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GitHub Pages Jekyll build failed because a data file contains invalid YAML

Invalid YAML in data file

GitHub Pages could not build the Jekyll site because a file in the `_data` directory contains malformed YAML that Jekyll cannot parse.

Invalid YAML in data fileconfiguration

Observed message

Invalid YAML in data file

Why it happens

  • A file in `_data` contains invalid YAML syntax.
  • Indentation, quoting, or special characters are breaking parsing.
  • The data file structure is malformed or incomplete.

How to fix it

  1. Validate the data file with a YAML linter and correct the syntax.
  2. Check indentation, list markers, quoting, and key-value formatting.
  3. Retry the build after fixing the malformed data file.

Official reference

GitHub Docs: Troubleshooting Jekyll build errors for GitHub Pages sites

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GitHub Pages invalid YAML in data file: causes and fixes | Error Atlas