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 — editor blank/won't load, blocks or CSS not rendering on inner pages, custom/child-theme CSS not showing in the editor, a caching/optimization plugin broke styles, slow TTFB / high server load
- B) Build with blocks — Row Layout/Section flexbox containers, Advanced Form, Gallery, Tabs/Accordion, Posts, Testimonials, Design Library patterns, Starter Templates
- C) Use Pro/dynamic features — Advanced Query Loop, Dynamic Content (ACF/MetaBox/WooCommerce), Advanced Slider, Modal, Animate on Scroll, Custom Fonts, Kadence AI
- D) Customize/automate — public hooks/filters (
kadence_blocks_posts_query_args,kadence_blocks_pro_query_loop_query_vars,kadence_element_display), Advanced Form webhooks → Zapier/Make/CRM, WordPress REST API on block content - E) Pick or compare a plan (Free / Essentials / Pro / Elite, or standalone Kadence Blocks Pro) or weigh Kadence Blocks vs other block builders
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Free or Pro? Free (WordPress.org, 20+ blocks). Pro adds Advanced Query Loop, Dynamic Content, Advanced Slider/Modal, the Design Library/Creative Kit, Kadence AI, and form webhooks. Pro is sold standalone or inside the unified Kadence bundles (Essentials/Pro/Elite).
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 (Spectra/GenerateBlocks/Elementor/SeedProd…) | /sales-funnel — Run: /sales-funnel {user's original question} |
| A/B testing methodology (Kadence Blocks has no native split testing) | /sales-vwo — Run: /sales-vwo {user's original question} |
| Email sequences/automation after a Kadence Advanced 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 beyond Kadence's blocks + Shop Kit | /sales-checkout — Run: /sales-checkout {user's original question} |
| On-page/technical SEO beyond Kadence's schema/FAQ blocks | /sales-seo — Run: /sales-seo {user's original question} |
If the question is Kadence-specific, continue to Step 3.
Step 3 — Kadence Blocks 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 public hooks/filters list, the Advanced Form webhook flow, and the WordPress REST API surface on block content, read references/kadence-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.
- Dynamic CSS regeneration is the #1 performance complaint. On high-traffic or WooCommerce sites, Kadence can regenerate block CSS per request and inflate TTFB. Fix: Kadence → Settings → General → CSS/JS set CSS output to External File (not inline), enable the built-in Performance tools, and let a page cache serve the generated assets. Confirm
class-kadence-blocks-css.phpisn't running uncached. - "Editor goes blank / won't load" is usually a JS conflict or a stale build. Update Kadence Blocks (+ Pro) first, hard-refresh, disable other editor-heavy plugins to isolate, and check the browser console. Do not enable
SCRIPT_DEBUGon production to debug it. - "Custom/child-theme CSS won't show in the editor" — the block editor iframe doesn't auto-load your stylesheet. Enqueue it with
add_editor_style()(orenqueue_block_assets) so it loads inside the editor, and regenerate Kadence's cached CSS after changes. - Plan gating drives most surprises. Free is 20+ blocks; Advanced Query Loop, Dynamic Content, Advanced Slider, Modal, Custom Fonts, the Design Library/Creative Kit, Kadence AI, and form webhooks are Pro. Confirm the tier before promising a feature; Pro features degrade when the license lapses.
- No native A/B testing, heatmaps, or analytics. Pair with a separate tool (VWO, Microsoft Clarity) — Kadence only builds the page.
- The real automation surface is WordPress hooks/filters + the WP REST API, not a hosted API. Form leads exit through the Advanced Form webhook (Pro) or the connected ESP integration — there is no outbound platform webhook beyond that.
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 items about plan-gated features and integration details that may be outdated.
- Dynamic block CSS can regenerate per request and slow TTFB on high-traffic/WooCommerce sites. Switch CSS output to an external file, enable the Performance tools, and serve generated assets from page cache.
- The editor occasionally loads blank / won't let you edit. Usually a JS conflict or stale asset build — update Kadence, clear caches, and isolate other editor plugins; check the console.
- Child-theme / custom CSS doesn't appear inside the block editor. The editor runs in an iframe; enqueue styles with
add_editor_style()/enqueue_block_assetsand regenerate Kadence's cached CSS. - Caching/optimization plugins can break Kadence styles or scripts (aggressive minify/combine/defer). Exclude Kadence's generated CSS/JS handles, then re-test.
- Some blocks still depend on jQuery (e.g. the Tabs block has broken when jQuery was manually dequeued). Don't blanket-dequeue jQuery on pages using those blocks.
- Advanced Query Loop, Dynamic Content, Advanced Slider, Modal, Custom Fonts, Design Library, Kadence AI, and form webhooks are Pro. The free plugin is block-building only; Pro features degrade when the license expires.
