Problem

In Jekyll blogs, accidental publication usually happens when drafting and release controls are mixed together.

Practical Split

  1. _drafts for unfinished structure and rough writing
  2. published: false in _posts for content-complete posts waiting for review

This split gives a clear handoff from writing to publishing.

  • Unfinished content → _drafts
  • Ready but unapproved content → _posts + published: false
  • Approved content → _posts with publish enabled

Summary

_drafts is your writing safety zone, while published: false is your release gate. Using both by role reduces indexing mistakes and supports long-term SEO trust.