Each destination chooses how source bundle paths map into that destination:
```yaml
path_mapping:
mode: preserve_relative
```
`preserve_relative` is the default. It publishes each discovered source bundle at the same path relative to the destination backend root. A source bundle at `daily/2026-06-01` publishes below `daily/2026-06-01` for that destination.
`fixed` publishes one selected source bundle directly at the destination backend root:
```yaml
destinations:
- id: latest-html
backend: local
path: /srv/www/reports/latest
path_mapping:
mode: fixed
publish:
source: false
html: true
transform:
markdown_to_html:
enabled: true
mode: index
input: report.md
```
Fixed destinations select the newest discovered source bundle by manifest `created` timestamp. If multiple candidates have the same timestamp, the source-root-relative bundle path in ascending order wins. Older candidates are not planned or written for that destination.
Fixed mapping is useful for stable latest-style paths. It is more destructive than archive-style publication because successive source bundles target the same destination root. Preview fixed destinations with `run --dry-run`, especially before using `--force`.
Destinations can record public URLs for published outputs:
```yaml
links:
base_url: https://reports.example.com/archive
primary: auto
```
`links.base_url` is an absolute `http` or `https` URL corresponding to the destination backend root. It may include a path prefix, but it must not include a query string or fragment. Distributor does not infer public URLs from backend config.
`links.primary` selects the top-level primary URL stored in destination state:
-`auto`: prefer `index.html`, then generated HTML, then source outputs.
-`html`: use the first generated HTML output.
-`source`: use the first copied source output.
If a destination has no `links` block, no URL metadata is generated. If a primary policy has no matching output, per-output URLs are still recorded and the top-level primary URL is omitted.
Output URLs are built from `links.base_url`, the destination bundle path, and the output path using URL path semantics. `index.html` outputs produce directory-style URLs that omit the filename.
-`links.base_url`: optional links block; when present, `base_url` is required and must be an absolute HTTP or HTTPS URL without query string or fragment.
-`links.primary`: optional; defaults to `auto`. Accepted values are `auto`, `html`, and `source`.
SSH uses native SFTP. It can be used for sources, destinations, or both:
```yaml
backend: ssh
host: example.com
user: distributor
port: 2222
path: /remote/root
ssh_key_file: /home/distributor/.ssh/id_ed25519
known_hosts: /home/distributor/.ssh/known_hosts
host_key_policy: accept-new
```
Authentication uses SSH agent identities first when `SSH_AUTH_SOCK` is set, then `ssh_key_file` if configured. Password authentication in YAML is not supported.
Host key policies:
-`strict`, `true`, and `"true"` require a matching known host key.
-`accept-new` accepts and persists a new host key, but fails if an existing key changed. During `run --dry-run`, new host keys are accepted only for the current connection and are not persisted.
-`off`, `false`, and `"false"` disable host key checking and are insecure.
`accept-new` and `strict` use `known_hosts` when configured. If omitted, distributor uses the current service user's default OpenSSH `known_hosts` path where practical. `accept-new` fails when it needs to persist a new host key and no writable `known_hosts` path is available. It does not create a missing parent `.ssh` directory.
`endpoint` and `bucket` are required. `prefix` is an optional backend root; it is treated as an object-key prefix, not a real directory. Prefixes must be clean slash-separated paths after trimming leading and trailing slashes. `http://` endpoints are allowed for explicitly configured local development or local S3-compatible test services.
If either credential environment variable name is configured, both must be configured and both referenced variables must resolve to non-empty values through the real process environment or `secrets.directory`. Explicit credentials take precedence over the AWS SDK default credential chain. If credential environment variable names are omitted, the SDK default credential chain is used and `secrets.directory` values are not injected into the process environment.
At least one output type must be enabled. When `publish.html` is true, `transform.markdown_to_html.enabled` must be `true`.
Markdown-to-HTML transform:
-`transform.markdown_to_html.enabled`: enables Markdown-to-HTML generation for destinations with `publish.html: true`.
-`transform.markdown_to_html.mode`: optional; defaults to `sidecar`. Accepted values are `sidecar` and `index`.
-`transform.markdown_to_html.input`: optional source manifest path for `index` mode. It must identify a listed Markdown file.
`sidecar` mode renders each manifest-listed `.md` file to a same-directory `.html` output. `index` mode renders one selected Markdown file to `index.html` at the destination bundle path. Enabled Markdown-to-HTML config is rejected when `publish.html` is false, and `input` is valid only with `mode: index`.
-`transfer.on_destination_newer`: `skip`, `replace`, or `fail`; defaults to `skip`.
-`transfer.on_conflict`: `fail` or `replace`; defaults to `fail`.
`replace` for `on_destination_newer` and `on_conflict` is honored only when `run --force` is used for that invocation. Force is CLI-only; there is no persistent config field that enables forced replacement by default.
Do not put literal secrets in config files. `secrets.directory` lets deployments provide credential values as files:
```yaml
secrets:
directory: /run/secrets/distributor
```
Each regular file in the directory becomes an internal credential environment value named by the filename. Valid filenames must match `[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*`. Directories are ignored, and symlinks to regular files are followed. Exactly one trailing LF or CRLF is trimmed from each file; other whitespace is preserved.
The resolver checks the real process environment first, then the secrets directory. If both define the same variable with different values, `run` prints a warning with the variable name and uses the real environment value. Secret values are not printed. The process environment is not modified, so SDK default credential chains see only real environment variables.
