From 6b9a4e504e60211d2e30017c1f755fefa1c7dd24 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: dittnamn <gh@dittnamn.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:51:47 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=8E=A8=20Added=20an=20option=20to=20u?=
 =?UTF-8?q?se=20unicode=20slugs=20in=20URL:s?=
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

fixes https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/issues/3224
The slugs generated by Ghost have had a lot of issues in how they've
been transliterated. Through a change in @tryghost/string a new
transliteration library, any-ascii, has been proposed to replace
unidecode, see https://github.com/TryGhost/SDK/pull/1011

However, to get a fully internationalized site along with SEO optimized
URL:s, that change isn't fully enough. The current change adds an option
in Labs where it's possible to enable Unicode slugs instead of
performing the transliteration. The Unicode characters in use are
limited to those that are registered as letters and numbers, which means
that emojis, special characters, etc. still will be removed.

The only "major" change that has been done in Ghost to make this work is
actually just to normalize the URL slugs before looking them up in the
database. The rest of the code changes are mostly settings to turn the
new feature on or off, and to pass the setting along all the way to the
slugify() function. Due to the rest of the system already being in
Unicode, everything seems to work as it's supposed to.

Instead of using safe() from @tryghost/security, the slug generation has
also been changed to utilize slugify() from @tryghost/string directly
instead. The routing controllers for rss, collection and channel were
previously using safe() as well to slugify the lookups before going to
the router, but the entry controller didn't do this. As the router
already checks the slugs with isSlug() before passing them further, this
was unnecessary and had the potential to break lookups, so it was simply
removed.

In addition to using Unicode slugs, there's also an option added to
switch which separator the slugs use. Previously, dashes (-) were used
as the hardcoded default, but for URL readability, underscores (_) could
be preferred, like in the URL:s Wikipedia use. There's also an option
for using spaces ( ), but this might still be seen as a bit foreign in
URL:s. Out of the major browsers, it's currently just Firefox that show
these as spaces by default, with Safari doing it in some situations.
Other browsers can show the spaces as %20.

When activated, the Unicode slugs aren't added to member tags,
newsletter, services, integrations or benefits, as these aren't user
facing.

Note that for this change to work, the changes in
https://github.com/TryGhost/SDK/pull/1011 and
https://github.com/TryGhost/framework/pull/860 are required.
---
 .../settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx  | 42 ++++++++++++++++++-
 apps/admin-x-settings/src/typings.d.ts        |  2 +-
 apps/admin/src/vite-env.d.ts                  |  2 +-
 ghost/admin/app/components/tags/tag-form.js   |  2 +-
 ghost/admin/app/controllers/lexical-editor.js |  2 +-
 ghost/admin/app/models/setting.js             |  5 +++
 ghost/admin/app/services/feature.js           |  1 +
 ghost/admin/app/services/slug-generator.js    | 11 ++++-
 .../core/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js  |  4 +-
 .../frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.js    |  5 +++
 .../core/frontend/services/data/fetch-data.js |  5 +++
 .../services/routing/controllers/channel.js   |  3 +-
 .../routing/controllers/collection.js         |  3 +-
 .../services/routing/controllers/rss.js       |  3 +-
 ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/slugs.js | 12 +++++-
 .../utils/serializers/input/settings.js       |  1 +
 .../input/utils/settings-key-group-mapper.js  |  1 +
 .../input/utils/settings-key-type-mapper.js   |  1 +
 .../server/data/exporter/export-filename.js   |  4 +-
 .../default-settings/default-settings.json    |  9 ++++
 .../models/base/plugins/generate-slug.js      |  6 ++-
 ghost/core/core/server/models/post.js         | 14 ++++---
 ghost/core/core/server/models/tag.js          | 10 ++++-
 ghost/core/core/server/models/user.js         |  8 +++-
 ghost/core/core/shared/labs.js                |  1 +
 .../services/data/entry-lookup.test.js        | 27 ++++++++++++
 26 files changed, 156 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)

diff --git a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
index 991660808a8..74751728bdd 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
@@ -1,24 +1,44 @@
 import FeatureToggle from './feature-toggle';
 import LabItem from './lab-item';
 import React, {useState} from 'react';
-import {Button, FileUpload, List, showToast} from '@tryghost/admin-x-design-system';
+import {Button, FileUpload, List, Select, showToast} from '@tryghost/admin-x-design-system';
 import {downloadRedirects, useUploadRedirects} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/redirects';
 import {downloadRoutes, useUploadRoutes} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/routes';
-import {getSettingValue} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/settings';
+import {getSettingValue, useEditSettings} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/settings';
 import {useGlobalData} from '../../../providers/global-data-provider';
 import {useHandleError} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/hooks';
 
 const IS_AUTOMATIONS_BETA_ACTIVE = true;
 
