WordPress
Stay on WordPress with EtchWP
Last reviewed:
Get started
How to get started
Baseline
Time: Depends on your existing WordPress setup — often an afternoon to wire the Connector
Accounts before step 1: WordPress host with EtchWP installed, Cursor, Your own API keys for the Connector
Run EtchWP on your host
Install and activate EtchWP on the WordPress host you already pay for. Your lifetime deal applies to the plugin, not Etch Studio.
Connect Cursor with the Etch Connector
The Etch Connector is a free bridge that lets external IDEs and models drive the Etch canvas with your own API keys. Geary confirmed it works in Studio too on the August 25, 2026 stream.
Keep data in core WordPress
Posts, users, and plugins stay in WordPress until you choose to go headless. You are not forced onto a vendor tenant.
Optionally go headless later
If the front end should leave PHP, add Astro plus headless WordPress (REST or WPGraphQL) when the team is ready — not on day one.
Ownership
What you keep
You keep: Your WordPress database and EtchWP license
Cost shape: EtchWP lifetime deal applies to the plugin; hosting is your existing WordPress cost.
Named tools
Tools this path uses
- EtchWP
- Etch Connector
- Cursor
- WordPress
Not this one?
When to switch
Brochure
Brochure site you own
For landing pages and marketing sites — often just a Next.js app in v0 or Cursor, deployed from GitHub, with no CMS until the client must edit copy themselves.
Dynamic
Site with login, forms, or a CMS
For auth, member areas, forms, or editorial workflows that need a real database or CMS — not a plain brochure site.
Prototype
Visual preview first, then the repo
For people who want a visual preview first but refuse to rent the project forever — start in a hosted builder, then move to GitHub and Cursor.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
- Can I mix Cursor with EtchWP?
- Yes. The Etch Connector lets Cursor (or another capable IDE) drive the Etch canvas with your own API keys. Data stays in core WordPress; you are not editing on a vendor tenant.
- Does my lifetime deal cover Etch Studio?
- No. Geary said on stream that lifetime deals are "etch for WordPress." Studio is a separate checkout. This path uses the plugin you already funded.
- When should I pick a no-WordPress path instead?
- When the site does not need WordPress — no WooCommerce, membership plugins, or team that lives in wp-admin. Geary's pitch is that most brochure sites do not. See the Brochure or Dynamic paths on the workflows hub.