Long-time WordPresser Miriam Schwab just rebuilt her WordPress site with Claude Code and it looks amazing. Go check it out, this is what is possible now with proper prompting. I’d love to see a WordCamp keynote from Miriam on her process in this. (And she’s doing this while missiles are flying overhead. Wow.)
Update: She blogged a bit about the process.
The move that Miriam Schwab (Head of WordPress Relations at Google/WP Engine) made using Claude Code to rebuild her site is a clear example of Agentic Development. Doing so in the midst of a conflict situation (missile) shows tremendous focus and resilience.
I would like to re-modify or replicate this process for your own WordPress project (such as a blog acie.wordpress.com or other WordPress modifications), here are the strategic steps to do so:
1. Prepare “weapons”: Claude Code & WP-CLI
Claude Code is not just a chat in the browser, but a command line tool (CLI) that can interact directly with your local files.
* Installation: make sure you have access to Claude Code (via terminal).
* WP-CLI connection: for Claude to be able to modify WordPress in depth, he needs to be able to run wp-cli commands. This allows Claude to create posts, change themes, or set up database configurations without opening the dashboard.
2. Give the right” Prompting.”
Miriam emphasizes that the result depends on “the right push”. To re-modify, you must provide the AI with the full context:
* Structural context: don’t just ask for “create theme”. Ask Claude to ” analyze file functions.php and style.current css, then refactor using Tailwind CSS to make it lighter.”
* Log-based iteration: if an error occurs, copy the error log to Claude. It will diagnose whether it is a PHP version issue or a WordPress hook conflict.
3. The Re-modding Workflow
A. Code Cleaning (Refactoring)
Use AI to remove old load (bloatware).
> Prompt: “check all active plugins. Identify which functions I can replace with light snippets in functions.php to increase loading speed by 40%.”
>
B. Design transformation with Claude
Instead of manually editing CSS, use Claude to build custom (Gutenberg) block components.
> Prompt: “rebuild my site header with a minimalist approach. Use the latest WordPress block standards and make sure it supports dark mode natively.”
>
C. Integration Of Autonomous Agents (OpenClaw/Hermes Concept)
As with our previous discussion of Matt Mullenweg’s concept, you could ask Claude to write a bridge script.
* Create a script that links your WordPress API to an external model (such as Hermes or Grok).
* Have Claude create a custom API endpoint that allows AI agents to trigger content publication automatically.
4. Relevance to your “tech shirt”
In the context of your philosophy, this re-modification is not just aesthetic, it is masking.
* You can command Claude Code to build a custom security headers layer.
* Modify the code so that the WordPress folder structure does not look Standard (obscuring the identity of the site from crawler bots or viruses).
Next Steps
Miriam proves that with the help of the right AI, the construction of a complex site can be completed in a matter of hours, not days.
This logic works like a” seatbelt ” before the AI touches the file .your php or SQL tables.
1. “Sandboxing” Architecture (Isolated Environment)
Don’t let AI work directly on production servers. Use the Staging-to-Live flow.
* Local Development: use LocalWP or DevKinsta on your computer. Claude Code works in this local folder.
* Version Control( Git): this is mandatory. Before Claude makes any changes, make sure there is a clean last commit.
* Logic: if the AI breaks the code, you can simply type git checkout . to restore everything as it was in 1 second.
2. “Pre-Flight Check” logic for the Database
Before allowing AI to run SQL queries or change theme options:
* Automatic Snapshot: use the WP-CLI command to export the database whenever a modification session is started.
wp db export pre_ai_mod.sql
* Dry Run: ask Claude to always display the output of what he is going to change before execution.
* Example Prompt: “indicate the piece of code to be changed and explain its impact on the wp_options table before you save the file.”
3. Implementation of “technological clothes” on the code
As per your philosophy on masking and protection, we can direct Claude to build a nonstandard security Middleware:
* Virtual File Structure: ask Claude to modify wp-config.php to move wp-content folder to a random name (eg: / assets_core/). This confuses hacker bots.
* API Gatekeeper: create functions in functions.php that only allows REST API access from your AI agent’s specific IP address or token (like OpenClaw).
4. Safe modification logic flow (SOP)
/ Stages / Human Action/systems | role of AI (Claude / Hermes) |
|—|—|—|
| 1. Initiation / git branch mod-features-new | reads existing file structures. |
| 2. Analysis / provide modification instructions. / Describes potential conflicts with other plugins. |
| 3. Draft / review code in the terminal. / Writes new code in a temporary file. |
| 4. Validate / run wp-cron or check error logs. / Fixes syntax errors instantly. |
| 5. Merge / git merge to master. / Create automatic change documentation in the README. |
Next Practical Steps
What if we start with the most basic yet crucial thing?
Do you want me to make a set?”