+const SLUG_SEPARATORS = [
+    {
+        value: '-',
+        label: 'Dashes [-]',
+        hint: 'The default mode (e.g. /example-ghost-post/).'
+    },
+    {
+        value: '_',
+        label: 'Underscores [_]',
+        hint: 'A mode with better readability and clearer distinction (e.g. /example_ghost_post/).'
+    },
+    {
+        value: ' ',
+        label: 'Spaces [ ]',
+        hint: 'A natural mode, but might look foreign in URL:s (eg. /example ghost post/). Also, many browsers will show spaces as %20 in the URL:s.'
+    }
+];
+
 const BetaFeatures: React.FC = () => {
     const {settings} = useGlobalData();
     const {mutateAsync: uploadRedirects} = useUploadRedirects();
     const {mutateAsync: uploadRoutes} = useUploadRoutes();
+    const {mutateAsync: editSettings} = useEditSettings();
     const handleError = useHandleError();
     const [redirectsUploading, setRedirectsUploading] = useState<boolean>(false);
     const [routesUploading, setRoutesUploading] = useState<boolean>(false);
     const labs = JSON.parse(getSettingValue<string>(settings, 'labs') || '{}');
     const isAutomationsEnabled = !!labs.automations;
+    const slugSeparator = getSettingValue<string>(settings, 'slug_separator') || '-';
 
     return (
         <List titleSeparator={false}>
@@ -45,6 +65,24 @@ const BetaFeatures: React.FC = () => {
                 action={<FeatureToggle flag="editorExcerpt" />}
                 detail={<>Adds the excerpt input below the post title in the editor</>}
                 title='Show post excerpt inline' />
+            <LabItem
+                action={<div className='flex w-full max-w-none min-w-[160px] flex-col items-end gap-3 md:w-2/3 md:max-w-[320px]'>
+                    <FeatureToggle flag="unicodeSlugs" />
+                    <Select
+                        containerClassName='w-full md:flex-1'
+                        disabled={!labs.unicodeSlugs}
+                        options={SLUG_SEPARATORS}
+                        selectedOption={SLUG_SEPARATORS.find(option => option.value === slugSeparator)}
+                        onSelect={async (option) => {
+                            await editSettings([{
+                                key: 'slug_separator',
+                                value: option?.value || '-'
+                            }]);
+                        }}
+                    />
+                </div>}
+                detail={<>Use Unicode letters and numbers in URL slugs instead of transliterating them (e.g /smörgåsbord/ instead of /smorgasbord/), which may add benefits for SEO. You can also select another slug separator to adjust the look of the URL:s.</>}
+                title='International slugs' />
             <LabItem
                 action={<FeatureToggle flag="additionalPaymentMethods" />}
                 detail={<>Enable support for CashApp, iDEAL, Bancontact, and others. <a className='text-green' href="https://ghost.org/help/payment-methods" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more &rarr;</a></>}
diff --git a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/typings.d.ts b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/typings.d.ts
index 8507a5f682d..9ced7ae7d18 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/typings.d.ts
+++ b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/typings.d.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 declare module '@tryghost/limit-service'
 declare module '@tryghost/nql'
 declare module '@tryghost/string' {
-    export function slugify(string: string, options?: {requiredChangesOnly?: boolean}): string;
+    export function slugify(string: string, options?: {requiredChangesOnly?: boolean, unicodeSlugs?: boolean, slugSeparator?: string}): string;
 }
 
