Telex is Automattic AI Labs’ natural language WordPress builder. You describe what you want in plain English — a custom block, a full theme, a interactive component — and Telex generates it as a fully functional WordPress plugin or theme that you can download and install on any site.
Why Telex matters for editorial teams
Every editorial team has moments where they need a custom block: a special election results layout, a podcast episode card, a reporter’s notebook format, a “story package” component that groups related coverage. Traditionally, these require a developer, a ticket, and a sprint. With Telex, an editor can describe what they need and have a working WordPress block in minutes — no code, no dev queue, no waiting.
Telex generates standard WordPress plugins that work on any WordPress site, including managed hosting. You describe, it builds, you download a .zip, you install it. It even has a Project Showcase where community members share their creations — from recipe cards to interactive quizzes to minesweeper games.
Steps
1. Open Telex
Go to telex.automattic.ai and log in with your WordPress.com account (the one you set up on Day 0). You’ll see a large prompt box that says “I want” — this is where you describe your block or theme.
2. Describe a block your team would actually use
Don’t build something generic. Think about a layout or component your editorial team currently hacks together with existing blocks or wishes they had. Here’s an example prompt for a news publication:
A "Story Package" block for news editors. It should display:
- A main feature article at the top with a large hero image, headline, byline, and excerpt
- Below that, 3 related stories in a responsive grid with thumbnails, headlines, and short descriptions
- A dark header bar across the top that says "Coverage Package" in small caps
- Each story slot should have fields in the editor for: headline, excerpt, image, and URL
- Clean, editorial design with generous whitespace
- When a reader clicks any story, it goes to the URL specified in the editor
The design should feel like a premium news publication — think NYT or BBC coverage packages.Copy that prompt (or write your own) and paste it into the Telex prompt box. Click BUILD.
3. Watch it build
Telex will generate the code in real time. You’ll see it create JavaScript, PHP, and CSS files — the standard structure of a WordPress block plugin. The preview updates live so you can see the block taking shape. This usually takes 30-60 seconds.
4. Iterate with follow-up prompts
The first version is rarely perfect — that’s fine. This is the power of AI-assisted building: you iterate in plain English. Try prompts like:
- “Make the hero image taller and add a gradient overlay so the headline is readable over the image”
- “Add a category label above each related story headline in a small colored badge”
- “Make the grid 2 columns on mobile instead of stacking to a single column”
- “Add a timestamp field that displays as ‘Updated 2 hours ago’”
Each follow-up refines the existing block — you’re not starting over.
5. Download and install
When you’re happy with the result, click Download at the top. You’ll get a .zip file — this is a standard WordPress plugin.
If you set up Studio CLI on Day 2, install it on your local site: open your local site’s wp-admin → Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin → choose the .zip file → Install Now → Activate.
Now create a new post and type / to open the block inserter. Search for your block name (e.g., “Story Package”). Insert it and start filling in the fields.
6. Browse the Project Showcase
Back on the Telex homepage, scroll down to the Project Showcase. These are blocks and themes other people have built. You can remix any of them — click one, fork it, and modify it for your needs. Great for inspiration when you’re not sure what to build.
How Telex compares to other tools
You now have three different ways to build things with AI for WordPress:
- Telex — best for custom blocks and themes from scratch. Web-based, generates downloadable plugins. No local setup needed.
- Studio Code (coming Day 2) — best for full site building, theme iteration, and performance audits. Runs locally, AI-powered CLI.
- Claude + MCP (coming Day 4) — best for content operations: creating posts, managing metadata, reading your site. Works with your live site.
They complement each other. Telex builds the tools (blocks, themes). MCP operates the content. Studio Code handles the infrastructure.
TOOL: TELEX
By Automattic AI Labs. Describe a WordPress block or theme in natural language → get a working plugin/theme .zip. Runs on WordPress Playground under the hood. Supports follow-up prompts for iteration. Community Project Showcase for inspiration. Free, experimental. telex.automattic.ai →
KEY TAKEAWAY
Telex lets anyone on your team create custom WordPress blocks by describing what they need. No code, no dev ticket, no waiting. The editorial team can build their own tools — and that’s a fundamental shift in how newsrooms operate.