Content Redaction Guide

Automatically redact sensitive information from your site in production builds while keeping it visible in local builds.

Overview

The Redact plugin allows you to mark specific sections of your content for automatic removal in production (Cloudflare) builds while keeping them visible when working locally.

Key Benefits:

• ✅ Keep pages intact (don’t remove entire pages)
• ✅ Selectively hide only sensitive sections
• ✅ Preserve context and structure
• ✅ Automatic based on build environment
• ✅ No manual intervention needed

---

Basic Usage

Wrap sensitive content between HTML comment markers:

## Budget Overview
 
Total project cost: $68,400
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Payment Schedule:**
- Payment 1: $6,600 (deposit)
- Payment 2: $20,000 (at signing)
- Payment 3: $20,000 (at framing)
- Payment 4: $21,800 (at completion)
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
The garage includes in-floor radiant heating and workshop space.

What You See

Local build (npx quartz build --serve):

Total project cost: $68,400

Payment Schedule:
- Payment 1: $6,600 (deposit)
- Payment 2: $20,000 (at signing)
- Payment 3: $20,000 (at framing)
- Payment 4: $21,800 (at completion)

The garage includes in-floor radiant heating...

Production build (Cloudflare):

Total project cost: $68,400

[Content redacted for privacy]

The garage includes in-floor radiant heating...

---

Custom Replacement Text

Provide context-specific replacement text:

## Contact Information
 
**Project Owner:** Dan Gahagan
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Contact details available in local build only -->
- **Email:** dangahagan@gmail.com
- **Phone:** 989-621-8849
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Feel free to reach out with questions!

Production shows:

Project Owner: Dan Gahagan

[Contact details available in local build only]

Feel free to reach out with questions!

---

Common Use Cases

1. Financial Information

## Budget & Financing
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Home Equity Assessment:** $60,900
**Available HELOC:** ~$70,000
**Loan Amount:** $83,040
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Project financed through home equity line of credit.

2. Personal Contact Details

## Permits & Approvals
 
Application submitted to Clare County Planning.
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Zoning Official:** Terry Acton
**Email:** actont@clareco.net
**Phone:** 989-539-7131
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Permit approval received on March 15, 2025.

3. Vendor Contact Information

## Primary Contractor
 
**Company:** Hershberger's HP&H Lumber
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Contact:** Jonas Hershberger
**Email:** HPH Lumber@Gmail.com
**Phone:** +1-989-386-5338 (Marcus)
**Team:** Marcus, Will, Marvin
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Excellent craftsmanship and communication throughout the project.

4. Property Details

## Site Information
 
**Location:** 309 E. 7th St, Clare, MI 48617
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Parcel ID:** 18-051-500-005-00
**Zoning District:** R-1
**Lot Size:** 0.189 acres
**Setbacks:** 10' rear, 5' side
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Located in a quiet residential neighborhood.

5. Mixed Content with Multiple Sections

## Project Timeline
 
### Phase 1: Planning (Complete)
- ✅ Initial design concepts
- ✅ Permit applications
- ✅ Contractor selection
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Financial milestone details -->
**Deposit paid:** $6,600 on February 1
**Budget approved:** $68,400 total
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
### Phase 2: Foundation (In Progress)
- ✅ Excavation complete
- ✅ Forms installed
- ⧗ Concrete pour scheduled
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Concrete contractor:** John's Concrete Services
**Contact:** 989-555-1234
**Scheduled:** October 28, 2025
<!-- REDACT-END -->

---

Best Practices

Do: Redact Specific Sensitive Items

✅ Good - Redact only the sensitive data:

Contract total: $68,400
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Payment breakdown:
- Deposit: $6,600
- Framing: $20,000
- Completion: $41,800
<!-- REDACT-END -->

❌ Avoid - Redacting too much context:

<!-- REDACT-START -->
Contract total: $68,400
Payment breakdown:
- Deposit: $6,600
- Framing: $20,000
- Completion: $41,800
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Do: Keep Context Visible

✅ Good - Readers understand what was redacted:

## Vendor Contacts
 
**Tree Removal:** Michael Henry Tree Service
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Contact information redacted -->
Phone: 989-339-4377
Email: mhenry@example.com
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Completed tree removal on October 15.

Do: Use Custom Replacement Text

✅ Good - Explains why content is hidden:

<!-- REDACT-START: Financial calculations visible in local build -->
Available equity: $70,000
Loan approval: $83,040
Project budget: $68,400
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Don’t: Redact Public Information

❌ Avoid - Redacting already-public info:

<!-- REDACT-START -->
Address: 309 E. 7th St, Clare, MI
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Your friends/family already know your address. Only redact information that goes beyond what trusted viewers would know.

---

Redaction vs. File Exclusion

Use both strategies for comprehensive privacy:

When to Use File Exclusion

Exclude entire files/folders for:

• Documents that are entirely sensitive (contracts, invoices)
• Development/planning documents not meant for sharing
• Large sets of vendor contact files

Configure in quartz.config.ts:

const productionIgnorePatterns = [
  "Email Imports/**",                    // Entire folder
  "30-Vendors & Contacts/**",            // Entire folder
  "10-Planning/Budget & Financing.md",   // Single file
]

When to Use Content Redaction

Redact specific sections when:

• Page has both public and private information
• You want to preserve page structure and context
• Redacting specific data points (amounts, phone numbers, IDs)
• Multiple small sections throughout a document

Use redaction markers in markdown:

<!-- REDACT-START -->
Sensitive content here
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Combined Strategy Example

File: 10-Planning/Budget & Financing.md

Option A: Exclude entire file

// quartz.config.ts
productionIgnorePatterns: [
  "10-Planning/Budget & Financing.md",
]

Result: Entire page returns 404 in production

Option B: Keep file, redact sensitive sections

# Budget & Financing
 
Project funded through home equity line of credit.
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Available equity: $70,000
Approved amount: $83,040
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Financing secured through Comerica Bank.
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Loan officer: Gail Zeneberg
Phone: 989-772-6515
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Closing scheduled for February 15.