 declare module '*.svg' {
diff --git a/apps/admin/src/vite-env.d.ts b/apps/admin/src/vite-env.d.ts
index c4b1a0c5da7..0ae39510dab 100644
--- a/apps/admin/src/vite-env.d.ts
+++ b/apps/admin/src/vite-env.d.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
 declare module '@tryghost/limit-service'
 declare module '@tryghost/nql'
 declare module '@tryghost/string' {
-    export function slugify(string: string, options?: {requiredChangesOnly?: boolean}): string;
+    export function slugify(string: string, options?: {requiredChangesOnly?: boolean, unicodeSlugs?: boolean, slugSeparator?: string}): string;
 }
 declare module '@tryghost/koenig-lexical'
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/components/tags/tag-form.js b/ghost/admin/app/components/tags/tag-form.js
index b08df779c2b..99be75f8013 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/components/tags/tag-form.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/components/tags/tag-form.js
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ export default class TagForm extends Component {
 
         // Generate slug based on name for new tag when empty
         if (property === 'name' && tag.isNew && !this.hasChangedSlug) {
-            let slugValue = slugify(newValue);
+            let slugValue = slugify(newValue, {unicodeSlugs: this.feature.unicodeSlugs, slugSeparator: (this.feature.unicodeSlugs ? this.settings.slugSeparator : undefined)});
             if (/^#/.test(newValue)) {
                 slugValue = 'hash-' + slugValue;
             }
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/controllers/lexical-editor.js b/ghost/admin/app/controllers/lexical-editor.js
index 0298c5f1dce..b654b1ea054 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/controllers/lexical-editor.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/controllers/lexical-editor.js
@@ -956,7 +956,7 @@ export default class LexicalEditorController extends Controller {
 
         // Update the slug unless the slug looks to be a custom slug or the title is a default/has been cleared out
         if (
-            (currentSlug && slugify(currentTitle) !== currentSlug)
+            (currentSlug && slugify(currentTitle, {unicodeSlugs: this.feature.unicodeSlugs, slugSeparator: (this.feature.unicodeSlugs ? this.settings.slugSeparator : undefined)}) !== currentSlug)
             && !(currentTitle === DEFAULT_TITLE || currentTitle?.endsWith(DUPLICATED_POST_TITLE_SUFFIX))
         ) {
             return;
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/models/setting.js b/ghost/admin/app/models/setting.js
index b54be2618f7..e17daf9047e 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/models/setting.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/models/setting.js
@@ -132,6 +132,11 @@ export default Model.extend(ValidationEngine, {
      */
     transistor: attr('boolean'),
 
+    /**
+     * Settings for Labs options
+     */
+    slugSeparator: attr('string'),
+
     // HACK - not a real model attribute but a workaround for Ember Data not
     //        exposing meta from save responses
     _meta: attr()
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/services/feature.js b/ghost/admin/app/services/feature.js
index 3e29782f10d..a35ad483ae7 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/services/feature.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/services/feature.js
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ export default class FeatureService extends Service {
     @feature('adminUIRefresh') adminUIRefresh;
     @feature('lexicalIndicators') lexicalIndicators;
     @feature('editorExcerpt') editorExcerpt;
+    @feature('unicodeSlugs') unicodeSlugs;
     @feature('tagsX') tagsX;
     @feature('commentModeration') commentModeration;
     @feature('memberDetailsReact') memberDetailsReact;
diff --git a/ghost/admin/app/services/slug-generator.js b/ghost/admin/app/services/slug-generator.js
index e77481274a1..937efca994a 100644
--- a/ghost/admin/app/services/slug-generator.js
+++ b/ghost/admin/app/services/slug-generator.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ const {resolve} = RSVP;
 export default class SlugGeneratorService extends Service {
     @service ghostPaths;
     @service ajax;
+    @service feature;
+    @service settings;
 
     generateSlug(slugType, textToSlugify, modelId) {
         let url;
@@ -18,14 +20,19 @@ export default class SlugGeneratorService extends Service {
         }
 
         // We already do a partial slugify at the client side to prevent issues with Pro returning a 404 page because of invalid (encoded) characters (a newline, %0A, for example)
-        let name = encodeURIComponent(slugify(textToSlugify));
+        let name = encodeURIComponent(slugify(textToSlugify, {unicodeSlugs: this.feature.unicodeSlugs, slugSeparator: (this.feature.unicodeSlugs ? this.settings.slugSeparator : undefined)}));
         if (modelId) {
             url = this.get('ghostPaths.url').api('slugs', slugType, name, modelId);
         } else {
             url = this.get('ghostPaths.url').api('slugs', slugType, name);
         }
 
