sales-skills/sales-breakdance

Breakdance Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. What are you trying to do?

   • A) Fix a broken state — form notifications still emailing after a spam plugin blocked the entry, form submissions not stored/not arriving, builder deactivated/blank after a migration, slow pages despite the lean builder, AI settings UI not reflecting a filter change
   • B) Build with the UI — Elements, Templates/Design Library, the WooCommerce Builder (product/shop/cart/checkout templates), the Form Builder (multi-step, conditional fields), the Popup Builder, Dynamic Data (loops/repeaters/conditional display), global blocks, headers/footers
   • C) Extend with code — a custom Form Action, a custom Dynamic Data field, an Element Display Condition, a custom element in Element Studio, reusable dependencies, or one of the breakdance_* hooks/filters
   • D) Connect data or AI — POST a form to Zapier/Make via the Webhook action, route Breakdance AI to a different model/provider (OpenRouter, Claude) with the AI endpoint filters, or read/write page markup via the WordPress REST API
   • E) Pick or compare a plan (Free vs Pro / +AI bundle), weigh Breakdance vs Bricks/Elementor/Oxygen, or plan an Oxygen→Breakdance migration

2. Free or paid? Breakdance Free (WordPress.org) ships ~80 elements + the core builder. Pro (~$199.99/yr, unlimited sites + unlimited domain activations) unlocks all ~145 elements, the full Design Library, the WooCommerce Builder, the Form Builder/Popup Builder, Global Blocks, and Client Mode. There is no lifetime plan (annual subscription with a price-lock guarantee). (Pricing best-effort — verify.)

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| Problem domain | Route to | |---|---| | Funnel strategy, page structure, builder selection across tools (Bricks/Elementor/Oxygen/Beaver Builder/Gutenberg…) | /sales-funnel — Run: /sales-funnel {user's original question} | | A/B testing methodology (Breakdance has no native split testing) | /sales-vwo — Run: /sales-vwo {user's original question} | | Email sequences/automation after a form opt-in | /sales-email-marketing — Run: /sales-email-marketing {user's original question} | | Growing the list, lead-magnet strategy | /sales-audience-growth — Run: /sales-audience-growth {user's original question} | | WooCommerce store/checkout strategy across platforms | /sales-checkout — Run: /sales-checkout {user's original question} | | WordPress/WooCommerce funnel + upsells around the pages | /sales-cartflows — Run: /sales-cartflows {user's original question} | | On-page/technical SEO beyond clean markup | /sales-seo — Run: /sales-seo {user's original question} |

If the question is Breakdance-specific, continue to Step 3.

Step 3 — Breakdance platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — modules, pricing/plan gates, data model, integration recipes, and the Oxygen relationship. For the developer APIs (Form Actions API, Dynamic Data Field API, Conditions API, the breakdance_* hooks/filters, AI endpoint filters, Menu/Animations JS APIs, and the WordPress REST surface), read references/breakdance-api-reference.md.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation.

• Breakdance is a standalone visual builder, not a Gutenberg block plugin. It builds pages in its own front-end editor and is themeless by default (it can replace the theme entirely) — closer to Elementor/Beaver Builder/Oxygen than to Spectra/Kadence/GenerateBlocks. Pages are Sections/Elements, not native blocks, so they live in Breakdance's own data, not as portable Gutenberg block markup.
• The form "spam still emails me" trap is real and the #1 gotcha. Breakdance runs form Actions After Submit in order, but it does not let plugins intercept the Email action — so a spam-filter plugin can block storage yet the Email notification still fires. Fix: order the spam-check action above Store Submission and Email, and for hard cases remove the Email action entirely and send notifications downstream (Make/Zapier) off the Webhook action. Enable the built-in honeypot (off by default) and reCAPTCHA v3 (the only version supported).
• Breakdance AI is model/provider-swappable via filters. breakdance_ai_api_endpoint + breakdance_ai_model let you point it at OpenRouter (and an Anthropic Claude model) or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint; breakdance_ai_enabled toggles it. The WP-Admin AI Assistant settings UI won't reflect these filter changes — verify by watching the developer console and the provider's usage charts. The API key still goes in the "OpenAI API Key" field regardless of provider.
• Register custom Form Actions / Dynamic Data fields / Conditions on init and guard with function_exists() / class_exists() so the plugin fails gracefully when Breakdance is inactive — the docs explicitly call out file-loading race conditions otherwise. Custom elements are built in Element Studio, which also has a code escape hatch (PHP/HTML/CSS) and reusable dependencies (%%BREAKDANCE_REUSABLE_*%%, incl. predefined GSAP/ScrollTrigger).
• Performance is the pitch, but it's not automatic. Breakdance markets a 45 KB blank page (vs Elementor's ~576 KB), conditional asset loading, and jQuery-independence. But slow real-world pages almost always come from misuse — bad layout structure, heavy Dynamic Data loops, unoptimized images, no caching — not the builder. Audit those (and the theme/host) before blaming Breakdance.
• The real automation surface is WordPress + the form Webhook action, not a hosted Breakdance API. There is no hosted REST API and no platform-level outbound webhook; the Form Builder's Webhook action POSTs submissions to Zapier/Make, and you read/write page content via the WordPress core REST API (Breakdance page data is in post meta, not portable block markup — see the reference). Migrating from Oxygen: Oxygen 6 runs on the Breakdance engine and Oxygen lifetime licenses now include it; for Oxygen Classic content, conversion is done with a third-party JSON converter (e.g. TransferForge), not a native importer.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.

