Guided exports: copy or download an article for any platform

Guided exports take an article out of Serpio as a file or a formatted clipboard copy so you can put it anywhere: a CMS without a connection, a newsletter tool, a static site repository. They are available on every plan, including Free, and they never send anything on your behalf.

Opening the export dialog

1. 1

   Open the article and click Export

   The Export button sits next to Publish in the toolbar. Serpio saves your draft first, then opens the Export article dialog.

2. 2

   Pick a method under "How do you want to export?"

   Four primary methods are always visible: Copy formatted, Markdown, HTML, and Content package. The line beneath them says "These options work without connecting or choosing a platform."

3. 3

   Expand Advanced and developer formats if you need them

   HTML fragment, Body Markdown, Structured JSON, MDX, and the framework-specific files live here.

4. 4

   Optionally choose a platform in the Platform guide panel

   Search or scroll the list and click a platform. Serpio switches to the recommended method and shows numbered How to post steps for that platform. If you change the method, Use this method switches back to the recommendation.

5. 5

   Click the action button

   Its label matches the method: Copy formatted article, Download Markdown, Download package, and so on. The panel above it reads "Ready to export".

Every format and what is inside

Downloads are named after the article slug, for example your-slug.md. Jekyll expects YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md, so rename that file before committing it.

Frontmatter variants and draft safety

The four framework files share a base: title, description, date, image when a hero exists, author when set, canonical only when the article has an explicit canonical URL, and a tags list. The differences are small and deliberate.

• Hugo adds draft: true. This is the "draft safety" in the hint: a fresh Hugo build will not publish the file until you change it to draft: false.
• Jekyll adds layout: post. Check that your theme defines a post layout.
• Astro adds pubDate and names the image key heroImage instead of image.
• Docusaurus omits slug, because Docusaurus derives the URL from the file name.

What survives a paste

Copy formatted article writes two clipboard entries: the body as HTML and the body as plain text. Editors that accept HTML keep headings, paragraphs, bold and italic, links, bulleted and numbered lists, blockquotes, tables, and code blocks. Editors that only accept plain text receive the text version with formatting stripped. Some browsers refuse HTML clipboard writes; Serpio then falls back to plain text without a warning, so glance at the paste before moving on.

Nothing outside the body travels with the paste. You set the title, slug, excerpt, SEO fields, tags, and the featured image in the destination yourself. The How to post steps for each platform list those fields in the order that platform's editor shows them.

Hero images in exports

• The Content package downloads the hero into the zip as hero.jpg, hero.png, hero.webp, or hero.gif. If the image cannot be fetched, the zip contains hero-image-url.txt with the URL instead.
• HTML, Markdown, MDX, the framework files, and Structured JSON reference the hero by URL. The image stays hosted by Serpio; copy it into your own assets if you want to own it.
• Copy formatted article, HTML fragment, and Body Markdown do not include the hero at all.
• If no hero is ready, the dialog shows "No hero image is ready. The article content can still be exported." Exports do not wait for image generation the way native publishing does.

What happens after you export

Each export shows a toast: "Export copied", "Export downloaded", or "Portable package downloaded" for the zip. A failed attempt shows the error message, or "Export failed" when there is no detail. Every export also adds an entry labelled Exported to Publishing history in the article's right rail, named after the platform you chose, or Generic if you chose none.

Exporting does not publish anything and does not change the article's status. When you have posted the article yourself, use the Published it manually? field on that history entry: paste the live URL and click Add live URL. The entry changes to Live, the article is marked as sent, and the link appears on the article card. Only http or https URLs are accepted.