Hey Folks!

Introducing Aculect Icon Library (@aculect-icon-library), a free, open-source plugin that brings popular icon libraries and custom SVG icons to the native WordPress Icon block.

Install icon libraries like Heroicons, Font Awesome (Free), or Bootstrap Icons, enable the variants you need, and upload your own SVGs. Everything is managed under Appearance → Icons, with no libraries enabled by default.

It also integrates with the WordPress Abilities API, so you can work with icons through your preferred AI/MCP plugin.

The goal is simple: more icon choices without adding another competing block to your editor.

Try it: Aculect Icon Library on WordPress.org

I’d love your feedback. Which icon library would you like to see supported next?

Block Editor

Hey folks,

I've been working on several major updates for ThemeRouter and wanted to share them with the WP Folks community.

First, the @themerouter website has been completely redesigned. The new site explains the gradual migration workflow more clearly: move only the pages, post types, taxonomies, or WooCommerce areas that are ready to a new theme while everything else continues using the current theme.

Second, ThemeRouter 1.2.0 is now available. The release improves the workflow around configuring routes, reviewing routing activity, synchronizing classic menus with Navigation blocks, troubleshooting, and moving tested settings from staging to production.

I’ve also introduced new purchasing options:

• Yearly plans now include a 14-day free trial. The free trial applies to yearly plans only.
• Lifetime plans are now available for teams that prefer a one-time purchase.

If you’re interested in learning more about ThemeRouter or would like a 1:1 demo with me, feel free to choose a convenient time here: https://cal.com/mehul-gohil/themerouter-demo

During the demo, we can discuss your WordPress redesign or migration requirements and walk through the ThemeRouter workflows most relevant to your project.

Thanks!

Came across something interesting today: ForkPress (github.com/Automattic/forkpress)

It is basically a single binary that runs local WordPress branches, no Docker, no MySQL, no system PHP. Just download and run.

The core idea is copy-on-write branching for WordPress. You get isolated WordPress environments per branch, each with their own SQLite database, served over localhost subdomains like marketing.wp.localhost. You can create, reset, and delete branches the same way you would Git branches.

It even exposes a Git smart-HTTP interface so you can literally git clone your local WordPress site, edit files, commit, and push changes back into the running environment.

The agent workflow is what caught my eye. One command spins up 10 isolated WordPress environments for parallel agent work. Given where AI-assisted development is heading, this feels like it was built with that use case specifically in mind.

Have not tried it in an actual development workflow yet but planning to. Curious to know what possibilities it will unfold in our day-to-day WordPress development.

GitHub: https://github.com/Automattic/forkpress

#wpfolks #wordpress #ai

WordPress has official Agent Skills for AI Coding Agent

I came across this a few weeks ago and have been using it daily since. Worth sharing with the community.

The WordPress team have published a repo called agent-skills on GitHub: https://github.com/WordPress/agent-skills

The idea is simple. AI agents are terrible at WordPress by default. They generate pre-Gutenberg patterns, skip block deprecations, ignore security basics in plugins, and miss the tooling already sitting in your repo. Agent Skills can fix that by giving your AI agent a curated set of instructions, checklists, and scripts pulled directly from official Gutenberg and WordPress documentation.

What is included right now:

• Block development (block.json, attributes, deprecations)
• Block themes (theme.json, templates, patterns)
• Plugin architecture, hooks, security
• REST API routes, schema, auth
• Interactivity API
• PHPStan for WordPress
• WP-CLI and ops
• Performance and caching
• WordPress Design System
• Plugin Directory guidelines
• WordPress Playground and Blueprints

You install it globally or drop it into your repo and it works across preferred AI agent.

On top of these official skills, I also built a custom skill that layers in my own development workflow. Things like how I structure projects, the standards I follow, and the patterns I consistently use. The result is that my AI agent now codes the way I would. It has noticeably cut down the back and forth during development.

The repo is at 1.5k stars and accepting contributions. Skills are written in Markdown so you do not need to be deep into Node to contribute.

If you are doing serious WordPress development with AI tools in 2026 and not using this yet, it is worth an hour of your time to set up.

Link: https://github.com/WordPress/agent-skills

Curious if anyone else here has tried it or built custom skills on top.

#wordpress #ai #wordpressdevelopment #wpfolks

Hey community folks,

I've been building @aculect-ai-companion , a WordPress plugin that connects your site with AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude through a proper approval flow, without requiring manual Application Password setup.

Why I built this

After testing several AI/MCP connector approaches for WordPress, I kept running into the same problems:

• ChatGPT's WordPress connection story is still rough despite its massive user base
• Plugins that claim ChatGPT support often use outdated or unreliable connection flows
• Most tutorials still point to Application Passwords and direct REST API access that works fine for developers who understand the tradeoffs, but it is a poor default for site owners who set it once, forget it, and leave long-lived access active

How the connection works?

1. Copy one connection URL from your WordPress dashboard
2. Paste it into your AI tool (Need to enable developer mode in ChatGPT or Claude)
3. Approve access inside WordPress
4. Control exactly what the assistant can do
5. Disconnect anytime

No manual credential setup. No digging into REST API settings.

Who this is for?

Site owners and content-focused people who want AI help turning ideas into WordPress content, especially those who want to restart blogging but get blocked by time, blank-page friction, or not knowing how to shape a rough idea into a publishable post.

What is working today

• ChatGPT and Claude connection via approval flow
• Admin controls for available abilities
• Active connection management
• Posts, pages, categories, tags, media, comments, and safe site info
• Opt-in diagnostic logs for troubleshooting

What is coming next

• Improved SEO and content metadata support
• Featured image creation and assignment

This is still in testing phase. Try out today on GitHub: https://github.com/mehul0810/aculect-ai-companion

Question for the community: If you were connecting an AI assistant to a client's site, what would make you trust the connection flow?

#wpfolks #ai #plugin #wordpress #mcp #contentworkflow #buildinpublic