Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.
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What are you trying to do?
- A) Fix a broken state — styles missing on the frontend, animations show on the front end but blank in the editor, patterns crash the editor / "too many requests" host errors, fonts/icons break after an HTTP→HTTPS move, duplicate styles after copying a synced pattern
- B) Build with blocks — layout/Container, animated headlines, counters, sliders, Interaction Layers, GSAP scroll/hover effects, 3D/Lottie/Rive, shape dividers
- C) Use dynamic/Pro features — Query addon (post types, users, taxonomies, comments, ACF/ACPT repeaters, options, external repeaters), dynamic fields/placeholders, WooCommerce blocks, SEO/schema blocks
- D) Connect data or AI — the API Connector (server-side or client-side) to bind an external REST API, a Google Sheet/CSV, or an LLM API (OpenAI chat/streaming) into blocks; AI Helpers (bring-your-own key) to generate blocks; Figma/HTML/webpage→blocks converters; the
GSPB_API_RESPONSEJS event; reading/writing block markup via the WordPress REST API - E) Pick or compare a plan (Design Pack / Woo Pack / GreenLight PRO / All-in-One) or weigh Greenshift vs other block builders
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Free or paid? The free WordPress.org plugin ships 50+ blocks and basic animations. GSAP advanced animations, dynamic fields, the Query addon, the API Connector, AI Helpers/agents, the Figma converter, WooCommerce blocks, SEO/schema blocks, and the VS Code extension are paid (split across Design / Woo / GreenLight PRO / All-in-One packs).
Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
| Problem domain | Route to |
|---|---|
| Funnel strategy, page structure, builder selection across tools (Kadence/Spectra/GenerateBlocks/SeedProd/Elementor…) | /sales-funnel — Run: /sales-funnel {user's original question} |
| A/B testing methodology (Greenshift has no native split testing) | /sales-vwo — Run: /sales-vwo {user's original question} |
| Email sequences/automation after a form opt-in | /sales-email-marketing — Run: /sales-email-marketing {user's original question} |
| Growing the list, lead-magnet strategy | /sales-audience-growth — Run: /sales-audience-growth {user's original question} |
| WooCommerce store/checkout strategy across platforms | /sales-checkout — Run: /sales-checkout {user's original question} |
| WordPress/WooCommerce funnel + upsells around the pages | /sales-cartflows — Run: /sales-cartflows {user's original question} |
| On-page/technical SEO beyond clean markup + schema blocks | /sales-seo — Run: /sales-seo {user's original question} |
If the question is Greenshift-specific, continue to Step 3.
Step 3 — Greenshift platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — blocks/modules, pricing/plan gates, data model, integration recipes, and code examples. For the API Connector (server-side + client-side, AI chat/streaming), the dynamic data / Query addon, the GSPB_API_RESPONSE event, and the WordPress REST surface, read references/greenshift-api-reference.md.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
Focus on the user's specific situation.
- The API Connector is the standout developer feature. Unlike lean block plugins, Greenshift can fetch and bind an external REST API, a Google Sheet/CSV, or an LLM API into blocks with no glue code — server-side (data stored in the block, WordPress Application-Password auth) or client-side (browser
fetch). Client-side supports AI chat (message history) and streaming. Warning: client-side keys are public — never put a secret API key in a client-side connector; proxy through the server-side connector or your own endpoint. - Performance is the pitch, but it's not automatic. Greenshift loads ~2 KB base styles, conditional assets, no jQuery — leanest among feature-rich block plugins. But heavy GSAP/3D/Lottie blocks, the editor's API calls, and per-page CSS still cost. If Core Web Vitals are poor, check the theme, images, third-party scripts, and how many animation/3D blocks are on the page first.
- "No styles on the frontend" is usually the inline-CSS save limit. On huge pages, hosting/DB field limits can truncate saved styles. The fix is Greenshift Settings → CSS management → save styles inline within blocks, then re-save the page. (Confirm before promising — see Troubleshooting.)
- Animations blank in the editor but fine on the front end is expected for some scroll/GSAP effects — they render on the front end. Preview the published page rather than judging from the editor canvas.
