Work safely on a live site

Your site has real visitors, so every guide here follows the same routine. PowerWP AI records changes and checks risky ones, but the routine is what keeps a small mistake small. Learn it once and the other guides become variations on it.

What you need#

• Read-only diagnostics is enough for the first two steps, and for any job where you only want a report.
• To change content or store data, the connection needs Content & store data (the Content manager preset). For settings, files, the database, plugins or backups it needs more: the Developer preset covers all of them. See Permissions and presets.
• On the Free plan your AI app can look but not change anything. The steps that change something need a paid plan.

Before you start#

Match the preparation to the size of the job.

Tell your AI app your standing rules once, for example "ask before changing prices". The site memory carries them into every session in every app.

The routine#

1. Look first and change nothing. Ask for a report.
   • Example prompt

     Look at the checkout page of my site and tell me what is wrong with it. Don't change anything yet.

   • Your AI app will use site_overview, error_log_read, site_health and page_check.
2. Ask for a plan. You want to know what changes exactly, where, what could go wrong and how to undo it.
   • Example prompt

     Give me a plan: what exactly would you change, where, what could go wrong, and how do we undo it? Show the exact new texts next to the current ones and wait for my OK.

   • A general "go ahead" does not cover text you have not seen.
3. Back up if the job is big. The backup is built on your server and downloaded to your computer.
   • Example prompt

     This touches a lot of products. Make a database backup first, download it to my computer and tell me when it is done.

   • Your AI app will use backup_create, job_status, backup_download_links and backup_confirm_downloaded. This needs Backups & restore.
4. Set a checkpoint. It marks the point you can return to.
   • Example prompt

     Create a checkpoint called "before price change".

   • Your AI app will use checkpoint_create.
5. Preview with a dry run. Most editing tools can show the result without saving it.
   • Example prompt

     Run it as a dry run first and show me the differences.

   • Your AI app will use the dry_run option of content_update, option_update, fs_edit, fs_write, fs_delete, db_execute, db_search_replace and elementor_edit. rest_request has none: the AI app shows the current and new values side by side instead. db_cleanup only counts until you tell it to run.
6. Apply in small steps. Prefer small edits over rewriting whole items.
   • Example prompt

     Apply the first three, then stop so I can check them.

   • Your AI app will use content_update with content_edits, option_update with patch and fs_edit.
7. Check the live result. It should load the changed pages and look for new errors.
   • Example prompt

     Check the changed pages on the live site, look for new errors from the last ten minutes, and clear the page cache if it still shows the old version.

   • Your AI app will use page_check, error_log_read and cache_flush. The cache flush needs Settings & maintenance.
8. Review it in Changes. Open PowerWP AI › Changes. Work sessions, all changes and checkpoints are listed there, with the connection that made each one.

PowerWP AI adds two safeguards by itself. After a plugin, theme or code-file change it loads your home page and wp-admin again, and reverts the change if it caused a fatal error. See Automatic health check for what is checked. And most changes are stored with a snapshot of what was there before.

Check the result#

• The AI app's summary lists what changed, the change ids and the checkpoint id. Keep them.
• PowerWP AI › Changes shows the same entries. Open one to see exactly what it did.
• Ask for a last look: Compare the changed pages with how they were and tell me anything that looks different.

How to undo#

changes_rollback can preview what it would restore. If the same item was changed again after your change, the rollback stops and tells you instead of overwriting that work: look at it with change_details before you force it. A rollback is recorded too, so it can be undone.

Snapshots are kept for 30 days by default (Settings › Safety & rollback). Not recorded for undo: cache flushes, backups and restores, runs of other plugins' abilities, WooCommerce tool and scheduled-job runs, cron runs, e-mails already sent, and WooCommerce batches over 100 items. See What can't be undone.

Recipes that do this#

safe_change is this routine as a recipe and works for any change. setup_memory saves your standing rules, and before_plugin_updates applies the routine to updates. In Claude Code, recipes appear as slash commands; other apps list them with recipes_list.