-        return this.ajax.request(url).then((response) => {
+        return this.ajax.request(url, {
+            data: {
+                unicodeSlugs: this.feature.unicodeSlugs,
+                slugSeparator: (this.feature.unicodeSlugs ? this.settings.slugSeparator : undefined)
+            }
+        }).then((response) => {
             let [firstSlug] = response.slugs;
             let {slug} = firstSlug;
 
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
index ccfb8db6c18..32ebc6a2ae3 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/helpers/navigation.js
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const {slugify} = require('@tryghost/string');
 const _ = require('lodash');
+const labs = require('../../shared/labs');
+const {settingsCache} = require('../services/proxy');
 
 const messages = {
     invalidData: 'navigation data is not an object or is a function',
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ module.exports = function navigation(options) {
         const out = {};
         out.current = _isCurrentUrl(e.url, currentUrl);
         out.label = e.label;
-        out.slug = slugify(e.label);
+        out.slug = slugify(e.label, {unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'), slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? settingsCache.get('slug_separator') : undefined)});
         out.url = e.url;
         return out;
     });
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.js
index fce43bb8968..175c623c020 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.js
@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ function entryLookup(postUrl, routerOptions, locals, {giftToken} = {}) {
         options.context.giftToken = giftToken;
     }
 
+    // In case this is a slug we normalize it to make sure it matches the form that the database uses
+    if (params.slug) {
+        params.slug = params.slug.normalize('NFC');
+    }
+
     return (api[routerOptions.query.controller] || api[routerOptions.query.resource])
         .read(_.extend(_.pick(params, 'slug', 'id'), options))
         .then(function then(result) {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/fetch-data.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/fetch-data.js
index e5cf0d91605..c32309141a0 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/fetch-data.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/data/fetch-data.js
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@ async function fetchData(pathOptions, routerOptions, locals) {
         postQuery.options.limit = pathOptions.limit;
     }
 
+    // In case this is a slug we normalize it to make sure it matches the form that the database uses
+    if (pathOptions.slug) {
+        pathOptions.slug = pathOptions.slug.normalize('NFC');
+    }
+
     // CASE: always fetch post entries
     // The filter can in theory contain a "%s" e.g. filter="primary_tag:%s"
     promises.push(processQuery(postQuery, pathOptions.slug, locals));
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/channel.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/channel.js
index 7ef3c8a1fdc..97efc67fb8e 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/channel.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/channel.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 const debug = require('@tryghost/debug')('services:routing:controllers:channel');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
-const security = require('@tryghost/security');
 const themeEngine = require('../../theme-engine');
 const dataService = require('../../data');
 const renderer = require('../../rendering');
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ module.exports = function channelController(req, res, next) {
 
     const pathOptions = {
         page: req.params.page !== undefined ? req.params.page : 1,
-        slug: req.params.slug ? security.string.safe(req.params.slug) : undefined
+        slug: req.params.slug
     };
 
     if (pathOptions.page) {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/collection.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/collection.js
index 565caa7cb36..0c1defd793d 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/collection.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/collection.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ const _ = require('lodash');
 const debug = require('@tryghost/debug')('services:routing:controllers:collection');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
-const security = require('@tryghost/security');
 const {routerManager} = require('../');
 const themeEngine = require('../../theme-engine');
 const renderer = require('../../rendering');
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ module.exports = function collectionController(req, res, next) {
 
     const pathOptions = {
         page: req.params.page !== undefined ? req.params.page : 1,
-        slug: req.params.slug ? security.string.safe(req.params.slug) : undefined
+        slug: req.params.slug
     };
 
     if (pathOptions.page) {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/rss.js b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/rss.js
index 19761d68769..8a3b04c602a 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/rss.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/frontend/services/routing/controllers/rss.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 const _ = require('lodash');
 const debug = require('@tryghost/debug')('services:routing:controllers:rss');
 const url = require('url');
-const security = require('@tryghost/security');
 const settingsCache = require('../../../../shared/settings-cache');
 const rssService = require('../../rss');
 const renderer = require('../../rendering');
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ module.exports = function rssController(req, res, next) {
 
     const pathOptions = {
         page: 1, // required for fetchData
-        slug: req.params.slug ? security.string.safe(req.params.slug) : undefined
+        slug: req.params.slug
     };
 