- Plan gating drives most surprises. Free = 50+ blocks + basic animations. GSAP advanced animations + dynamic fields + Figma converter + API Connector + AI Helpers + VS Code extension live in GreenLight PRO; WooCommerce blocks in Woo Pack; SEO/schema + charts + AI agents in All-in-One. Confirm the pack before promising a feature.
- Pro blocks/features degrade if the license lapses — like other block plugins, paid-only styling/features can stop applying when the license expires. Don't ship a critical page solely on paid-only features without testing the fallback on staging.
- The real automation surface is WordPress + the API Connector, not a hosted Greenshift API: read/write block markup through the WordPress REST API (blocks are
greenshift-blocks/-namespaced inpost_content), pull dynamic data via the Query addon, bind external/AI APIs via the API Connector, and hook client-side responses with theGSPB_API_RESPONSEJS event. No outbound webhook from Greenshift itself.
If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research (2026-06) — review these, especially plan-gated features and integration details that may be outdated.
- "No styles on frontend" = inline-CSS save limit on big pages. Hosting/DB field limits truncate saved styles; switch CSS management to save inline within blocks and re-save the page.
- Animations can show blank in the Gutenberg editor but work on the published page — judge scroll/GSAP effects from the front end, not the editor canvas.
- Backend "too many requests" / editor freeze. Heavy pages, the Button block, or many editor-side API calls can make a host throw request-rate errors or hang the editor. Split long pages; isolate the offending block; check host limits.
- HTTP→HTTPS leaves fonts/icons broken because old
http://static files don't load. Re-upload static files (remove old first) and confirm Settings → General shows the HTTPS URL. - Duplicate synced patterns share style IDs. After ungrouping a synced pattern, duplicate the ungrouped copy and delete the original so Greenshift regenerates unique IDs — otherwise styles collide/duplicate.
- Client-side API Connector keys are public. Anyone can read a key placed in a client-side connector — use the server-side connector (or your own proxy) for anything secret, especially LLM API keys.
- Plan gates + license lapse. GSAP advanced animations, dynamic fields, API Connector, AI Helpers, Figma converter, WooCommerce/SEO blocks, and the VS Code extension are paid; paid features can fall back if the license expires. Test on staging.
- Stay updated. A historical security advisory (CVE-2023-6636) affected older versions — keep Greenshift current and avoid pirated/"nulled" builds.
- No hosted REST API, no outbound webhook, no native A/B testing/heatmaps. It's a WordPress plugin: automate via the WordPress REST API + the API Connector; measure with a separate tool (VWO, Microsoft Clarity).
Related skills
/sales-funnel— Funnel strategy, page structure, and builder selection across tools (Kadence Blocks, Spectra, GenerateBlocks, Stackable, Nexter, SeedProd, Elementor, ClickFunnels, Leadpages)/sales-generateblocks— A minimalist, performance-first Gutenberg block plugin — the lean-primitives contrast to Greenshift's feature breadth; compare DOM/CSS output and dynamic data/sales-kadence— A Gutenberg block plugin with 40+ ready-made blocks, a design system, and Kadence AI — compare blocks, dynamic content, and plan gates vs Greenshift/sales-spectra— Another Gutenberg-native block plugin (by Brainstorm Force) — compare animations, dynamic content, and hooks/sales-stackable— A design-focused Gutenberg-native block plugin (by Gambit Technologies) — breadth/design contrast/sales-nexter— An all-in-one Gutenberg ecosystem with a native MCP server — compare AI/forms/popups vs Greenshift's API Connector + AI Helpers/sales-cartflows— WordPress/WooCommerce funnel + checkout/upsells around the pages Greenshift builds/sales-vwo— A/B testing and heatmap methodology Greenshift lacks natively/sales-audience-growth— Growing an email list (lead magnets, opt-in strategy) behind a form/sales-email-marketing— Email sequences to run after a form captures the lead/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code
Examples
Example 1: Bind an external (or AI) API into a block with the API Connector
User: "I want to pull live data from a REST API into a Greenshift block — and later call OpenAI from the page. How does the API Connector work and what's safe?"
