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Theme Builder Abilities: Scaffold and Activate Block Themes

Superdav AI Agent v1.12.0 introduces two powerful abilities that allow you to generate and deploy custom block themes directly from the chat interface.

Overview​

The scaffold-block-theme and activate-theme abilities enable agents to:

  • Generate complete, production-ready block themes based on your specifications
  • Automatically activate themes on your site without manual intervention
  • Create cohesive visual identities through guided design decisions

Scaffold Block Theme​

The scaffold-block-theme ability generates a new WordPress block theme with a complete theme structure, including:

  • theme.json configuration with design tokens
  • Block template files for common layouts
  • Custom block styles and variations
  • Theme metadata and support declarations

How to Invoke​

In your chat with Superdav AI Agent, you can request theme generation:

"Create a block theme called 'Modern Agency' with a blue and white color scheme, 
sans-serif typography, and a professional layout"

The agent will:

  1. Gather your design preferences through conversation
  2. Generate the complete theme structure
  3. Create all necessary theme files
  4. Prepare the theme for activation

Expected Output​

When the ability executes successfully, you'll see:

  • Confirmation that the theme has been scaffolded
  • The theme name and location
  • A summary of the design tokens applied (colors, typography, spacing)
  • Ready-to-activate status

Example output:

✓ Theme "Modern Agency" scaffolded successfully
  Location: /wp-content/themes/modern-agency/
  Colors: Primary #0066CC, Secondary #FFFFFF
  Typography: Inter (sans-serif)
  Status: Ready to activate

Activate Theme​

The activate-theme ability switches your site to a newly scaffolded or existing block theme.

How to Invoke​

After scaffolding a theme, you can activate it immediately:

"Activate the Modern Agency theme"

Or activate any existing theme:

"Switch to the Twentytwentyfour theme"

Expected Output​

When activation succeeds:

  • Confirmation of the active theme
  • Previous theme name (for reference)
  • Site URL where the theme is now live
  • Any theme-specific setup notes

Example output:

✓ Theme activated successfully
  Active theme: Modern Agency
  Previous theme: Twentytwentyfour
  Live at: https://yoursite.com
  Note: Check your homepage to verify the layout

Workflow: Scaffold and Activate​

A typical workflow combines both abilities:

  1. Request theme generation: "Create a block theme for my SaaS landing page"
  2. Agent scaffolds the theme: Generates files and design tokens
  3. Review and refine: Discuss design changes if needed
  4. Activate: "Activate the theme now"
  5. Verify: Visit your site to confirm the new design is live

Design Tokens and Customization​

Scaffolded themes use WordPress design tokens (via theme.json) for:

  • Colors: Primary, secondary, accent, neutral palette
  • Typography: Font families, sizes, weights, line heights
  • Spacing: Padding, margin, gap scales
  • Borders: Radius and width tokens
  • Shadows: Elevation levels

These tokens are centralized in theme.json, making it easy to adjust your entire design system from one file.

Limitations and Notes​

  • Themes are scaffolded in /wp-content/themes/ and must follow WordPress naming conventions
  • Activation requires appropriate permissions on your WordPress site
  • Custom PHP code in themes is minimal; use plugins for complex functionality
  • Block themes work best with WordPress 5.9 and later

Troubleshooting​

Theme doesn't appear after scaffolding

  • Verify the theme directory exists and has proper permissions
  • Check that theme.json is valid JSON
  • Ensure the theme name doesn't conflict with existing themes

Activation fails

  • Confirm you have administrator permissions
  • Check that the theme directory is readable by WordPress
  • Review WordPress error logs for details

Design tokens not applying

  • Verify theme.json syntax is correct
  • Clear any caching plugins
  • Check that your WordPress version supports the tokens you're using

Next Steps​

After activating your theme, you can:

  • Use the Design System Aesthetics skill to refine typography, colors, and spacing
  • Customize individual block styles through the WordPress block editor
  • Add custom CSS in the theme's style.css file
  • Create custom block templates for specific page types