In short. Set token values in Metatag defaults, using the available token browser and checking which content fields supply the title and description.
Definition: Drupal Metatag templates combine text with tokens, placeholders such as
[node:title]that Drupal replaces with values from content or the site. As of October 2026, Metatag's Content defaults use tokens for both the page title and description.
Key facts
- Metatag's Global default configuration uses
[current-page:title] | [site:name]for the page title. - Metatag's Content default configuration sets the title to
[node:title] | [site:name]and the description to[node:summary]. - The Metatag README lists Token as a required module and describes its popup browser for available tokens.
Where do the templates belong?
The Metatag README places default configuration at /admin/config/search/metatag. Global defaults form the base layer. Entity types, such as content and taxonomy terms, have their own defaults; additional defaults can target a bundle, such as a particular content type.
For content pages, the title and description values below reproduce the fields in the module's Content configuration file. Each value belongs in its corresponding Metatag field; the YAML shows their relationship.
title: '[node:title] | [site:name]'
description: '[node:summary]'
The title combines the content title, a literal separator, and the site name. Metatag's Page title plugin explicitly describes appending [site:name] to add the site's name automatically.
Context matters when choosing a template. The module's Global configuration uses [current-page:title] | [site:name] for the title. The Content configuration uses [node:title], which refers to a content item.
What supplies the description text?
Drupal's node token implementation defines [node:summary] as the summary of the node's main body text. A node is a Drupal content item. The implementation checks for a populated body field, uses its processed summary when present, and otherwise generates a summary from the processed body.
For the generated summary, the same implementation reads the body field's trim length from the teaser display settings when available, otherwise using the formatter's default. This makes the body field and its display settings relevant when checking an automatically populated description.
For separately edited metadata, the Metatag README describes adding ordinary fields to a content type and using their tokens in the defaults. The Token browser supplies the available field tokens. This approach lets editors maintain dedicated metadata fields while the default template supplies their values to Metatag.
Related terms
- How do I set default meta tags in Drupal's Metatag module?
- How do I set canonical links with Drupal Metatag?
- How do I restrict who can edit meta tags in Drupal?
FAQ
Why is my description empty with [node:summary]?
Check whether your content type has a populated body field. Drupal's node token implementation checks that field before producing the summary replacement.
Can I change the metadata for one content item?
Yes. The Metatag README explains that adding a Meta tags field to the content type allows metadata changes on individual items. It also documents using ordinary content fields and their tokens when editors only need a few metadata options.
Sources
- Drupal Metatag, "metatag.metatag_defaults.node.yml", undated
- Drupal Metatag, "README.md", undated
- Drupal Metatag, "Title.php", undated
- Drupal Metatag, "metatag.metatag_defaults.global.yml", undated
- Drupal core, "NodeTokensHooks.php", undated
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