Mistakes stay private
An agent will occasionally break a layout or a query on the way to the right answer. On a local copy, no visitor ever sees it.
Guide · Claude Code for WordPress
Build a WordPress site with Claude Code
Give Claude Code a local copy of your WordPress site, never the live one. This guide shows how, from download to a live site.
Your download has started. Next: open it, connect Claude Code or Codex, and start your first site. See the 3 setup steps
The short answer
Run WordPress locally, let Claude Code work on the files, WP-CLI and the rendered page, then publish. In the BuildPress app that is one window: install and sign in to Claude Code from the app, start or import a site, describe what you want, check it at phone, tablet and desktop widths, and push it to Cloudways, Hostinger, InstaWP or any SSH server when it is ready. Claude Code runs on your own Claude plan or API key.
Why a local copy
Point Claude Code at a copy, never at the live site
Three reasons to give Claude Code a copy instead of your live site.
No round trips
Locally, Claude Code edits files and runs WP-CLI directly, and reads whole files and tables instead of capped responses from a remote server.
It can see the page
The site runs next to the chat, so Claude Code can screenshot the result, read the console and fix what it finds before telling you it is done.
Two ways to do it
The manual setup or the BuildPress app
You can stitch it together yourself with a local WordPress tool, Claude Code in a terminal and a migration plugin. Or use one app that does all three.
| Task | Manual setup | BuildPress app |
|---|---|---|
| Run WordPress locally | LocalWP or WordPress Studio | Built in: PHP 8.5, MySQL 8.4, no Docker |
| Connect Claude Code | A terminal in the site folder, your own setup | Installed, signed in and wired from the app |
| See the result | Switch to a browser and refresh | Live preview beside the chat, 3 device widths |
| Show it what to fix | Describe the element in words | Click the element and add a note |
| Try options | Ask again and compare by memory | Three variations side by side |
| Publish to your host | A migration plugin or a manual export | Review, push, then Keep or Undo |
| Bring the live site back down | Repeat the migration | One pull, with a restore point first |
Step by step
Build a WordPress site with Claude Code, from download to live
Steps 1 to 6 are free with one local site. Connecting your host and pushing live come with a paid plan.
- Step 01
Download the app
Install BuildPress on macOS (Apple silicon), Windows or Linux. It is free with one local site, and you do not need an account or a card.
- Step 02
Install and sign in to Claude Code
From inside the app, BuildPress runs Anthropic's own installer and Claude Code's own sign-in, so it uses your Claude subscription or API key. BuildPress never sees your login.
- Step 03
Start or import a site
Describe the site in a sentence and Claude Code suggests colors, fonts and a logo. Or start from blank WordPress, clone the design of a page you like, or import from LocalWP, Studio or a backup.
- Step 04
Open a thread and describe the work
Each thread starts in the site folder with everything connected. Pick the model, the effort level and how much Claude Code may do without asking, then write your first prompt.
- Step 05
Check it like a client would
Watch the page at phone, tablet and desktop widths. Click any element to point Claude Code at it, and ask for three variations of any section you are unsure about.
- Step 06
Save a restore point
Before a big change, stop the site and save a named restore point of its files and database. You can roll back to it at any time.
- Step 07
Connect your host
Add Cloudways, Hostinger or InstaWP with an API key, or any server over SSH. To work on an existing site, pull it into the app first.
Paid plans - Step 08
Review and push it live
See every file and table that will change, push, and let the health checks run. Keep the result, or undo the push in one click.
Paid plans
Example prompts
Prompts that work well with Claude Code
Specific, with a way to check the result. Copy them, change the details, and run them in a thread.
Set up a design system for a family dental clinic in Leeds: warm, calm, trustworthy. Propose two color palettes and two font pairings, wait for my pick, then build the header and footer.
Asking for options and a pause keeps you in charge of the look before any pages exist.
Build the Services page with one section per service: a short intro, three benefits and a Book now button. Check it at phone and desktop widths and fix anything that wraps badly before you tell me it is done.
A built-in check step means Claude Code looks at the real page instead of assuming.
Create a Treatments custom post type with price, duration and FAQ fields. Add five sample treatments and show them on the Services page in a grid I can filter by category.
Claude Code can register post types and fields with WP-CLI and code, then seed real-looking content.
This card grid breaks on tablet. Make it two columns between 600 and 1024 pixels wide and keep the buttons lined up at the bottom of each card.
Sent with an element pointed in the preview, so there is no guessing which grid you mean.
Tips
Get better results, faster
Tip 01
Ask it to prove the result
End prompts with how to check: screenshots at the three widths, no console errors, the page loads logged out. Claude Code can do all of that in the app.
Tip 02
Match the model and effort to the job
Use a higher effort for the design system, templates and anything structural, and a lighter setting for copy edits and small fixes. You choose per thread.
Tip 03
Instructions are written for you
Every thread starts with an AGENTS.md file that describes the site and how to work on it, plus the connection details. Add your own house rules on top.
Tip 04
One thread per job
Keep a thread for the design system, one per page and one for fixes. History is saved and searchable, so you can come back to any decision later.
Need to work on a live site instead?
The BuildPress WordPress plugin connects Claude Code and other MCP clients to a site that is already live, with pinned on-page feedback your AI works through. Every paid plan includes it.
Claude Code runs on your own Anthropic account: a paid Claude plan such as Pro or Max, or an API key. BuildPress does not sell AI, so there are no credits or markups. The BuildPress app itself is free with one local site.
Not in the app. Claude Code only works on the local copy on your computer. The live site changes only when you push, after reviewing every change, and you can undo the push in one click.
Yes. Choose Elementor (the free plugin from wordpress.org) as the builder when you start a site, or import a site that already uses it. Blocks is also an option, and paid plans add the BuildPress builder.
The app runs Claude Code and Codex. Claude Desktop, Cursor and other MCP clients work with the BuildPress WordPress plugin, which connects them to a site over MCP.
No. The app installs Claude Code, signs you in and opens threads in its own chat view. Claude Code uses the terminal and WP-CLI for you behind the scenes.
Cloudways, Hostinger and InstaWP with an API key, and any other server over SSH with WP-CLI installed. Connecting hosts and pushing come with a paid plan.
Free to start
Give Claude Code a real WordPress site
on your own computer.
Download the app free, sign in to Claude Code, and build your first site today. Pick a plan when you are ready to push it live.