just create the drone file directly

.drone.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+kind: pipeline
+type: docker
+name: default
+
+steps:
+  - name: build
+    image: node:current
+    environment:
+      REPOSITORY: <dest-repo>
+      GIT_USER: <username>
+      GIT_TOKEN:
+        from_secret: GIT_TOKEN
+    commands:
+      - git config credential.helper '!f() { echo username=$GIT_USER; echo "password=$GIT_TOKEN"; };f'
+      - git submodule update --remote --init --merge
+      - npm install
+      - npm run build
+      - apt-get update && apt-get install -y rsync
+      - rsync -uavh _site/ $REPOSITORY --delete --exclude .git
+      - cd $REPOSITORY
+      - git checkout main
+      - git config --global --add safe.directory /drone/src/$REPOSITORY
+      - git add -A
+      - git commit -m "drone build $(TZ=':America/Los_Angeles' date)"
+      - git push

README.md

@@ -8,37 +8,9 @@ Template repository for my 11ty projects.
 
 in heckin gitea, create destination repo.
 
-### 2. add dronefile to source repo
+### 2. update dronefile in source repo
 
-Filename: `.drone.yml`, in root of repo. Note the `<vars>` to replace.
-
-```yaml
-kind: pipeline
-type: docker
-name: default
-
-steps:
-  - name: build
-    image: node:current
-    environment:
-      REPOSITORY: <dest-repo>
-      GIT_USER: <username>
-      GIT_TOKEN:
-        from_secret: GIT_TOKEN
-    commands:
-      - git config credential.helper '!f() { echo username=$GIT_USER; echo "password=$GIT_TOKEN"; };f'
-      - git submodule update --remote --init --merge
-      - npm install
-      - npm run build
-      - apt-get update && apt-get install -y rsync
-      - rsync -uavh _site/ $REPOSITORY --delete --exclude .git
-      - cd $REPOSITORY
-      - git checkout main
-      - git config --global --add safe.directory /drone/src/$REPOSITORY
-      - git add -A
-      - git commit -m "drone build $(TZ=':America/Los_Angeles' date)"
-      - git push
-```
+Update the `<placeholder values>` in [.drone.yml](.drone.yml).
 
 ### 3. create PAT (one-time, not per repo)