Result: Page accessible with sensitive details hidden

Recommendation for this project:

• Exclude: Email Imports/** (contracts, permits - entirely sensitive)
• Redact: Meeting notes, vendor pages (mix of public/private)

---

Syntax Reference

Basic Redaction

<!-- REDACT-START -->
Content to hide in production
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Custom Replacement Message

<!-- REDACT-START: Your custom message here -->
Content to hide
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Multiple Sections

Public content here
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Private section 1
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
More public content
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Private section 2
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Final public content

Nested Content

Redaction markers work with any markdown:

<!-- REDACT-START -->
 
## Heading inside redaction
 
- List item 1
- List item 2
 
**Bold text** and _italic text_
 
| Table | Headers |
|-------|---------|
| Data  | More    |
 
<!-- REDACT-END -->

---

Testing Your Redactions

Test Local Build

npx quartz build --serve

Verify:

• All content visible (including redacted sections)
• Redaction markers removed (clean reading experience)

Test Production Build

NODE_ENV=production npx quartz build --serve

Verify:

• Redacted sections show replacement text
• Page structure remains intact
• Navigation still works
• No broken links

Checklist Before Deployment

• Test both local and production builds
• Verify replacement messages are clear
• Check that public content is still visible
• Confirm sensitive data is properly hidden
• Review PII Audit Report for missed items
• Test navigation and internal links work

---

Common Issues

Redaction Not Working

Problem: Content still visible in production build

Check:

1. Markers are exact: <!-- REDACT-START --> (case-insensitive, but no typos)
2. Closing marker present: <!-- REDACT-END -->
3. Production mode enabled: NODE_ENV=production

Debug:

NODE_ENV=production npx quartz build
# Check build output for warnings

Unclosed Redaction Block

Problem: Warning in build logs

[Redact Plugin] Warning: Found REDACT-START without matching REDACT-END

Solution: Find and add missing <!-- REDACT-END --> marker

Too Much Content Hidden

Problem: Page loses context

Solution: Reduce scope of redaction blocks:

<!-- Before -->
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Entire section with context
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
<!-- After -->
Public context here
<!-- REDACT-START -->
Only sensitive data
<!-- REDACT-END -->

---

Configuration Options

Edit quartz.config.ts to customize:

Plugin.Redact({
  // Default replacement text for all redactions
  replacementText: "_[Content redacted for privacy]_",
 
  // Remove markers in local builds for cleaner reading
  removeMarkersInLocal: true,
})

---

Privacy Workflow

Recommended workflow for handling sensitive content:

1. Initial Content Creation

Write everything in Obsidian (full detail, no redactions)

2. Review for Sharing

Before deployment, review pages:

• Identify sensitive sections using PII Audit Report
• Decide: exclude file OR redact sections

3. Apply Redactions

Add redaction markers to files you want to keep:

<!-- REDACT-START -->
Sensitive content
<!-- REDACT-END -->

4. Test Locally

# Test full content
npx quartz build --serve
 
# Test redacted version
NODE_ENV=production npx quartz build --serve

5. Deploy

git add .
git commit -m "docs: add redactions for privacy"
git push

Cloudflare automatically builds with redactions applied.

6. Maintenance

When updating content:

• Add new sensitive info inside redaction blocks
• Review periodically using PII Audit checklist

---

Example: Redacting PII Audit Items

Based on PII Audit Report, here are examples of redacting critical items:

Email & Phone (Critical Sensitivity)

## Contact Information
 
For project inquiries, contact the owner.
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Contact details redacted for privacy -->
**Email:** dangahagan@gmail.com
**Phone:** 989-621-8849
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Financial Details (Critical Sensitivity)

## Project Financing
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Financial details available in local build -->
**Home Equity Assessment:** $60,900
**Available HELOC:** ~$70,000
**Calculated Loan Amount:** $83,040
<!-- REDACT-END -->
 
Project funded through home equity financing from Comerica Bank.

Parcel ID (Critical Sensitivity)

## Property Details
 
**Address:** 309 E. 7th St, Clare, MI 48617
 
<!-- REDACT-START -->
**Parcel ID:** 18-051-500-005-00
**Zoning District:** R-1
**Lot Size:** 0.189 acres
<!-- REDACT-END -->

Vendor Contacts (Medium Sensitivity)

## Tree Removal Service
 
**Company:** Michael Henry Tree Service
Excellent service, completed removal in one day.
 
<!-- REDACT-START: Contact information redacted -->
**Phone:** 989-339-4377
**Service Date:** October 15, 2025
<!-- REDACT-END -->

---

Related Documentation

• PII Audit Report - Comprehensive privacy audit
• 05 - Deployment and Access Control - Deployment guide
• BUILD-MODES.md - Dual-build configuration guide
• Web Presentation Implementation Plan - Project overview

---

With the Redact plugin, you maintain full documentation locally while sharing only appropriate details publicly.