Brand File Not Referenced

A brand file exists in the project, but no brand: key points at it, so it is ignored.

Q-5-37 — Brand file not referenced

The project contains a brand file, but no brand: key is set. The file is ignored, and your colors, fonts, and logos are not applied.

What this means

Quarto 1 looks for a brand file automatically. If no brand: key is set, it checks these paths in the project directory:

• _brand.yml
• _brand.yaml
• _brand/_brand.yml
• _brand/_brand.yaml

Quarto 2 does not. It applies a brand only when a brand: key names it. This warning fires when one of those files exists and no brand: key is set at the top level or under any format: entry.

The render succeeds, but without the brand.

How to fix

Point brand: at the file, in _quarto.yml:

brand: _brand.yml

For a file in a _brand/ directory, use its path:

brand: _brand/_brand.yml

To have this added for you, run qmd-syntax-helper convert -r q-5-37 --in-place <any .qmd in the project>. It appends the brand: line to the project’s _quarto.yml, choosing the file Quarto 1 would have used. It is not part of convert --rule all, because it changes how the project renders.

If the file is not meant to apply to this project, silence the warning:

diagnostics:
  Q-5-37: off

Where it is checked

The check runs for each document, on its fully merged metadata. A brand: set anywhere counts: _quarto.yml, an active profile, a _metadata.yml, or the document’s front matter. It looks only at files in the project directory, so it also runs for a single file rendered on its own.

quarto render prints the warning once, listing the affected documents. quarto preview shows it for the page being previewed. The check does not run in the browser-based editor, which cannot reliably see non-document project files.

qmd-syntax-helper approximates the same check when it adds the key. It understands _quarto.yml, _metadata.yml, and front matter, but not profile overlays.