     // CASE: Ghost is using an rss cache - normalize the URL for use as a key
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/slugs.js b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/slugs.js
index c2ddd12b326..1d3811bcc4d 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/slugs.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/slugs.js
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ const controller = {
         options: [
             'include',
             'type',
-            'id'
+            'id',
+            'unicodeSlugs',
+            'slugSeparator'
         ],
         data: [
             'name'
@@ -36,6 +38,12 @@ const controller = {
                 },
                 id: {
                     required: false
+                },
+                unicodeSlugs: {
+                    required: false
+                },
+                slugSeparator: {
+                    required: false
                 }
             },
             data: {
@@ -45,7 +53,7 @@ const controller = {
             }
         },
         async query(frame) {
-            const slug = await models.Base.Model.generateSlug(allowedTypes[frame.options.type], frame.data.name, {status: 'all', modelId: frame.options.id});
+            const slug = await models.Base.Model.generateSlug(allowedTypes[frame.options.type], frame.data.name, {status: 'all', modelId: frame.options.id, unicodeSlugs: frame.options.unicodeSlugs, slugSeparator: frame.options.slugSeparator});
             if (!slug) {
                 throw new errors.InternalServerError({
                     message: tpl(messages.couldNotGenerateSlug)
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/settings.js b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/settings.js
index 666c61db64e..a22cfaeac63 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/settings.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/settings.js
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ const EDITABLE_SETTINGS = [
     'explore_ping',
     'explore_ping_growth',
     'indexnow_api_key',
+    'slug_separator',
     'transistor',
     'transistor_portal_enabled',
     'transistor_portal_heading',
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-group-mapper.js b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-group-mapper.js
index 018bd2fcee6..17e653573fb 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-group-mapper.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-group-mapper.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ const keyGroupMapping = {
     twitter_image: 'site',
     twitter_title: 'site',
     twitter_description: 'site',
+    slug_separator: 'site',
     active_theme: 'theme',
     is_private: 'private',
     password: 'private',
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-type-mapper.js b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-type-mapper.js
index d3dec36d9f0..be6739fc93b 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-type-mapper.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/api/endpoints/utils/serializers/input/utils/settings-key-type-mapper.js
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ const keyTypeMapping = {
     twitter_image: 'string',
     twitter_title: 'string',
     twitter_description: 'string',
+    slug_separator: 'string',
     active_theme: 'string',
     password: 'string',
     public_hash: 'string',
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/data/exporter/export-filename.js b/ghost/core/core/server/data/exporter/export-filename.js
index c2564d941ab..cc4bf7885e7 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/data/exporter/export-filename.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/data/exporter/export-filename.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const _ = require('lodash');
 const logging = require('@tryghost/logging');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
-const security = require('@tryghost/security');
+const {slugify} = require('@tryghost/string');
 const models = require('../../models');
 
 const modelOptions = {context: {internal: true}};
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const exportFileName = async function exportFileName(options) {
         const settingsTitle = await models.Settings.findOne({key: 'title'}, _.merge({}, modelOptions, _.pick(options, 'transacting')));
 
         if (settingsTitle) {
-            title = security.string.safe(settingsTitle.get('value')) + '.';
+            title = slugify(settingsTitle.get('value')) + '.';
         }
 
         return title + 'ghost.' + datetime + '.json';
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/data/schema/default-settings/default-settings.json b/ghost/core/core/server/data/schema/default-settings/default-settings.json
index 6ac4dd21464..b58e70a7b5a 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/data/schema/default-settings/default-settings.json
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/data/schema/default-settings/default-settings.json
@@ -269,6 +269,15 @@
                 }
             },
             "type": "string"
+        },
+        "slug_separator": {
+            "defaultValue": "-",
+            "validations": {
+                "isLength": {
+                    "max": 1
+                }
+            },
+            "type": "string"
         }
     },
     "theme": {
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/models/base/plugins/generate-slug.js b/ghost/core/core/server/models/base/plugins/generate-slug.js
index 56090e1623e..d292a051b14 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/models/base/plugins/generate-slug.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/models/base/plugins/generate-slug.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 const _ = require('lodash');
-const security = require('@tryghost/security');
+const {slugify} = require('@tryghost/string');
 
 const urlUtils = require('../../../../shared/url-utils');
 
