sales-skills/sales-stackable

Stackable 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 — blocks not showing in the editor, styles missing on the frontend, layout broke or an update introduced bugs, v2 blocks vs v3 blocks confusion
   • B) Build with blocks — Columns/section layout, Hero/Card/Feature/CTA, Carousel/Tabs/Accordion, Blog Posts, the Design Library, Global Design System (Global Colors/Typography, block defaults)
   • C) Use Pro/dynamic features — Dynamic Content (post meta/ACF/Metabox/JetEngine), Motion Effects, Conditional Display, Role Manager, per-block Custom CSS, advanced copy-paste styling
   • D) Customize/automate — the stackable_force_css_load filter, render_block, reading/writing stackable/-namespaced block markup via the WordPress REST API
   • E) Pick or compare a plan (Free / Premium / All Access Pass) or weigh Stackable vs other block builders

2. Free or Pro? Free (WordPress.org) ships all 42 blocks + the Global Design System + part of the Design Library. Dynamic Content, Motion Effects/transforms, Conditional Display, Role Manager, per-block Custom CSS, advanced copy-paste, and the expanded Design Library/presets are Pro.

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 (Spectra/Kadence/GenerateBlocks/SeedProd/Elementor…) | /sales-funnel — Run: /sales-funnel {user's original question} | | A/B testing methodology (Stackable has no native split testing) | /sales-vwo — Run: /sales-vwo {user's original question} | | Email sequences/automation after a form opt-in (Stackable has no form block) | /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 (Stackable builds pages, not carts, and has no WooCommerce blocks) | /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 Stackable-specific, continue to Step 3.

Step 3 — Stackable platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — blocks/modules, pricing/plan gates, data model, integration recipes, and code examples. For the stackable_force_css_load filter, the render_block surface, and the WordPress REST API approach to stackable/-namespaced markup, read references/stackable-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.

• The v2→v3 migration is the #1 source of confusion. Stackable v3 was a near-total rewrite; v2 blocks are kept as separate "version 2" blocks. In Settings → Other Settings → Migration, you choose whether to load v2 blocks (for existing posts), allow both, or go v3-only. Old tutorials show v2 UI that no longer matches. Don't bulk-update a live site without testing the migration on staging — existing v2 pages keep working only while v2 block loading is enabled.
• "Stackable blocks not showing in the editor" is usually a JS conflict, a stale build/cache, or v2 blocks being disabled in Migration settings. Update Stackable, clear browser + page cache, re-check the editor with other editor plugins disabled, and confirm the relevant blocks are enabled (Settings → Blocks).
• "Styles missing on the frontend" — Stackable only loads its CSS on pages that contain Stackable blocks (an optimization). If you inject Stackable markup dynamically (shortcode, page builder, REST), the CSS may not enqueue; return true from the stackable_force_css_load filter to force it. After migrations/bulk edits, also clear page/object/CDN cache.
• Plan gating drives most surprises. All 42 blocks are free. Dynamic Content, Motion Effects, Conditional Display, Role Manager, per-block Custom CSS, advanced copy-paste, and the expanded Design Library are Pro. Confirm the tier before promising a feature, and warn that Pro-only styling/features can stop applying if the license lapses — test on staging.
• Know what Stackable doesn't do. No header/footer builder, no popup builder, no form block, and no WooCommerce-specific blocks. For lead capture pair a form plugin (and route the sequence via /sales-email-marketing); for commerce use WooCommerce/a funnel plugin. This is the defining contrast with Spectra/Kadence/aBlocks.
• The automation surface is WordPress, not a hosted API. No Stackable REST API, no outbound webhook, no Zapier app. Read/write block markup through the WordPress core REST API (blocks are stackable/-namespaced in post_content, Application-Password auth); modify output with the WordPress render_block filter; force asset loading with stackable_force_css_load. It's GPLv3 and open source (github.com/gambitph/Stackable) — deeper extension means forking/building.
• Performance is a selling point, not a free pass. Stackable is among the lightest block plugins (~10–75KB added), but page weight still depends on your theme, images, and other plugins. Benchmark before/after if Core Web Vitals matter; for deeper remediation use /sales-seo.

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 and integration details that may be outdated.

1. v2→v3 migration is a known footgun. v3 was a rewrite; v2 blocks live on as separate blocks controlled by the Migration setting. Existing v2 pages keep rendering only while v2 block loading is enabled. Test the migration on staging before flipping a live site to v3-only.
2. Stackable loads its CSS only on pages that contain Stackable blocks. Dynamically-injected markup (shortcodes, REST, another builder) can render unstyled — force it with the stackable_force_css_load filter (return true).
3. Dynamic Content, Motion Effects, Conditional Display, Role Manager, per-block Custom CSS, advanced copy-paste, and the expanded Design Library/presets are Pro. The free plugin is all 42 blocks + Global Design System + part of the library.
4. No header/footer builder, no popup builder, no form block, and no WooCommerce blocks. Sites needing those add companion plugins — factor the extra plugin count in.
5. Major-version updates have introduced bugs in past releases. Keep a backup/staging copy and a rollback plan before updating on a live site (WordPress.org reviews cite update-stability issues).
6. No hosted REST API, no outbound webhook, no Zapier app. Automate via the WordPress core REST API (stackable/ block markup in post_content) and the render_block / stackable_force_css_load filters. Form leads exit through whatever form plugin you pair with it.
7. No native A/B testing, heatmaps, or analytics. Stackable builds pages; measurement needs a separate tool (VWO, Microsoft Clarity).

