Fueled’s 10up WordPress Practice has a custom workflow and engineering scripts that accelerate building “Gutenberg” editor blocks. I set out to see how AI could build on and improve that WordPress block-scaffolding workflow. In a technical deep dive I’ve published for my fellow WordPress engineers, I walk through a real-world experiment that brings cutting-edge AI tools and practical enterprise-grade engineering together, demonstrating how Fueled approaches innovation with technical rigor and a willingness to test new methods.
The Experiment: Cursor vs CLI
I asked a simple question: Can Cursor project rules replace our usual CLI (command line interface) scripts for scaffolding WordPress blocks? Short answer: Yes, in the right scenarios.
- Where AI wins: context-aware scaffolding, explain-as-you-build guidance, and smarter defaults that speed up onboarding and collaboration.
- Where CLI wins: simple, repeatable, deterministic tasks where speed and certainty matter most.
Big Picture Takeaways
- AI is a powerful technical collaborator. I used Cursor’s project rules to turn more rigid WordPress block scaffolding into a more conversational workflow. The agent adapts to context, recommends sensible defaults, and explains choices as it generates code. This mirrors our broader approach to building with AI in 2025 without sacrificing quality or safety: AI as a coding partner that accelerates our work; we wrote about a similar application used to build our own website.
- Right tool, right moment. Classic command line scripts (CLIs) remain excellent for straightforward, heavily structured, well-defined tasks. AI rules shine when the work is context-heavy or when teams benefit from in-line guidance and shared reasoning.
- Knowledge sharing as a practice. I document the process, the trade-offs, and the code paths so others can replicate the results. That transparency is the same mindset we bring to client work.
Blending AI rules with proven tooling can accelerate and simplify delivery, and improve consistency. This experiment is one part of our ongoing work at Fueled to apply AI thoughtfully in engineering: always with quality, reliability, and maintainability as the north stars.
