# Create a new site: start a new site from scratch > For experienced Hugo users who need a custom site structure --- LLMS index: [llms.txt](/llms.txt) --- Creating a site from scratch gives you Docsy's look and feel, navigation, and other features, but you specify your own site structure. These instructions give you a minimum file structure only, so that you build and extend your actual site step by step. ## TL;DR: Setup for the impatient expert Run:

hugo new site my-new-site
cd  my-new-site
hugo mod init github.com/me/my-new-site
hugo mod get github.com/google/docsy/theme@v0.16.0
cat >> hugo.toml <<EOL
[module]
proxy = "direct"
[[module.imports]]
path = "github.com/google/docsy/theme"
EOL
npm install --save-exact --save-dev sass-embedded@1.102.0
npm pkg set scripts.hugo=hugo
hugo mod npm pack
npm install
npm run hugo -- server

hugo new site my-new-site
cd  my-new-site
hugo mod init github.com/me/my-new-site
hugo mod get github.com/google/docsy/theme@v0.16.0
(echo [module]^

proxy = "direct"^

[[module.imports]]^

path = "github.com/google/docsy/theme") >> hugo.toml
npm install --save-exact --save-dev sass-embedded@1.102.0
npm pkg set scripts.hugo=hugo
hugo mod npm pack
npm install
npm run hugo -- server

Preview at . ## Detailed Setup instructions ### Create your new skeleton project To create a new Hugo site project and then add the Docsy theme as a Hugo module, run the following commands from your project's root directory. ```bash hugo new site my-new-site cd my-new-site ``` This will create a minimal site structure, containing the folders `archetypes`, `content`, `data`, `layouts`, `static`, and `themes` and a configuration file (default: `hugo.toml`). ### Import the Docsy theme module as a dependency of your site Only sites that are Hugo Modules themselves can import other modules. To turn your site into a Hugo Module, run the following commands in your newly created site directory: ```bash hugo mod init github.com/me/my-new-site ``` This creates a `go.mod` file for your site's module definitions. Next declare the Docsy theme module as a dependency for your site. ```bash hugo mod get github.com/google/docsy/theme@v0.16.0 ``` This command adds the `docsy` theme module to your definition file `go.mod` and records the module checksums in `go.sum`. ### Add theme module configuration settings Add the settings in the following snippet at the end of your site's [configuration file] (default: `hugo.toml`) and save the file.

[module]
  proxy = "direct"
  # uncomment line below for temporary local development of module
  # replacements = "github.com/google/docsy/theme -> ../../docsy/theme"
  [module.hugoVersion]
    extended = true
    min = "0.160.1"
  [[module.imports]]
    path = "github.com/google/docsy/theme"
    disable = false

module:
  proxy: direct
  hugoVersion:
    extended: true
    min: 0.160.1
  imports:
    - path: github.com/google/docsy/theme
      disable: false

{
  "module": {
    "proxy": "direct",
    "hugoVersion": {
      "extended": true,
      "min": "0.160.1"
    },
    "imports": [
      {
        "path": "github.com/google/docsy/theme",
        "disable": false
      }
    ]
  }
}

You can find details of what these configuration settings do in the [Hugo modules documentation](https://gohugo.io/configuration/module/#top-level-settings). Depending on your environment you may need to tweak them slightly, for example by adding a proxy to use when downloading remote modules. ### Install npm dependencies {#install-theme-npm-dependencies} Install the [Dart Sass][] compiler at the version Docsy is tested with, and define an npm script for running Hugo (see [Install Dart Sass][]). Docsy sources its Bootstrap and Font Awesome assets from npm: generate the theme's npm-dependency workspace (see Hugo's [Node dependencies][hugo-node-deps]) and install it: ```bash npm install --save-exact --save-dev sass-embedded@1.102.0 npm pkg set scripts.hugo=hugo hugo mod npm pack npm install ``` Re-run `hugo mod npm pack` whenever you [update Docsy](/docs/update/hugo-module/) or otherwise edit `package.json`; Hugo warns when the dependency set drifts. For background, see [Bootstrap and Font Awesome via npm][blog-npm-deps] in the 0.16.0 release notes. ### Preview your site To build and preview your site locally, run Hugo through the `hugo` npm script you defined, which puts the `sass` CLI on Hugo's `PATH`: ```bash npm run hugo -- server ``` By default, your site will be available at [http://localhost:1313](http://localhost:1313/). For common issues, such as the build failing with a missing Bootstrap import, see [Troubleshooting][]. If the build fails with missing-parameter errors, add the required defaults per [Basic site configuration](/docs/get-started/basic-configuration/). ## What's next? - Add some [basic configuration](/docs/get-started/basic-configuration/) - [Add content and customize your site](/docs/content/) - Get some ideas from our [Example Site](https://github.com/google/docsy-example) and other [Examples and templates](/examples/). - [Publish your site](/docs/deployment/). [blog-npm-deps]: /blog/2026/0.16.0/#npm-deps [configuration file]: https://gohugo.io/configuration/introduction/#configuration-file [Dart Sass]: https://sass-lang.com/dart-sass/ [hugo-node-deps]: https://gohugo.io/hugo-modules/nodejs-dependencies/ [Install Dart Sass]: /docs/get-started/docsy-as-module/installation-prerequisites/#install-dart-sass [Troubleshooting]: /docs/get-started/troubleshooting/