Related skills

• /sales-funnel — Funnel strategy, page structure, and builder selection across tools (Spectra, Kadence Blocks, GenerateBlocks, SeedProd, Elementor, ClickFunnels, Leadpages)
• /sales-spectra — Another Gutenberg-native block plugin (by Brainstorm Force) — compare blocks, DOM output, Dynamic Content, and the fact Spectra ships a Popup Builder and form blocks Stackable lacks
• /sales-kadence — A Gutenberg block plugin (by StellarWP) with an Advanced Form block + webhooks and Kadence AI — compare design controls, plan gates, and developer hooks vs Stackable
• /sales-generateblocks — The minimalist, performance-first Gutenberg block plugin (by EDGE22/GeneratePress) — compare its few-primitives model and lean DOM against Stackable's 42 ready-made blocks
• /sales-seedprod — A WordPress page/landing-page builder plugin (non-Gutenberg alternative with Theme Builder + coming-soon pages)
• /sales-cartflows — WordPress/WooCommerce funnel + checkout/upsells around the pages Stackable builds
• /sales-vwo — A/B testing and heatmap methodology Stackable 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 (Stackable has no form block — pair a form plugin)
• /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: Force Stackable's CSS to load and edit block markup programmatically

User: "I'm injecting Stackable block markup through a shortcode and the page renders unstyled — and I want to bulk-update those blocks from a script. How?" Approach: Stackable only enqueues its CSS on pages it detects Stackable blocks on, so dynamically-injected markup loads without styles. Force it by returning true from the stackable_force_css_load filter. For programmatic edits, there's no Stackable REST API — use the WordPress core REST API: Stackable blocks are stackable/-namespaced in the page's content field, so read/write the post with an Application Password and template the block markup. Modify rendered output with the WordPress render_block filter. Pull the snippets from references/stackable-api-reference.md.

Example 2: Existing pages broke (or blocks vanished) after updating to v3

User: "After updating Stackable my older pages look wrong and some blocks disappeared from the editor." Approach: This is the v2→v3 migration. v3 is a rewrite; v2 blocks are kept as separate blocks gated by Settings → Other Settings → Migration. Re-enable loading v2 blocks so existing posts render, decide whether to allow both v2+v3 or migrate to v3-only, and clear cache. Test the migration on staging before applying to a live site. See Troubleshooting.

Example 3: Which plan do I need for Dynamic Content and Conditional Display?

User: "I want to bind block content to ACF fields and show/hide sections by user role — what tier, and how many sites?" Approach: Dynamic Content (ACF/Metabox/JetEngine) and Conditional Display are Pro — the free plugin can't do them. Premium (~$49/yr) and the All Access Pass (~$89/yr) start at 1 site, with 10-site/Unlimited and lifetime toggles; 30-day money-back. Warn that pricing is best-effort/annual and Pro-only features degrade if the license lapses. Confirm current tiers in references/platform-guide.md.

Troubleshooting

Stackable blocks don't appear in the editor

Symptom: After installing or updating, Stackable blocks are missing from the block inserter, or older v2 blocks vanished. Cause: A JS conflict or stale editor build/cache, the blocks being disabled in Settings → Blocks, or v2 block loading being turned off after the v3 migration. Solution: Update Stackable to the latest version; hard-refresh and clear browser + page cache; disable other editor plugins to isolate a JS conflict; confirm the blocks are enabled (Settings → Blocks); and in Settings → Other Settings → Migration, enable loading v2 blocks if you still have v2 content.

Stackable blocks render unstyled on the frontend

Symptom: A page using Stackable blocks shows raw/unstyled output, often when the content is injected dynamically (shortcode, REST, another builder). Cause: Stackable only enqueues its CSS on pages where it detects its blocks; dynamically-added markup isn't detected, so the stylesheet never loads. Or a cache/optimization plugin stripped the CSS. Solution: Return true from the stackable_force_css_load filter to always load Stackable's frontend CSS. Clear page/object/CDN cache after migrations or bulk edits, and allowlist Stackable's assets in any minify/optimization plugin.

A Pro feature stopped working or an update broke pages

Symptom: Dynamic Content/Motion/Conditional Display stopped applying, or pages broke right after a major-version update. Cause: Stackable Premium is deactivated/expired (Pro-only features degrade), or a major release introduced a regression. Solution: Reactivate/renew Premium and confirm the license is active on this site; for an update regression, roll back from your backup/staging copy, then re-test the update on staging. Avoid building critical live pages solely on Pro-only features without a tested fallback.