How do I change tag and author URL patterns in Ghost?

Definition: Ghost's tag and author archive addresses are configured under taxonomies in routes.yaml. Editing the tag and author patterns changes their URL prefixes.

Key facts

• As of 17 October 2026, Ghost's routing documentation defines the default patterns as /tag/{slug}/ and /author/{slug}/.
• Ghost's tag documentation says the tag slug is configurable on the Tags page in Admin.
• Ghost's author documentation says the author slug is configurable in Admin.
• Ghost's redirects guide supports permanent 301 redirects and temporary 302 redirects through redirects.yaml.

Which part of routes.yaml changes the archive addresses?

A taxonomy groups posts by tag or author. Ghost's routing documentation gives this replacement block:

taxonomies:
  tag: /topic/{slug}/
  author: /host/{slug}/

The {slug} placeholder is the tag or author's URL identifier. The existing routes and collections sections stay in place. Individual post URLs remain unchanged. Ghost requires trailing slashes and two spaces for YAML indentation.

How does the edited file take effect?

Ghost's routing documentation locates the file at content/settings/routes.yaml. Download and upload controls appear under Settings, then Labs. Uploading applies changes immediately; direct server edits require a Ghost restart.

Which templates display the renamed archives?

Ghost's tag template documentation defines a lookup order: tag-:slug.hbs, then tag.hbs, then index.hbs. For its photo example, the specific template is tag-photo.hbs.

The author template documentation uses author-:slug.hbs, then author.hbs, then index.hbs. Its example selects author-john.hbs for the author slug john. Both archive contexts include a list of posts and pagination data.

How are existing archive links handled?

Ghost's redirects guide documents redirects for changes to a site's URL structure. A redirect sends a request for an old address to a replacement address. For a permanent move using the taxonomy example above, matching rules can be added to the existing redirects.yaml file:

301:
  /tag/news/: /topic/news/
  /author/cameron/: /host/cameron/

These example rules map specific old paths to their new paths. The guide places redirect controls under Settings, Advanced, Labs, in the Beta features tab. The existing redirects file is downloaded, edited with spaces for indentation, and uploaded in Labs.

Related terms

• How do I change collection URL patterns in Ghost?
• How do I upload a redirects.yaml file in Ghost?
• HTTP redirects

FAQ

Can I add a new taxonomy called category?

Ghost's routing documentation supports only existing tag and author taxonomies. You can change their prefixes.

Can I remove tag and author archive pages?

You can leave taxonomies empty. The same documentation says those archives then return 404; theme links to them must also be removed.

Where do I change just one tag's slug?

You can edit it on the Tags page in Admin, according to Ghost's tag documentation.

Sources

1. Ghost, "URLs & Dynamic Routing", undated
2. Ghost, "Tag", undated
3. Ghost, "Author", undated
4. Ghost, "Redirects", undated

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