How to Use Ghost Image Hub: A Complete Guide

If you’re a Ghost blogger, you know the struggle: you’ve published dozens of posts with beautiful images, but finding and reusing those images later is a pain. You end up digging through old posts or re-uploading the same image multiple times.

Ghost Image Hub solves this problem by creating a searchable index of all images from your Ghost blog, right in your browser’s side panel.

What is Ghost Image Hub?

Ghost Image Hub is a Chrome extension that:

Syncs all images from your Ghost blog posts and pages
Creates a searchable, filterable index
Lets you copy images as Markdown or HTML with one click
Inserts images directly into the Ghost editor

Think of it as a personal media library for your Ghost blog.

Installation

Step 1: Install the Extension

Install Ghost Image Hub from the Chrome Web Store (link coming soon).

Or, for developers who want to install from source:

Download the extension files
Open chrome://extensions in Chrome
Enable Developer mode (toggle in top-right)
Click Load unpacked and select the extension folder

Step 2: Get Your Ghost Admin API Key

Ghost Image Hub uses the Ghost Admin API to fetch your posts and images. Here’s how to get your API key:

Log into your Ghost admin panel
Go to Settings → Integrations
Click + Add custom integration
Give it a name like “Image Hub”
Copy the Admin API Key (it looks like abc123:def456)

Keep this key safe — it provides read access to your Ghost content.

Step 3: Configure the Extension

Click the Ghost Image Hub icon in Chrome
Click Settings (or right-click the icon → Options)
Enter your configuration:

Field	Example	Description
Ghost Site URL	`https://myblog.com`	Your Ghost blog’s URL
Admin API Key	`abc123:def456`	The key from Step 2
Remember API Key	✓	Keep key saved between sessions
Preferred Copy Format	Markdown	Default format when copying

Click Save Settings

Using Ghost Image Hub

Opening the Side Panel

Click the Ghost Image Hub icon in your Chrome toolbar. The extension opens as a side panel — perfect for keeping it open while you write.

Syncing Your Images

Ghost Image Hub has two sync modes:

Quick Sync (recommended for daily use)

Syncs images from your 5 most recent posts
Fast — takes just a few seconds
Great for grabbing images you just uploaded

Full Sync (run once initially)

Syncs ALL posts and pages from your entire blog
May take a few minutes for large blogs
Shows progress as it works through your content

Tip: Run a Full Sync when you first install, then use Quick Sync to stay updated.

Searching and Filtering

Type anything to search across:

Image filenames
Alt text
Source post titles
Image URLs

Tag Filtering

If your Ghost posts have tags, you’ll see tag pills below the search box. Click a tag to filter images from posts with that tag. Click again to remove the filter.

You can combine tags — images matching ANY selected tag will show.

Copying Images

Hover over any image in the grid to see copy buttons:

MD — Copy as Markdown: ![alt text](image-url)
HTML — Copy as HTML: <img src="image-url" alt="alt text" />

Or click an image to open the preview modal with more options:

Copy Markdown
Copy HTML
Open the source post

Click any image to see a larger preview with:

Full filename
Source post title
Copy buttons
Link to open the original post

Click outside the modal or press Escape to close it.

Tips & Best Practices

For Large Blogs

If you have hundreds of posts:

Run Full Sync during a break — it may take a few minutes
After the initial sync, use Quick Sync daily
Use tags to organize and filter your images

For Image Organization

Use descriptive filenames when uploading to Ghost
Add alt text to images — Ghost Image Hub searches this too
Use consistent tagging on your posts

Keyboard Shortcuts

When focused on the search box:

Cmd/Ctrl + A — Select all text
Cmd/Ctrl + C — Copy selected text
Cmd/Ctrl + V — Paste from clipboard

Troubleshooting

“Permission denied” error The extension needs permission to access your Ghost site. Click “Allow” when prompted.

Images not syncing

Check that your Admin API Key is correct
Verify your Ghost site URL includes https://
Try clicking Full Sync to rebuild the index

Sync is slow This is normal for the first Full Sync on large blogs. Progress is shown at the bottom of the header.

Privacy & Security

Ghost Image Hub takes your privacy seriously:

All data stays local — Images and settings are stored in your browser only
No tracking — Zero analytics or telemetry
Your API key is protected — Stored in Chrome’s secure storage, never transmitted anywhere except to your own Ghost blog

The extension only communicates with:

Your Ghost blog (to fetch posts)
Google Fonts (for the UI fonts)

That’s it. No servers, no cloud, no data collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does this work with Ghost(Pro)? A: Yes! Ghost Image Hub works with any Ghost installation — self-hosted or Ghost(Pro).

Q: Will this slow down my blog? A: No. The extension only reads from your Ghost Admin API. It doesn’t affect your public site at all.

Q: Can I use this with multiple Ghost sites? A: Currently, the extension connects to one site at a time. You can switch sites by updating the settings.

Q: What happens if I delete an image from Ghost? A: Run a Full Sync to update your local index. Deleted images will be removed.

Q: Is the source code available? A: Yes! Ghost Image Hub is open source. Check the GitHub repository for the code.

Conclusion

Ghost Image Hub transforms how you work with images on your Ghost blog. No more digging through old posts or re-uploading the same images. Just search, click, and paste.

Install it today and give your image workflow a boost.

Ghost Image Hub is not affiliated with Ghost Foundation. Ghost is a trademark of Ghost Foundation.