Approach: Greenshift has no hosted API; its integration surface is the API Connector. Choose server-side (processes on the WP server, response stored in the block, supports Application-Password Basic auth and placeholders like {{FORM:field}}, {{INCREMENT:1}}, {{USER_META:field}}) for anything with a secret key or for WordPress endpoints; choose client-side (browser fetch, placeholders like {{VALUE:.selector}}, {{COOKIE:name}}) for public data and for AI chat/streaming (append messages to a messages array, extract choices[0][message]). Never put a secret key in a client-side connector — they're public. Map results via the template-block + result-container pattern, and hook the response with the GSPB_API_RESPONSE JS event. Pull the exact placeholder list, auth steps, and chat/streaming config from references/greenshift-api-reference.md.
Example 2: Styles disappear on the frontend of a long page
User: "My Greenshift page looks fine in the editor but has no styling on the live site. It's a very long page."
Approach: This is the classic inline-CSS save limit — on huge pages, hosting/DB field length limits truncate the saved styles so they never reach the database. Fix: Greenshift Settings → CSS management → set styles to save inline within blocks, then re-open and re-save the affected page. Clear page/object/CDN cache afterward. If it persists, check for an HTTP→HTTPS mismatch (Settings → General URL) and re-uploaded static files. See Troubleshooting and references/learnings.md.
Example 3: Which pack unlocks the API Connector / dynamic fields / WooCommerce?
User: "Which Greenshift plan do I need for the API Connector and dynamic fields, and is WooCommerce separate?"
Approach: The API Connector, dynamic fields, GSAP advanced animations, AI Helpers, the Figma converter, and the VS Code extension are in GreenLight PRO; WooCommerce blocks are the Woo Pack; SEO/schema blocks, charts, and AI agents are All-in-One (which bundles GreenLight PRO). The free WordPress.org plugin is 50+ blocks + basic animations only. Site counts scale by tier (single → 5 → unlimited) with annual and lifetime options (lifetime can be paid in crypto). Flag pricing as best-effort and verify on greenshiftwp.com/pricing; warn that paid features degrade if the license lapses. Confirm current packs in references/platform-guide.md.
Troubleshooting
No styles on the frontend (page looks unstyled live but fine in the editor)
Symptom: A published Greenshift page renders with no/partial styling, often on long pages. Cause: Hosting or database field-length limits truncate the styles that Greenshift tries to save, so they're not stored. Solution: Greenshift Settings → CSS management → save styles inline within blocks; re-save the affected page; clear page/object/CDN cache. Verify the site URL is HTTPS (Settings → General) and that static files were re-uploaded if you migrated HTTP→HTTPS.
Animations don't show in the editor (blank space where the block should animate)
Symptom: Scroll/GSAP animations render blank inside the Gutenberg editor. Cause: Some scroll/GSAP effects render on the front end, not in the editor canvas — this is expected for those effects. Solution: Preview/publish the page and check the live front end. If it's also blank on the front end, look for a JS conflict (deactivate other editor/animation plugins to isolate) and confirm the animation addon's pack is active.
Editor freezes or the host throws "too many requests"
Symptom: The backend hangs when editing/updating, or the host returns rate/request errors while building. Cause: Very long pages, a specific block (e.g. the Button block has been reported to freeze on update), or many editor-side API/asset calls hitting host request limits. Solution: Split very long pages into sections/templates; isolate the offending block by removing it; reduce editor-side API Connector "loop" frequency (4–5s+ intervals); raise or check the host's request limits; keep Greenshift updated.
A paid block/feature stopped working (fallback styling)
Symptom: A page built with GSAP animations, dynamic fields, the API Connector, or WooCommerce blocks lost its styling/behavior. Cause: The relevant Greenshift pack/license is deactivated, expired, or not applied to this site. Solution: Reactivate/renew the correct pack (e.g. GreenLight PRO for the API Connector and dynamic fields; Woo Pack for WooCommerce blocks) and confirm the license covers this site (single-site tiers cover one). Avoid shipping a critical live page solely on paid-only features without a tested staging fallback.