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Enable GoatCounter analytics

Count visits on an existing published site

Use this guide when your site is already published and you have created a site in GoatCounter.

This integration requires Chulapa on main after v2.1.0. It is not included in the v2.1.0 release or gem.

Set the counting address

In your repository’s Code tab, open _config.yml and click the pencil. Find the existing goatcounter setting and edit it, or add it once if absent:

goatcounter: "https://YOUR-CODE.goatcounter.com/count"

Replace YOUR-CODE with your GoatCounter site’s code. Use the complete HTTPS counting address, including /count, rather than the dashboard address or just the code. A self-hosted site can use an address such as https://stats.example.org/count. Do not add your blog’s repository path to it. No API key or extra Jekyll plugin is needed.

If you want GoatCounter alone, clear existing gtag_id and analytics_id values. Otherwise the Google snippets also load. Remove any manually inserted copy of the same GoatCounter script from your custom includes to avoid counting a visit twice. Preserve unrelated settings.

Publish and check

Save with Commit changes on your publishing branch. Wait for the latest run in Actions to succeed, then open your website from Settings > Pages. Visit a page and check your GoatCounter dashboard; the visit may take a little time to appear. The integration counts page views; it does not display a visitor counter or configure custom events.

Counting is enabled only in a production build. For your own publishing workflow, check that it builds with Jekyll’s production environment. If you already preview locally with Jekyll, the equivalent build command is:

JEKYLL_ENV=production bundle exec jekyll build

Normal local preview does not load this tracker, and GoatCounter ignores localhost by default. Verify the published site instead.

If no visit appears

  • Check the theme version, production build and exact HTTPS counting address.
  • Check that a browser blocker has not blocked the tracker. Blocking it does not prevent your page from displaying.
  • If you configured a Content Security Policy, allow the script from https://gc.zgo.at/count.js and requests to your counting address.
  • For the service’s own counting rules and setup, consult GoatCounter help.

To disable the integration, leave goatcounter empty and publish again. For supported values and version constraints, use the analytics reference.

Related documentation