# WordPress Site DNA
**Version:** 1.1.0
**Updated:** 2026-05-17
**Freshly updated:** v1.1.0 swaps deprecated wordpress_* tool names to respira_*, picks up v7.0.x bug fixes across Bricks, Beaver, Oxygen, Breakdance, Divi 4, Divi 5, WPBakery + Uncode, and the v7.1 Elementor 4 atomic-write surface.
**Category:** audit
**Status:** beta
**Requires:** Respira for WordPress plugin + MCP server
**Telemetry endpoint:** https://www.respira.press/api/skills/track-usage
---## Description
Archaeological analysis of WordPress sites. Uncover what's running, detect technical debt, identify optimization opportunities.
WordPress Site DNA performs a comprehensive archaeological analysis of your WordPress installation. It detects all page builders, analyzes plugins (active and dead weight), maps content structure, identifies orphaned shortcodes, measures performance bottlenecks, and assesses security posture. Think of it as a complete X-ray of your WordPress site.
---## Trigger Phrases
This skill activates when the user says any of the following:
- "analyze my wordpress site"
- "wordpress site audit"
- "site dna"
- "site dna analysis"
- "what's running on my site"
- "wordpress archaeology"
- "scan my wordpress installation"
- "check my wordpress setup"
**Do NOT trigger for:** general web development questions, non-WordPress sites, questions about specific single plugins without audit intent.
---
## Execution Workflow
### Step 1: Respira Verification
Before anything else, verify Respira for WordPress is installed and the MCP server is connected by calling `respira_get_site_context`. If it fails or returns an error, stop and show the installation guide.
**If Respira is NOT installed, output this and STOP:**
```markdown
## ⛔ Respira for WordPress Required
This skill requires the **Respira for WordPress** plugin to analyze your site safely.
### Install in 3 steps:
1. Go to **https://www.respira.press** and download the plugin
2. Install and activate on your WordPress site
3. Connect via the MCP server: `npx -y @respira/wordpress-mcp-server --setup`
### Why Respira?
- Read-only analysis — no changes to your live site
- Professional audit tools with 88+ WordPress capabilities
- AI-powered fix workflows with duplicate-first safety
- Full audit trail for every action
Once installed, come back and try again: *"analyze my wordpress site"*
```
**If MCP is connected but site unreachable:**
```markdown
## ⚠️ Cannot Connect to WordPress Site
Respira is installed but cannot reach your WordPress site.
### Troubleshooting:
1. Verify your WordPress site is online
2. Check the Respira plugin is active (not just installed)
3. Confirm MCP server configuration in Claude settings
4. Review API key in Respira → Settings → API Keys
Returns: WordPress version, PHP version, active theme, installed plugins,
detected page builder, custom post types, memory limit, debug mode
```
Record: `respira_site_url`, `started_at = new Date().toISOString()`
**PHP version security matrix:**
- 8.3+ → ✅ Fully supported
- 8.2 → ✅ Supported
- 8.1 → ⚠️ Security fixes only (EOL Dec 2025)
- 8.0 and below → 🔴 End of life, security risk
---
### Step 3: Page Builder Detection
```
Tool: respira_get_builder_info
Returns: Active page builder name, version, available modules/widgets
```
Note: `respira_get_site_context` already includes builder detection. Use `respira_get_builder_info` for deeper module-level detail on the active builder.
**Cross-reference shortcodes in content to detect additional installed builders:**
- Divi: `et_pb_section` shortcodes in content
- WPBakery: `vc_row` shortcodes in content
- Beaver Builder: `fl-builder` plugin in plugin list
- Elementor: `_elementor_edit_mode` meta
- Gutenberg: always present in WordPress 5.0+
**Builder complexity scoring:**
- 1 builder: Simple (score 2/10)
- 2 builders: Moderate (score 5/10)
- 3 builders: Complex (score 7/10)
- 4+ builders: Archaeological Dig (score 10/10)
---
### Step 4: Plugin Audit
```
Tool: respira_list_plugins
Returns: All installed plugins with name, slug, version, active status,
update availability, last updated date
Note: Requires plugin management to be enabled in Respira settings
```
Categorize each plugin:
- **active**: `active = true`, in use
- **inactive**: `active = false`
- **outdated**: `update_available = true`
- **security_risk**: abandoned (>2 years no update) or known CVE
- **dead_weight**: installed, `active = false`, no evidence of use in content
**Performance impact flags:**
- WooCommerce: heavy but necessary if selling
- Jetpack: high overhead, check if using all features
- Revolution Slider/Slider Revolution: heavy
- WPML/Polylang: necessary for multilingual
- Contact Form 7 + addons: check if forms are actively used
If `respira_list_plugins` is unavailable (not enabled in Respira settings), use the plugin list returned by `respira_get_site_context` for a summary-level audit.
---
### Step 5: Content Structure Mapping
```
Tool: respira_list_pages
Params: { status: "any" }
Returns: All pages with IDs, titles, status, builder metadata
Tool: respira_list_posts
Params: { status: "any" }
Returns: All posts with IDs, titles, status, content type
```
Map:
- Total pages / posts / custom post types
- Which content uses which page builder
- Orphaned shortcodes (plugin removed but shortcode in content)
**Orphaned shortcode detection:**
Scan page/post content for `[shortcode_name]` patterns where the corresponding plugin is inactive or not listed in `respira_list_plugins`.
---
### Step 6: Performance Analysis
For the top 3 heaviest or most visited pages (use page IDs from Step 5):
```
Tool: respira_analyze_performance
Params: { pageId: <id> }
Returns: Load time, image optimization status, CSS/JS optimization,
caching status, plugin performance impact
Tool: respira_analyze_images
Params: { pageId: <id> }
Returns: Missing alt text, large files, unoptimized formats, potential savings
```
Aggregate across sampled pages to estimate site-wide patterns.
---
### Step 7: Security Assessment
Derive security posture from data already collected:
| Check | Source |
|-------|--------|
| SSL/HTTPS | `respira_get_site_context` → site URL scheme |
| WordPress version current | `respira_get_site_context` → respira_version |
| PHP version supported | `respira_get_site_context` → php_version |