Gotchas

Best-effort from research (2026-06) — review these, especially plan-gated features, pricing, and integration details that may be outdated.

1. Spam plugins can't stop Breakdance's Email action. Even when a spam filter blocks a submission, the Email notification action can still send, because Breakdance doesn't expose an interception point for it. Order the spam-check action above Store/Email, or remove the Email action and notify via the Webhook action + Make/Zapier.
2. Honeypot is off by default; reCAPTCHA is v3-only. Enable the honeypot field explicitly; Breakdance forms support reCAPTCHA v3 only (not v2 checkbox).
3. No lifetime plan. Breakdance is annual-subscription only (~$199.99/yr unlimited sites) with a price-lock guarantee at renewal — unlike Bricks/Divi which sell lifetime. Don't promise a one-time license. (Pricing best-effort — verify.)
4. The AI settings UI doesn't reflect endpoint/model filters. After applying breakdance_ai_api_endpoint/breakdance_ai_model, the Breakdance → Settings → AI Assistant screen is unchanged; verify via the browser console and the provider's usage dashboard. The key always goes in the "OpenAI API Key" field.
5. Register extensions on init with guards. Form Actions, Dynamic Data fields, and Conditions must be registered inside a WordPress action (e.g. init) and wrapped in function_exists()/class_exists() checks to avoid file-loading race conditions when Breakdance isn't active.
6. Oxygen migration is engine-shared but not one-click for Classic. Oxygen 6 is rebuilt on the Breakdance engine (and is included in the Oxygen lifetime license), but converting Oxygen Classic layouts uses a third-party JSON converter, not a built-in importer — test on staging and expect manual cleanup.
7. Themeless by default = your theme's templates may not apply. Breakdance can replace the theme; if headers/footers/archives look wrong, confirm whether Breakdance Templates (not the theme) are controlling that area.
8. No native A/B testing, heatmaps, analytics, or hosted REST API. It's a WordPress builder — measure with a separate tool (VWO, Microsoft Clarity) and automate via the WordPress REST API + the form Webhook action.

Related skills

• /sales-funnel — Funnel strategy, page structure, and builder selection across tools (Bricks, Elementor, Oxygen, Beaver Builder, SeedProd, ClickFunnels, Leadpages)
• /sales-beaver-builder — Another standalone WordPress page builder (Rows/Columns/Modules + a PHP module API) — the closest "not-a-block-plugin" comparison to Breakdance
• /sales-seedprod — A WordPress page + Theme Builder plugin — compare theme-replacement, templates, and developer surface vs Breakdance
• /sales-spectra — A Gutenberg-native block plugin — the block-editor contrast to Breakdance's standalone editor and proprietary page data
• /sales-greenshift — A Gutenberg block plugin whose API Connector binds external/LLM APIs — compare data/AI integration vs Breakdance's AI endpoint filters + form Webhook action
• /sales-cartflows — WordPress/WooCommerce funnel + checkout/upsells around the pages Breakdance builds (CartFlows supports Breakdance for step design)
• /sales-vwo — A/B testing and heatmap methodology Breakdance lacks natively
• /sales-audience-growth — Growing an email list (lead magnets, opt-in strategy) behind a form
• /sales-email-marketing — Email sequences to run after a form captures the lead
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code