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ module.exports = function (Bookshelf) {
                 });
             };
 
-            slug = security.string.safe(base, options);
+            slug = slugify(base, { requiredChangesOnly: options.importing, unicodeSlugs: options.unicodeSlugs, slugSeparator: options.slugSeparator });
 
             // the slug may never be longer than the allowed limit of 191 chars, but should also
             // take the counter into count. We reduce a too long slug to 185 so we're always on the
@@ -125,4 +125,6 @@ module.exports = function (Bookshelf) {
  * @property {boolean} [importing] Set to true to don't cut the slug on import
  * @property {boolean} [shortSlug] If it's a user, let's try to cut it down (unless this is a human request)
  * @property {boolean} [skipDuplicateChecks] Don't append unique identifiers when the slug is not unique (this prevents any database queries)
+ * @property {boolean} [unicodeSlugs] Don't perform optional transliteration, e.g. keep smörgåsbord as it is instead of turning it into smorgasbord
+ * @property {string} [slugSeparator] Separator to be used for the slugs, can be ` `, `_` or `-`, defaults to `-`
  */
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/models/post.js b/ghost/core/core/server/models/post.js
index b3210cd182a..e70303e893a 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/models/post.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/models/post.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const htmlToPlaintext = require('@tryghost/html-to-plaintext');
 const ghostBookshelf = require('./base');
 const config = require('../../shared/config');
 const settingsCache = require('../../shared/settings-cache');
+const labs = require('../../shared/labs');
 const limitService = require('../services/limits');
 const mobiledocLib = require('../lib/mobiledoc');
 const lexicalLib = require('../lib/lexical');
@@ -552,6 +553,7 @@ Post = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
         const publishedAt = this.get('published_at');
         const publishedAtHasChanged = this.hasDateChanged('published_at', {beforeWrite: true});
         const generatedFields = ['html', 'plaintext'];
+        const slugSeparator = settingsCache.get('slug_separator');
         let tagsToSave;
         const ops = [];
 
@@ -627,7 +629,7 @@ Post = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
                     tag.slug = await ghostBookshelf.Model.generateSlug(
                         Tag,
                         tag.slug,
-                        {skipDuplicateChecks: true}
+                        {skipDuplicateChecks: true, unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'), slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)}
                     );
                 }
 
@@ -846,14 +848,16 @@ Post = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
             ops.push(function updateSlug() {
                 // Pass the new slug through the generator to strip illegal characters, detect duplicates
                 return ghostBookshelf.Model.generateSlug(Post, self.get('title'),
-                    {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing})
+                    {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing, unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'), slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)})
                     .then(function then(slug) {
                         // After the new slug is found, do another generate for the old title to compare it to the old slug
                         return ghostBookshelf.Model.generateSlug(Post, prevTitle,
-                            {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing}
+                            {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing, unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'), slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)}
                         ).then(function prevTitleSlugGenerated(prevTitleSlug) {
                             // If the old slug is the same as the slug that was generated from the old title
-                            // then set a new slug. If it is not the same, means was set by the user
+                            // then set a new slug. If it is not the same, means was set by the user or that
+                            // it was created with older or different options for the slug generator. In
+                            // these cases, the old slug should be kept.
                             if (prevTitleSlug === prevSlug) {
                                 self.set({slug: slug});
                             }
@@ -866,7 +870,7 @@ Post = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
                 if (self.hasChanged('slug') || !self.get('slug')) {
                     // Pass the new slug through the generator to strip illegal characters, detect duplicates
                     return ghostBookshelf.Model.generateSlug(Post, self.get('slug') || self.get('title'),
-                        {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing})
+                        {status: 'all', transacting: options.transacting, importing: options.importing, unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'), slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)})
                         .then(function then(slug) {
                             self.set({slug: slug});
                         });
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/models/tag.js b/ghost/core/core/server/models/tag.js
index e7765b300a4..469dfb8a575 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/models/tag.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/models/tag.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ const ghostBookshelf = require('./base');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
 const urlUtils = require('../../shared/url-utils');
+const settingsCache = require('../../shared/settings-cache');
+const labs = require('../../shared/labs');
 
 const messages = {
     tagNotFound: 'Tag not found.'
@@ -109,6 +111,8 @@ Tag = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
 
         ghostBookshelf.Model.prototype.onSaving.apply(this, arguments);
 
