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GoBuildWP WPBakery integration: requirements and coverage
WPBakery MCP abilities in GoBuildWP turn nested shortcodes into a tree of tag, atts, children and _content, and write the tree back. This reference lists what each call changes on the post, in its meta or in the saved-template option, what an _idx refers to after a write, and how shortcodes from other plugins on the same page are protected.
On the Services page, change all vc_btn buttons to say Book a call and make them large.
wppilot/wpbakery-inspect-pageReadShows the tree, the page CSS and a Contact Form 7 shortcode that lives outside the WPBakery layout.
wppilot/wpbakery-get-element-schemaReadConfirms the button's title and size params and the values size accepts.
wppilot/wpbakery-edit-elementsWriteOne rule matching tag vc_btn merges the new title and size into every match and returns the _idx list it touched.
wppilot/wpbakery-get-contentReadReads the page again; the form shortcode is still after the layout and the three buttons carry the new text.
- Edition
- Pro
- Abilities
- 18
- Requires
- WordPress 6.9+, PHP 8.0+, WPBakery 6.5.0+
Requirements and coverage
What this integration needs, and where the detail lives
- Edition
- Pro
- WordPress and PHP
- 6.9+ and 8.0+
- Version floor
- WPBakery 6.5.0+
- Abilities
- 18, listed in the reference
WPBakery MCP guide: setup and worked tasks WPBakery ability reference (wpbakery)
Worked example
Renaming every call-to-action button on an inherited page
Expected outcome to verify on the installed stack; this sequence has not been recorded as a runtime test.
Three buttons changed in a single recorded write that can be rolled back as one. If an add-on button uses a different tag, the match skips it, which the returned _idx list makes visible.
The serializer can reposition foreign shortcodes. Test a mixed-position fixture in the native editor and inspect the final front end before accepting the rewritten tree.
wpbakery-inspect-pageShows the tree, the page CSS and a Contact Form 7 shortcode that lives outside the WPBakery layout.
wpbakery-get-element-schemaConfirms the button's title and size params and the values size accepts.
wpbakery-edit-elementsOne rule matching tag vc_btn merges the new title and size into every match and returns the _idx list it touched.
wpbakery-get-contentReads the page again; the form shortcode is still after the layout and the three buttons carry the new text.
Data model
Shortcodes, three meta keys and one template row
WPBakery saves a layout as nested shortcodes in post_content: vc_row, vc_column, vc_column_text and the rest, with attributes as shortcode atts and inner HTML between the tags. GoBuildWP parses that into nodes and numbers them depth-first with an _idx, which is how single edits and batch matches find their target. A post counts as a WPBakery page when _wpb_vc_js_status holds the string true; page CSS sits in _wpb_post_custom_css, and the CSS WPBakery generates from Design Options in a separate shortcodes custom CSS field that is normally left for WPBakery to rebuild.
Content that is not WPBakery's, such as a contact-form-7 or gallery shortcode sitting beside the layout, is kept and re-appended after the saved tree, and the response lists it. Saved user templates are all in one option, wpb_js_templates. Grid Builder item layouts are their own post type and have a separate element catalogue.
Limits
Where WPBakery editing is narrow
- The module needs WPBakery Page Builder 6.5 or later.
- An _idx is a position, not an id. Any add, move, delete or template apply renumbers the tree, so read the content again before targeting another element.
- Add-on elements are editable only where they register a discoverable schema; unknown tags are reported rather than guessed.
- Rolling back a template change restores the whole wpb_js_templates row, including templates saved in the editor since.
Questions
WPBakery questions
Will GoBuildWP remove shortcodes from other plugins on a WPBakery page?
No. Shortcodes outside the WPBakery tree are preserved and written back after it, and the response names them under preserved_foreign_shortcodes. That holds for every template apply mode as well.
Why does the Edit with WPBakery link not appear after a write?
WPBakery shows it when _wpb_vc_js_status is the string true. set-content marks the post automatically; for a post created elsewhere, pass wpbakery_edited to set-settings.
Is a deleted WPBakery template gone for good?
Not through GoBuildWP. Saved templates share one option row, and the ledger snapshots that row before a delete, so rolling back the change restores it.
Where these facts come from
GoBuildWP behaviour is taken from the plugin source and the ability reference; third-party details from the vendor documentation below, checked by the GoBuildWP team.
WPBakery is a separate product; no partnership or endorsement is implied.