- No native A/B testing, heatmaps, or analytics. Kadence builds pages; measurement needs a separate tool.
- Homepage and docs now live under StellarWP / Liquid Web (kadencewp.com 301-redirects to liquidweb.com). Old
kadencewp.com/help-center/...doc links redirect — follow them.
Related skills
/sales-funnel— Funnel strategy, page structure, and builder selection across tools (Spectra, GenerateBlocks, Elementor, SeedProd, ClickFunnels, Leadpages)/sales-spectra— The closest rival: another Gutenberg-native block plugin (by Brainstorm Force / Astra) — compare blocks, performance, and plan gates/sales-generateblocks— The minimalist, performance-first Gutenberg block plugin (by EDGE22/GeneratePress) — compare its few-primitives model and lean DOM against Kadence's 20+ blocks and design system/sales-stackable— A design-focused Gutenberg-native block plugin (by Gambit Technologies) — 42 blocks + Global Design System but no form block/webhooks (Kadence has both); compare design controls and plan gates/sales-seedprod— A non-Gutenberg WordPress page/landing-page builder plugin (Theme Builder + coming-soon pages) alternative/sales-vwo— A/B testing and heatmap methodology Kadence lacks natively/sales-audience-growth— Growing an email list (lead magnets, opt-in strategy) behind a Kadence Advanced Form/sales-email-marketing— Email sequences to run after a Kadence form captures the lead/sales-checkout— Checkout/cart strategy beyond Kadence's blocks and Shop Kit/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: Send an Advanced Form submission to a CRM via webhook
User: "How do I push Kadence form submissions into my CRM automatically?"
Approach: The Advanced Form webhook is the right surface (it requires Kadence Blocks Pro). On a Kadence Form, open Actions After Submit and check WebHook; on a Kadence Form (Adv), open Submit Actions and add WebHook. A Webhook Settings panel appears — paste your endpoint as the Webhook URL and use Map Fields to bind each form field to the payload key your CRM (or a Zapier/Make "Catch Hook") expects. Test with a temporary URL (e.g. webhook-test.com) before going live. For the exact menu path and field-id format (kadence-form-{id}), see references/kadence-api-reference.md.
Example 2: My site got slow after adding Kadence Blocks
User: "TTFB jumped on my WooCommerce store after I started using Kadence Blocks — what's going on?"
Approach: This is almost always dynamic CSS being regenerated per request (class-kadence-blocks-css.php). In Kadence → Settings → General → CSS/JS, set CSS output to External File instead of inline so the stylesheet is generated once and cached, enable the built-in Performance tools, and make sure a page cache is serving the assets. Re-test TTFB. See Troubleshooting and references/platform-guide.md for the full performance checklist.
Example 3: Which plan do I need for Dynamic Content and the Query Loop?
User: "I want to build a dynamic listing pulling ACF fields into blocks — what tier?"
Approach: Advanced Query Loop and Dynamic Content are Pro — the free plugin can't do them. Kadence Blocks Pro (standalone, or inside the Essentials/Pro/Elite bundles) unlocks them, plus the Design Library and Kadence AI. Warn that Pro-gated features degrade if the license lapses, so test on staging. Confirm current tiers/prices in references/platform-guide.md (pricing is best-effort and annual).
Troubleshooting
Editor loads blank or won't let me edit
Symptom: Opening a page/post shows a blank editor or nothing loads, intermittently.
Cause: A JavaScript conflict with another plugin, or a stale/partial asset build.
Solution: Update Kadence Blocks and Kadence Blocks Pro to the latest version; hard-refresh and clear browser + page cache; deactivate other editor-heavy plugins one at a time to isolate the conflict; check the browser console for the failing script. Avoid enabling SCRIPT_DEBUG on production — it can expose dev assets and cause its own issues.
Site is slow / high TTFB after adding Kadence Blocks
Symptom: Slower TTFB or higher server load, especially on high-traffic or WooCommerce pages. Cause: Kadence regenerating dynamic block CSS on every request without caching. Solution: Set CSS output to External File (Kadence → Settings → General → CSS/JS), enable the built-in Performance tools, and ensure a page-cache plugin serves the generated assets. Confirm the CSS class isn't running uncached on every load.
Kadence styles broke after enabling a caching/optimization plugin (or custom CSS won't show in the editor)
Symptom: Blocks render unstyled/distorted after turning on minify/combine/defer, or your child-theme CSS doesn't appear inside the block editor.
Cause: The optimization plugin is stripping/deferring Kadence's generated CSS/JS, or the editor iframe never loads your stylesheet.
Solution: In the caching/optimization plugin, exclude Kadence's generated CSS/JS handles from minify/combine/defer, then regenerate Kadence's cached CSS and clear caches. For editor styling, enqueue your stylesheet with add_editor_style() (or hook enqueue_block_assets) so it loads inside the editor.