+        const slugSeparator = settingsCache.get('slug_separator');
+
         // Support tag creation with `posts: [{..., tags: [{slug: 'new'}]}]`
         // In that situation we have a slug but no name so validation will fail
         // unless we set one automatically. Re-using slug for name matches our
@@ -125,7 +129,11 @@ Tag = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
         if (this.hasChanged('slug') || (!this.get('slug') && this.get('name'))) {
             // Pass the new slug through the generator to strip illegal characters, detect duplicates
             return ghostBookshelf.Model.generateSlug(Tag, this.get('slug') || this.get('name'),
-                {transacting: options.transacting})
+                {
+                    transacting: options.transacting,
+                    unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'),
+                    slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)
+                })
                 .then(function then(slug) {
                     self.set({slug: slug});
                 });
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/server/models/user.js b/ghost/core/core/server/models/user.js
index 658ab63ad7d..d6d5740abd6 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/server/models/user.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/server/models/user.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ const validator = require('@tryghost/validator');
 const ObjectId = require('bson-objectid').default;
 const ghostBookshelf = require('./base');
 const baseUtils = require('./base/utils');
+const settingsCache = require('../../shared/settings-cache');
+const labs = require('../../shared/labs');
 const limitService = require('../services/limits');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
@@ -226,6 +228,8 @@ User = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
 
         ghostBookshelf.Model.prototype.onSaving.apply(this, arguments);
 
+        const slugSeparator = settingsCache.get('slug_separator');
+    
         /**
          * Bookshelf call order:
          *   - onSaving
@@ -265,7 +269,9 @@ User = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
                     {
                         status: 'all',
                         transacting: options.transacting,
-                        shortSlug: !self.get('slug')
+                        shortSlug: !self.get('slug'),
+                        unicodeSlugs: labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs'),
+                        slugSeparator: (labs.isSet('unicodeSlugs') ? slugSeparator : undefined)
                     })
                     .then(function then(slug) {
                         self.set({slug: slug});
diff --git a/ghost/core/core/shared/labs.js b/ghost/core/core/shared/labs.js
index e071bbb8985..1deadee7af3 100644
--- a/ghost/core/core/shared/labs.js
+++ b/ghost/core/core/shared/labs.js
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ const GA_FEATURES = [
 const PUBLIC_BETA_FEATURES = [
     'superEditors',
     'editorExcerpt',
+    'unicodeSlugs',
     'additionalPaymentMethods'
 ];
 
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/unit/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.test.js b/ghost/core/test/unit/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.test.js
index 312cd6dd773..3fc869f8365 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/unit/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.test.js
+++ b/ghost/core/test/unit/frontend/services/data/entry-lookup.test.js
@@ -196,6 +196,33 @@ describe('Unit - frontend/data/entry-lookup', function () {
                 assert.equal(lookup.isEditURL, false);
             });
         });
+
+        it('can access unicode based slugs, even if NFD normalization is used', function () {
+            const sectionRouterOptions = {
+                permalinks: '/articles/:section-:slug/:options(edit)?/',
+                query: {controller: 'posts', resource: 'posts'}
+            };
+
+            const nfcNormalizedSlug = 'sample-smörgåstårta-スモルゴストータ'.normalize('NFC');
+            const nfdNormalizedSlug = 'sample-smörgåstårta-スモルゴストータ'.normalize('NFD');
+            assert.notEqual(nfcNormalizedSlug, nfdNormalizedSlug);
+
+            postsReadStub.resolves({
+                posts: [
+                    testUtils.DataGenerator.forKnex.createPost({
+                        url: '/articles/news-' + nfcNormalizedSlug + '/',
+                        slug: nfcNormalizedSlug
+                    })
+                ]
+            });
+
+            return data.entryLookup('http://127.0.0.1:2369/articles/news-' + nfdNormalizedSlug + '/', sectionRouterOptions, locals).then(function (lookup) {
+                sinon.assert.calledOnce(postsReadStub);
+                assert.strictEqual(postsReadStub.firstCall.args[0].slug, nfcNormalizedSlug);
+                assertExists(lookup.entry);
+                assert.equal(lookup.isEditURL, false);
+            });
+        });
     });
 
     describe('permalink param matching', function () {

From 5ba3643d5d6c916d60a5562ddbf685440974c3f1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: dittnamn <gh@dittnamn.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:19:38 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Updated beta-features.tsx to the new Select component.

