin v1.5.0 are what made this feasible.
- After this the attention shifted to TopSoil, AnalogCirc.us and TentCities. Edge Oil hasn't seen a commit since, but nothing has broken either.
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Now You are here
Doing its job, developed when we need something from it
Edge Oil has been quiet since May, and quiet is the intended state. It serves inertspace.com every day, which is a continuous test of it. Changes get made when our own requirements ask for one, and otherwise it stays as it is.
More
- An internal tool that already does its job does not need a release cadence invented for it. Shipping changes to prove a project is alive is how working software gets broken.
- The one real debt: framework and site development still share a worker deploy, so publishing either side republishes both. It is written down, and it gets fixed when it costs something rather than on principle.
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Next
Split the site from the framework
Give each its own deploy so site work and framework work stop publishing each other.