pageMeta.pageMetaSource.pi must be set before creating cache

Error message

pageMeta.pageMetaSource.pi must be set before creating cachedContent

What it means

Panic in pageMeta.newCachedContent when m.pageMetaSource.pi (the page parser / parse info) is nil. cachedContent needs the parsed source to build content scopes and shortcode metadata, so the parser must be initialized first. The message states the required ordering explicitly: pi must be set before creating cachedContent.

Source

Thrown at hugolib/page__content.go:110

			NoFrontMatter: m.noFrontMatter,
		},
	)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	m.pi.itemsStep1 = items

	if err := m.pi.parseSource(source, m.noFrontMatter); err != nil {
		return err
	}

	return nil
}

func (m *pageMeta) newCachedContent(s *Site) (*cachedContent, error) {
	if m.pageMetaSource.pi == nil {
		panic("pageMeta.pageMetaSource.pi must be set before creating cachedContent")
	}

	c := &cachedContent{
		pm:          s.pageMap,
		StaleInfo:   m,
		pi:          m.pi,
		enableEmoji: s.conf.EnableEmoji,
		scopes:      hmaps.NewCache[string, *cachedContentScope](),
	}
	var hasName predicate.P[string] = m.pi.shortcodeParseInfo.hasName
	c.hasShortcode.Store(&hasName)

	return c, nil
}

// Content cached for a page instance.
type cachedContent struct {
	pm *pageMap

View on GitHub (pinned to 52c9bd7908)

Solutions

Ensure the page's parser (pi) is initialized (e.g. via the parse-source step) before any cachedContent creation.
Use the standard page-meta construction sequence; do not reorder init steps.
Upgrade Hugo; report with a reproducer if hit on stock Hugo.

Example fix

// before (fork): cachedContent created before parser
m.newCachedContent(s) // pi is nil

// after
m.pageMetaSource.pi = newPageParseInfo(...)
m.parseSource(source, false)
m.newCachedContent(s)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Internal ordering invariant: initialize the page parser (pi) before newCachedContent.
// In a fork, run parseSource first:
//   m.pageMetaSource.pi = newPageParseInfo(...)
//   m.parseSource(source, false)
//   m.newCachedContent(s)

Prevention

Do not reorder page-meta initialization.
Always run the parse step before cachedContent creation.
Use standard page construction.
Report stock-Hugo reproducers upstream.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling newCachedContent before the page's source parser (pageMetaSource.pi) was assigned. Reordering in a fork that creates cachedContent too early. A page-construction path that skips parse-source setup. An internal ordering regression.

Common situations: Forking Hugo and changing page initialization order. A bug after refactoring page-meta construction. Headless/content-adapter pages built without running the parse step.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of gohugoio/hugo@52c9bd7908 (2026-08-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8db6076b21d8260f. Report an issue: GitHub.