diff --git a/apps/blog/__tests__/content-types.test.ts b/apps/blog/__tests__/content-types.test.ts
index 1e5daca..d4dbc7c 100644
--- a/apps/blog/__tests__/content-types.test.ts
+++ b/apps/blog/__tests__/content-types.test.ts
@@ -92,11 +92,33 @@ describe('Content Types', () => {
       expect(() => validateFrontmatter(rest)).toThrow('title is required');
     });
 
-    it('throws for missing description', () => {
+    it('throws for missing description on a non-draft', () => {
       const { description, ...rest } = validFrontmatter;
       expect(() => validateFrontmatter(rest)).toThrow('description is required');
     });
 
+    it('throws for empty-string description on a non-draft', () => {
+      expect(() =>
+        validateFrontmatter({ ...validFrontmatter, description: '' })
+      ).toThrow('description is required');
+    });
+
+    it('allows missing description on a draft', () => {
+      const { description, ...rest } = validFrontmatter;
+      const result = validateFrontmatter({ ...rest, draft: true });
+      expect(result.draft).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.description).toBe('');
+    });
+
+    it('allows empty-string description on a draft', () => {
+      const result = validateFrontmatter({
+        ...validFrontmatter,
+        description: '',
+        draft: true,
+      });
+      expect(result.description).toBe('');
+    });
+
     it('throws for missing date', () => {
       const { date, ...rest } = validFrontmatter;
       expect(() => validateFrontmatter(rest)).toThrow('date is required');
diff --git a/apps/blog/types/content.ts b/apps/blog/types/content.ts
index d0ac72b..c91fd73 100644
--- a/apps/blog/types/content.ts
+++ b/apps/blog/types/content.ts
@@ -331,8 +331,15 @@ export function validateFrontmatter(data: Record<string, unknown>): Frontmatter
   if (typeof data.title !== 'string' || !data.title) {
     errors.push('title is required and must be a string');
   }
-  if (typeof data.description !== 'string' || !data.description) {
-    errors.push('description is required and must be a string');
+  const isDraft = data.draft === true;
+  // Drafts are work-in-progress — description may not be filled yet. For
+  // published essays, description is required and must be non-empty.
+  if (!isDraft) {
+    if (typeof data.description !== 'string' || !data.description) {
+      errors.push('description is required and must be a string');
+    }
+  } else if (data.description !== undefined && typeof data.description !== 'string') {
+    errors.push('description must be a string when provided');
   }
   if (typeof data.date !== 'string' || !data.date) {
     errors.push('date is required and must be a string');
@@ -371,7 +378,7 @@ export function validateFrontmatter(data: Record<string, unknown>): Frontmatter
 
   return {
     title: data.title as string,
-    description: data.description as string,
+    description: (data.description as string | undefined) ?? '',
     date: data.date as string,
     type: data.type as EssayType,
     topics: data.topics as Topic[],
@@ -451,8 +458,13 @@ export function validateSeriesFrontmatter(data: Record<string, unknown>): Series
   if (typeof data.title !== 'string' || !data.title) {
     errors.push('title is required and must be a string');
   }
-  if (typeof data.description !== 'string' || !data.description) {
-    errors.push('description is required and must be a string');
+  const isSeriesDraft = data.draft === true;
+  if (!isSeriesDraft) {
+    if (typeof data.description !== 'string' || !data.description) {
+      errors.push('description is required and must be a string');
+    }
+  } else if (data.description !== undefined && typeof data.description !== 'string') {
+    errors.push('description must be a string when provided');
   }
   if (typeof data.date !== 'string' || !data.date) {
     errors.push('date is required and must be a string');
@@ -490,7 +502,7 @@ export function validateSeriesFrontmatter(data: Record<string, unknown>): Series
 
   return {
     title: data.title as string,
-    description: data.description as string,
+    description: (data.description as string | undefined) ?? '',
     date: data.date as string,
     updated: data.updated as string | undefined,
     category: data.category as SeriesCategory,