Examples

Example 1: A spam-filter plugin blocks the entry but I still get the email

User: "I added OOPSpam to my Breakdance form. Spam entries stop being stored, but I still get the email notifications. How do I stop the spam emails?" Approach: This is Breakdance's best-known form gotcha — it runs Actions After Submit in order but doesn't let a plugin intercept the Email action, so the notification fires even when the spam plugin blocks storage. Fix: open the form → Actions After Submit → drag the spam-check action above "Store Submission" and "Email" so bad entries are stopped first; for hard cases remove the Email action entirely and send notifications downstream via the Webhook action → Make/Zapier, filtering spam there. Also enable the built-in honeypot (off by default) and reCAPTCHA v3 (the only version supported). Pull the exact action ordering and webhook setup from references/platform-guide.md.

Example 2: Build a custom Form Action (log/forward submissions in PHP)

User: "I want to run my own code on every Breakdance form submission — send it to my CRM. How do I write a custom Form Action?" Approach: Breakdance has a public Form Actions API. Create a class extending Breakdance\Forms\Actions\Action and implement name(), slug() (unique, prefixed), and run($form, $settings, $extra) — $extra carries fields (id ⇒ value), formId, postId, ip, referer, userAgent, userId, and uploaded files. Return ['type' => 'success'|'error', 'message' => '...']. Register it on init, guarded with function_exists('\Breakdance\Forms\Actions\registerAction') / class_exists('\Breakdance\Forms\Actions\Action'), then registerAction(new MyAction()). POST $extra['fields'] to your CRM inside run(). The full class skeleton and argument shapes are in references/breakdance-api-reference.md.

Example 3: Route Breakdance AI to Claude via OpenRouter

User: "Can I make Breakdance AI use Claude instead of OpenAI?" Approach: Yes — Breakdance AI exposes filters. Use breakdance_ai_api_endpoint to return https://openrouter.ai/api, and breakdance_ai_model to return an Anthropic model string (e.g. anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet); paste your OpenRouter key into Breakdance → Settings → AI Assistant's "OpenAI API Key" field (the field name doesn't change). Note the settings UI won't visibly change — verify via the browser console and OpenRouter's usage charts. breakdance_ai_enabled (__return_false) disables AI entirely. Exact filter signatures and code are in references/breakdance-api-reference.md; flag that model availability/credits depend on the provider.

Troubleshooting

Form notifications still email me after a spam plugin blocks the entry

Symptom: A spam-protection plugin stops spam submissions from being stored, but email notifications keep arriving. Cause: Breakdance runs Actions After Submit in sequence but does not allow plugins to intercept the Email action, so it can still send. Solution: In the form's Actions After Submit, drag the spam-check action above "Store Submission" and "Email". For stubborn cases, remove the Email action and send notifications downstream via the Webhook action → Make/Zapier, filtering spam there. Enable the honeypot (off by default) and reCAPTCHA v3.

Form submissions aren't stored or aren't arriving

Symptom: A submitted form shows no entry under Breakdance → Form Submissions, or no notification arrives. Cause: The Store Submission action isn't enabled, the Email action is misconfigured/blocked by the host's mail setup, or an earlier action errored and halted the chain. Solution: Add/enable the Store Submission action; check each action's "details" under Breakdance → Form Submissions for per-action status; use an SMTP plugin for reliable email; confirm action ordering so a failing action doesn't block the rest.

Pages are slow even though Breakdance is "lean"

Symptom: Poor PageSpeed/Core Web Vitals on a Breakdance site despite the builder's lightweight reputation. Cause: Almost always misuse — over-nested layout structure, heavy Dynamic Data loops, unoptimized images, no caching — or the theme/host, not the builder. Solution: Simplify section/layout nesting, limit Dynamic Data query size, compress/serve modern images, add a caching layer/CDN, and audit the theme + third-party scripts. Confirm conditional asset loading is doing its job before attributing slowness to Breakdance.

Breakdance AI ignores my endpoint/model filter

Symptom: After adding breakdance_ai_api_endpoint/breakdance_ai_model, the AI Assistant settings screen looks unchanged and you're unsure it's working. Cause: Expected — the WP-Admin AI Assistant UI does not reflect these filters. Solution: Verify by watching the browser developer console during an AI action and checking the provider's usage dashboard (e.g. OpenRouter). Ensure the API key for the active endpoint is in the "OpenAI API Key" field and that the model string matches the provider's exact identifier.