---
 .../settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx  | 41 +++++++++++++------
 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
index 61aaf98bbf7..86045dc5fff 100644
--- a/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
+++ b/apps/admin-x-settings/src/components/settings/advanced/labs/beta-features.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import LabItem from './lab-item';
 import NiceModal from '@ebay/nice-modal-react';
 import React, {useState} from 'react';
 import YamlFileEditorModal from './yaml-file-editor-modal';
-import {ActionList, Button, Dropzone, Select} from '@tryghost/shade/components';
+import {ActionList, Button, Dropzone, Select, SelectContent, SelectItem, SelectTrigger, SelectValue} from '@tryghost/shade/components';
 import {Inline, Stack} from '@tryghost/shade/primitives';
 import {downloadRedirects, useUploadRedirects} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/redirects';
 import {downloadRoutes, useUploadRoutes} from '@tryghost/admin-x-framework/api/routes';
@@ -32,6 +32,22 @@ const SLUG_SEPARATORS = [
     }
 ];
 
+const renderSlugSeparatorOptions = () => {
+    return SLUG_SEPARATORS.map(option => (
+        <SelectItem key={option.value} value={option.value}>
+            <span className='flex flex-col'>
+                <span>{option.label}</span>
+                <span className='text-sm text-muted-foreground'>
+                    {option.hint}
+                </span>
+            </span>
+        </SelectItem>
+    ));
+};
+    
+const getSlugSeparatorOptionLabel = (value: string) =>
+    SLUG_SEPARATORS.find(option => option.value === value)?.label;
+
 const BetaFeatures: React.FC = () => {
     const {settings} = useGlobalData();
     const {mutateAsync: uploadRedirects} = useUploadRedirects();
@@ -94,20 +110,21 @@ const BetaFeatures: React.FC = () => {
                 detail={<>Adds the excerpt input below the post title in the editor</>}
                 title='Show post excerpt inline' />
             <LabItem
-                action={<div className='flex w-full max-w-none min-w-[160px] flex-col items-end gap-3 md:w-2/3 md:max-w-[320px]'>
+                action={<div className='flex w-full max-w-none min-w-[160px] flex-col items-end gap-3 md:w-2/3 md:max-w-[320px] md:flex-1'>
                     <FeatureToggle flag="unicodeSlugs" />
                     <Select
-                        containerClassName='w-full md:flex-1'
                         disabled={!labs.unicodeSlugs}
-                        options={SLUG_SEPARATORS}
-                        selectedOption={SLUG_SEPARATORS.find(option => option.value === slugSeparator)}
-                        onSelect={async (option) => {
-                            await editSettings([{
-                                key: 'slug_separator',
-                                value: option?.value || '-'
-                            }]);
-                        }}
-                    />
+                        value={slugSeparator ?? '-'}
+                        onValueChange={async (value) => {
+                                await editSettings([{
+                                    key: 'slug_separator', value
+                                }]);
+                        }}>
+                        <SelectTrigger aria-label='Use Unicode letters and numbers in URL slugs instead of transliterating them' className='w-full border-transparent bg-muted hover:bg-muted'>
+                            <SelectValue>{getSlugSeparatorOptionLabel(slugSeparator)}</SelectValue>
+                        </SelectTrigger>
+                        <SelectContent>{renderSlugSeparatorOptions()}</SelectContent>
+                    </Select>
                 </div>}
                 detail={<>Use Unicode letters and numbers in URL slugs instead of transliterating them (e.g /smörgåsbord/ instead of /smorgasbord/), which may add benefits for SEO. You can also select another slug separator to adjust the look of the URL:s.</>}
                 title='International slugs' />