The workflow
1. Capture the current website
Mirror Website saves the public pages and assets locally. Use the capture to preserve the design and content while Squarespace stays live.
2. Build editable WordPress locally
WordPress Copilot Advanced uses that reference to build pages, templates and editable content in Local. A mirror by itself is still captured HTML.
3. Test, then publish
Check the local site, connect hosting, transfer the complete WordPress site, and switch the domain only after the hosted version passes the launch checks.
Get the skills and instructions
Use this process for a site you own or have permission to reproduce. Private data, store orders, memberships and third-party services need a separate transfer plan.
Create a WordPress site in Local
Local is the desktop app that runs WordPress on your laptop. You can work on the replacement while your existing Squarespace website stays online.
- Open our Mirror Website page and choose Download Local. Download the installer for your operating system, install the app, and open it.
- Choose Create a new site. Give it a name, choose the environment, and create a WordPress administrator username and password. Store the password securely; do not paste it into an AI chat.
- Start the site. Click WP Admin and sign in to confirm WordPress is running.
- Use Open Site Folder. Your WordPress files are under app/public; theme folders are under wp-content/themes. The AI will work in the destination theme folder.
Local download and setup links
Install the skills
Visit the skill pages below. Choose Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI and copy the install command, or download the skill ZIP and follow the bundled installation guide. Restart the runtime if the new skill is not visible.
Use a terminal-capable AI with access to your local files. Advanced does not run as a Claude Desktop / Cowork upload. The basic WordPress Copilot handles content and administration; Advanced handles the rebuild code.
Mirror the Squarespace website
- Give Mirror Website the public website URL and a separate local destination. Ask it to check the sitemap and navigation so the page list is explicit.
Use Mirror Website to capture my Squarespace website at [website URL] as a local reference. Capture the agreed pages and assets, compare desktop and mobile, and record missing or unverified behavior.
- Let the AI set up the capture tools and local preview. The bundled scripts use Node.js and Playwright; follow the skill setup if these are missing.
- Compare the source and local copy. Check navigation, fonts, images, galleries, videos, page URLs and mobile layouts. Keep a list of anything that could not be captured or verified.
- Keep the mirror unchanged once it is your reference. Build WordPress in a separate theme or Local site so a rebuild cannot overwrite the capture.
What the mirror gives you
Rendered page files, assets, a route list, original capture evidence and a record of unresolved dependencies. These give Advanced a concrete reference for the WordPress build.
What needs separate work
A public capture does not transfer the Squarespace editor or database, private accounts, orders, subscriber lists, payment details or member-only content. Forms, bookings, search and checkout need their own WordPress implementation or service connection.
Use WordPress Copilot Advanced
- Open your CLI AI in the destination theme folder. Choose the local-only migration workflow. It verifies Local and records what it can work on; hosting remains disconnected.
Use WordPress Copilot Advanced in local-only mode. My Local site is [local URL] and my mirror is [folder]. Inspect the reference, propose editable pages, templates and repeated content, then build the agreed website in a separate theme.
- Review the proposed structure. Keep existing page URLs where possible. Identify posts, pages, collections, menus, reusable sections and fields that should be editable.
- Build against the mirror. Preserve the approved content and design; make redesign decisions explicitly. Use only licensed assets and plugins. The AI should explain any paid dependency before adding it.
- Open WP Admin and change a heading, image, menu item and repeated content item. Check that each edit appears on the frontend.
The result should be an editable WordPress website. A theme that only serves the captured HTML has not finished that job.
Want a new design first?
Website Mockup is optional. Use it to create and compare homepage concepts, then give the approved concept to Advanced as the build reference. You can skip it when preserving the current design.
Check the whole local website
Work through the agreed page list. A correct homepage alone does not prove the rest of the site is ready.
- Every page opens, including direct links and reloads. Navigation and the footer point to the intended pages.
- Desktop and mobile match the approved reference. Text is readable; menus, images, galleries and videos work.
- The intended content is editable in WordPress. Changes survive a reload and appear in every place that uses that content.
- Forms, search, bookings, checkout and memberships are either implemented and safely tested or explicitly marked unfinished. Use sandbox transactions where relevant.
- Titles, descriptions, headings, image text, internal links and the sitemap are checked. Preserve URLs; map changed ones to their new destinations.
- Local and staging stay out of search results. Test credentials, private exports and database files are excluded from the public code repository.
Verify this local WordPress rebuild against the mirror and agreed scope. Test page coverage, mobile layouts, editable content and important interactions. Report failures and unverified items before preparing the hosting transfer.
Publish on your hosting
- Choose the destination WordPress host and preview environment. Complete Advanced’s hosting-connected onboarding when using its deployment workflow: GitHub, SSH, the exact WordPress root, remote WP-CLI and a delivery plan.
- Choose a supported transfer route. Local Connect supports WP Engine and Flywheel. For another host, use its migration service or supported import process. A Local export ZIP is not automatically compatible with every host.
- Transfer the complete site: theme, required plugins, uploads and WordPress content/database. A theme-only push does not transfer your pages and content. Take a recoverable backup before replacing anything.
- Preview on the host. Update local URLs safely, including serialized WordPress data. Check HTTPS, media, permalinks, forms, email delivery and the redirect map.
- Approve the exact launch and domain change. Point the website DNS to the new host while preserving email/MX records. Enable production indexing only once the verified public site is serving on the final domain.
- Recheck the public pages, forms, redirects and sitemap. Keep Squarespace available until those checks pass. Keep the domain registration active; transferring the registrar is a separate choice.
My local website is approved. Prepare the full-site hosting transfer, including content, uploads, plugins, URL changes, redirects, backup and rollback. Verify the destination and show the production steps before publishing.
Advanced requires SSH and WP-CLI for its hosting-connected operations. If your host does not provide them, use the host’s supported migration route instead of improvising access.
Meet the people behind the workflow
Max Tymoshyn
Founder & Architect at Norml Studio. I work across website strategy, design, development and AI-assisted operations. My project credits include team-lead roles for Nasdaq Private Market, AstraZeneca and The Farm Soho.
Follow Max on Instagram · @maxtymosh
Explore Max’s work and background
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