Breakdance MCP tools
Available in EMCP 3.17.0. EMCP Pro connects your AI to Breakdance’s native nested document tree. Discover installed elements and their actual controls before creating a draft or updating an existing layout. Sections, containers and their children retain the hierarchy the visual builder expects.
Requirements and setup
Section titled “Requirements and setup”- Check installed versions. Breakdance 2.8.3 through 2.8.x in Breakdance mode. EMCP Pro is required.
- Enable the integration. Open EMCP Tools > Page Builders and select this standalone builder. Gutenberg and enabled block packs remain available.
- Connect and inspect. Reconnect your MCP client, read context and schemas, and enable the write tools needed for the task. Start with a draft and inspect the native editor.
Native workflow
Section titled “Native workflow”Responsive settings use Breakdance’s breakpoint-specific value shapes. The integration reads those controls and existing design settings, saves through native document APIs, and regenerates page CSS and dependencies. Existing template content is accessible through page tools; site-wide template assignment is a separate concern.
Discover controls and breakpoints
Section titled “Discover controls and breakpoints”Read element types, nesting rules, defaults and current design settings.
Edit a nested document
Section titled “Edit a nested document”Submit a validated native tree with the latest page hash.
Check responsive output
Section titled “Check responsive output”Inspect the saved document and native desktop and phone previews after CSS regeneration.
Tool reference
Section titled “Tool reference”All names use the emcp-tools/ namespace. Read the live input schema for optional fields, enums, limits and confirmation requirements; this table lists required inputs only.
| Tool | Access | Purpose | Required inputs |
|---|---|---|---|
breakdance-get-context | Read | Read installed version, permissions, breakpoints and supported workflow. Start here. | None |
breakdance-list-elements | Read | List registered native element types and nesting rules. Some specialized elements are read-only in this adapter. | None |
breakdance-get-element-schema | Read | Read native controls, defaults and nesting rules for an exact namespaced type, e.g. EssentialElements\Heading. | type |
breakdance-list-pages | Read | List editable WordPress pages and their Breakdance status. | None |
breakdance-get-page | Read | Read the native nested tree and content_hash for a page or existing template. | post_id |
breakdance-create-page | Write | Create an empty draft using the native Breakdance tree format. | title |
breakdance-set-page-tree | Write | Replace a page tree with root, _nextNodeId and nested nodes. Requires expected_hash; preserves template settings and page status. | post_id, expected_hash, tree |
breakdance-add-element | Write | Add a childless native element, allocating a unique ID. Read schema/defaults first; default parent is root 1. | post_id, expected_hash, type |
breakdance-update-element | Write | Recursively merge named property groups while replacing lists and preserving other properties. Optional label changes its friendly name. | post_id, expected_hash, element_id, properties |
breakdance-move-element | Write | Move a node and descendants to a parent and sibling position; rejects cycles and invalid nesting. | post_id, expected_hash, element_id, parent_id |
breakdance-remove-element | Write | Remove a node and its entire subtree; root cannot be removed. | post_id, expected_hash, element_id |
breakdance-list-templates | Read | List editable existing templates, headers, footers, popups and global blocks. Creation and conditions are not included. | None |
breakdance-get-design-system | Read | Read existing global design settings, classes, presets, variables and breakpoints; no global writes. | None |
Example request
Section titled “Example request”Build a Breakdance draft for a local studio using native sections, text and images. Set phone typography from the installed schema and leave global design settings unchanged.
Read current state before editing and re-read after each save. If a hash is stale, inspect the changed document before rebuilding the request. A successful save is not proof of correct visual output: inspect the native editor and frontend.
Supported scope
Section titled “Supported scope”- Requires EMCP Pro, the supported Breakdance version and full native builder access for structural writes.
- Forms, code, specialized nesting and global-block instances are excluded from structural writes.
- Global design writes, template creation and conditions are not included. Oxygen has its own integration.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”If tools are missing, check versions, dependencies, integration selection, tool switches and user capabilities. Reconnect long-lived MCP clients after plugin updates or selection changes. If output differs after saving, inspect the native document and styles before retrying; do not bypass the adapter with direct metadata writes.
See the Breakdance integration overview, builder setup guide and agent skills.