Read and Update Block Theme Templates with AI

Use Easy MCP AI to find and update templates in your active block theme. Read a template before changing it, because an update replaces its entire content.

In this article

• Before you start
• Read and update a template
• Use template IDs exactly

Before you start

Your site must have an active block theme, and the WordPress user connected to your AI client must have the edit_theme_options capability. A capability is a WordPress permission; this one allows the user to edit theme options and templates.

If wp_update_template is disabled, an administrator can enable it:

1. In WordPress, go to Easy MCP AI > Settings.
2. Open Advanced and find Disabled tools.
3. Clear the checkbox next to wp_update_template, then click Save changes.

Read and update a template

1. Ask your AI client to call wp_list_templates and find the template you want to change. The result includes the template's id; use that value exactly as returned.
2. Ask it to call wp_get_template with that id as template_id. Keep the matching type: template is the default for regular templates, and template_part is for headers, footers, and other reusable areas.
3. Review the current content returned by wp_get_template before making a change. Then ask your AI client to call wp_update_template with the same template_id, the matching type, and the complete content you want the template to have.

The content sent to wp_update_template replaces the template's entire content; it does not change just the part you edited. Include everything that should remain in the template, not only the new or changed section.

Use template IDs exactly

A template ID has this format:

theme-slug//template-slug

The theme part can include dots and at most one parent folder. For example, my.theme//index and agency/acme//index are valid formats. Each theme folder can contain only ASCII letters, numbers, dots, hyphens, and underscores, and cannot start with a dot. The final template slug can contain only ASCII letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Percent-encoded slugs are rejected; do not decode or rewrite them. IDs with deeper theme paths, such as a/b/c//index, are also rejected. Do not try to repair an invalid ID: changing it can make it identify a different template.