Documentation
Contents
- Where can you read the official Éclair CMS documentation?
- The 13 sections of the official guide
- Download the official archive
- How is the academy documentation organized?
- I want to…: where do I find it in the admin?
- What is the current version of Éclair?
- How do you get help?
- Where should you start for your level?
- Frequently asked questions
The Éclair CMS documentation lives in two places. On GitHub, the official guide and the README describe the whole CMS in 7 languages. Here, the academy's reference pages detail every block, every setting and every file, with the exact labels from the admin. This page points you to the right source for your question.
What you'll find here
The official guide
Installation, features, security, updates and troubleshooting, in 7 languages on GitHub.
The reference pages
The 18 blocks, every setting, the files, the folders and the generated URLs.
Everyday help
Troubleshooting by symptom, a glossary, verified tips and frequently asked questions.
Where can you read the official Éclair CMS documentation?
The Éclair GitHub repository holds two official documents: the README, which presents the CMS and its features, and the complete guide (docs/GUIDE.md), which explains installation, each feature, security, updating and troubleshooting. Both are available in the 7 languages of the admin.
| Language | Complete guide | README |
|---|---|---|
| French | GUIDE.md | README.md |
| English | GUIDE.en.md | README.en.md |
| Spanish | GUIDE.es.md | README.es.md |
| German | GUIDE.de.md | README.de.md |
| Italian | GUIDE.it.md | README.it.md |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | GUIDE.pt-BR.md | README.pt-BR.md |
| Simplified Chinese | GUIDE.zh-CN.md | README.zh-CN.md |
The 13 sections of the official guide
- Installation: requirements, steps, the 4 site types, first steps.
- Features in detail: speed, SEO, GEO, block editor.
- Everyday use: the “I want to… / Where” table and the shortcuts.
- Visual mode.
- Art directions, including “Imagine my direction with AI” and the Design score.
- Themes.
- Shop: opening it, product pages, Stripe, PayPal, Revolut Business, Google Shopping.
- AI assistant, including “Create a page with AI”.
- MCP connector (Claude and ChatGPT).
- Security.
- Updating, backing up, moving.
- Troubleshooting, including the Nginx configuration.
- For developers: file tree, tests, building the archive.
Download the official archive
The eclair-cms-1.8.0.zip archive weighs 480 KB. It contains the eclair folder (its contents are what you upload to your hosting), a LISEZ-MOI.txt file (a “read me” written in French) that sums up the installation in three steps, the MIT license (LICENSE.txt) and the third-party notices (THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt). The complete walkthrough is in Install Éclair step by step.
How is the academy documentation organized?
The lessons in the learning paths teach you how to do things, step by step. The reference pages are for when you're looking for a specific detail: a field, a file, a URL or an error message.
| Page | What you'll find there |
|---|---|
| Reference for the 18 blocks | The role of each block, its exact fields, good practice, the pitfall to avoid, keyboard shortcuts and smart paste. |
| Settings reference | The 8 tabs of Settings, field by field, then My profile, Users, Security, Menus, Redirects and Categories. |
| Files, folders and URLs | The eclair/ file tree, the contents of data/, eclair-config.php, the .htaccess file explained, Nginx, backups and the generated URLs. |
| Troubleshooting | Known problems sorted by symptom, with a quick diagnosis table. |
| Glossary | 50 terms from the web, SEO, GEO, security and AI, each defined in one or two sentences. |
| Release history | What changed from 1.0.0 to 1.8.0, and how to update. |
| Tips and tricks | Verified tips sorted by topic, each linked to its lesson. |
| Frequently asked questions | 25 short answers about Éclair and the academy. |
I want to…: where do I find it in the admin?
This table takes the one from the official guide and expands it. The last column gives the lesson that explains the task step by step.
| I want to… | Where | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Write a post | Dashboard › Write a post | First post |
| Ask the AI for a post, a page or an image | What do you want to create today? field on the dashboard, or AI assistant (Ctrl+J) | AI assistant |
| Have the AI compose a complete page | New page › Create with AI | Create with AI |
| Edit a page as it actually looks | Editor › Visual | Visual mode |
| Edit a page from the site | ✏️ Edit button, visible only when you're logged in | The admin |
| Change the theme, logo, color or fonts | Settings › Appearance | Themes |
| Choose an art direction | Settings › Appearance › Art direction | Art directions |
| Add my own CSS | Settings › Appearance › Custom CSS | CSS |
| Open the shop | Settings › Shop | Shop |
| Add a product | Content › + Product | Shop |
| Choose the home page | Settings › General | Pages and menus |
| Allow or block AI | Settings › AI & GEO | GEO |
| Turn on the AI assistant | Settings › AI assistant | AI assistant |
| Connect Claude or ChatGPT | Settings › AI assistant › Allow MCP connections | Claude |
| Connect Google Search Console | Settings › SEO | Essential settings |
| Add a link to the menu | Menus | Pages and menus |
| Redirect an old URL | Redirects | SEO |
| Create a category | Categories | Blog and categories |
| Link two translations | Editor › Document › Translation of… | Multilingual |
| Restore an earlier version | Editor › Version history | First post |
| Read the form messages | Messages | Contact form |
| Invite an editor | Users › Invite someone | Security |
| Turn on two-factor authentication | My profile › Two-factor authentication (2FA) | Security |
| Download a backup | Security › Backup | Security |
| Clear the cache | Settings › Advanced › Clear cache | Maintenance |
| Change the admin URL | Settings › Advanced › Admin URL | Maintenance |
What is the current version of Éclair?
The current version is 1.8.0, released on November 1, 2026. It brings 12 art directions, “Imagine my direction with AI”, the Design score, a Lighthouse score of 100 in all four categories with four of the directions, and a 480 KB archive. Every change since 1.0.0 is in the release history.
The admin doesn't show the version number. To find it, open the index.php file at the root of your site (via FTP or with your host's file manager): the line define('ECLAIR_VERSION', '1.8.0'); gives it.
How do you get help?
- Look up your symptom in Troubleshooting: every known error message has its solution there.
- Browse the frequently asked questions, and the glossary if a term stops you.
- Write down the error reference: the error page “Oups, un court-circuit.” (always shown in French) displays a reference, labeled Référence, which you also find in Security › Recent technical errors.
- Open an issue in the GitHub repository with your Éclair version, your PHP version, your host, what you did, what happened and the error reference.
Spotted a mistake or an unclear passage in an academy lesson? Report it from the Contact page.
Where should you start for your level?
- Beginner path: 9 lessons, from preparing your hosting to the settings to check before launch.
- Intermediate path: 10 lessons on Visual mode, design, SEO, GEO, multilingual sites, the shop and security.
- AI & MCP path: 7 lessons on the built-in assistant and on running your site from Claude or ChatGPT.
- Expert path: 8 lessons on architecture, Nginx, performance, migration and agency work.
- To choose where to host your site: Choosing your hosting.
Frequently asked questions
Is the official Éclair CMS documentation available in English?
Yes. The complete guide and the README exist in English and in 6 other languages: French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Simplified Chinese. The direct links are in the table at the top of this page.
Where do I report an Éclair bug?
In the issues of Éclair's GitHub repository. Include your Éclair and PHP versions, your host and the error reference, but never a password or an API key.
Do the reference pages replace the lessons?
No. The lessons teach you how to do things, step by step; the reference pages of the Éclair CMS documentation are for checking a specific detail. If you're new to Éclair, start with the Beginner path.