| name | bricks-ai-tab |
| description | Use when checking Bricks' AI screen: the master Bricks abilities toggle, per-ability disable list, direct-tool fast path, `bricks-list-ability-status`, and error codes when an ability is off. |
Requires: Bricks 2.4+ with the Abilities API enabled
Update check
Run first when filesystem tools are available:
_BS_UPDATE_CHECK=""
for _CAND in "$HOME/.bricks/skills/bricks-skills/scripts/bricks-skills-update-check" "$PWD/scripts/bricks-skills-update-check" "$HOME/.claude/skills/bricks-skills/scripts/bricks-skills-update-check" "$HOME/.codex/skills/bricks-skills/scripts/bricks-skills-update-check"; do
[ -f "$_CAND" ] && _BS_UPDATE_CHECK="$_CAND" && break
done
[ -n "$_BS_UPDATE_CHECK" ] && sh "$_BS_UPDATE_CHECK" || true
If it prints BRICKS_SKILLS_UPDATE_AVAILABLE <old> <new> <tag>, load bricks-skills-update before continuing. If it prints BRICKS_SKILLS_JUST_UPDATED <old> <new>, mention the new version and continue.
Bricks: AI screen
Bricks exposes its abilities to MCP clients through Bricks > AI. This screen is the admin control panel for Bricks abilities. MCP clients cannot change these settings. The screen affects which Bricks abilities are callable.
What the screen controls
- Enable Bricks abilities: master toggle. Off means zero Bricks abilities register. Even diagnostic abilities such as
bricks-list-ability-status are absent.
- Per-ability enable/disable: registered abilities grouped by category. Most tools default on; security-sensitive groups can default off and require explicit opt-in. A disabled ability remains visible in
bricks-list-ability-status and adapter get-info/discovery, but execution returns bricks_ability_disabled.
- Adapter status: informational. If the WordPress MCP Adapter plugin or the WordPress Abilities API is inactive, Bricks cannot expose abilities even with the toggle on.
Direct tools vs dispatcher
Do not treat tools/list as the complete Bricks ability list.
Current Bricks source keeps only high-frequency abilities on the default MCP server as direct tools (includes/abilities/manager.php). The rest are enabled abilities but must be called through:
mcp-adapter-execute-ability
ability_name: "bricks/<ability-name>"
parameters: { ... }
So a missing direct tool can mean either:
- the ability is enabled but outside the fast path, or
- the admin disabled it, in which case dispatcher execution returns
bricks_ability_disabled, or
- Bricks abilities are unavailable.
Check status before concluding the ability does not exist.
The default model
The storage option bricks_mcp_settings is shaped:
{
"enabled": true,
"disabledAbilities": [ "bricks/delete-post", "bricks/upload-media" ],
"enabledAbilities": [ "bricks/list-builder-permissions" ]
}
disabledAbilities opts out of default-on abilities. enabledAbilities opts into default-off abilities. Permission-management tools are default off because they can change builder access for WordPress roles.
Checking ability status
Call:
bricks-list-ability-status
Example response shape (includes/abilities/meta.php):
{
"abilities": [
{ "name": "bricks/add-element", "enabled": true, "defaultEnabled": true, "category": "bricks-elements", "destructive": false },
{ "name": "bricks/set-builder-role-access", "enabled": false, "defaultEnabled": false, "category": "bricks-permissions", "destructive": false }
],
"total": 122,
"enabled": 121,
"disabled": 1
}
If enabled: false, a site admin either disabled the ability or has not opted into a default-off group. You cannot route around it. The fix is for a human to enable it under Bricks > AI.
Also call:
bricks-get-mcp-version
Current response shape:
{
"bricksVersion": "2.3.4",
"bricksAbilitiesVersion": "1.0.0",
"adapterVersion": null,
"wordpressVersion": "6.8",
"abilitiesApiActive": true,
"disabledAbilityCount": 1
}
There is no abilityCount field in get-mcp-version; use list-ability-status.total when you need the count.
Error codes you'll see
bricks_ability_disabled: the dispatcher or a diagnostic path reached an ability name that the admin disabled. Do not retry. Call bricks-list-ability-status to confirm state.
- Master toggle off: no dedicated error code. With Bricks MCP disabled, no
bricks/* abilities register at all. Tell the user to enable Bricks abilities under Bricks > AI.
bricks_setting_excluded / bricks_setting_unknown: these come from the settings registry, not the AI screen. See the bricks-settings skill.
How the screen interacts with call-time checks
The AI screen is an exposure deny-list, not a role editor:
- An enabled ability can still fail at call time. Use the returned error to decide what to do next.
- A disabled ability registers as an inspectable shim. The caller cannot bypass the deny-list by using the dispatcher; execution returns
bricks_ability_disabled.
What's not in the tab
These are not toggleable by MCP and should stay human-admin tasks:
- License activation: admin UI only.
- Credential/API settings: keys matching
apiKey*, apiSecretKey*, or license*, plus access tokens and template passwords, are excluded from Bricks settings abilities. Use bricks-list-credential-status to check whether a credential is configured without reading its value. Other provider settings, such as adobeFontsProjectId, are only writable if bricks/list-settings-schema exposes them.
- Code-execution settings:
executeCodeEnabled, executeCodeCapabilities, codeSignaturesLocked, codeExecutionMode, and htmlExecutionMode are excluded from Bricks settings abilities (includes/abilities/settings.php).
- Code-signature regeneration: admin UI only.
If a task requires one of these, surface the requirement to a human. Do not try to find another MCP route.
Typical flow: an expected ability is missing
# Expected bricks/delete-global-class but it is not in tools/list.
bricks-list-ability-status
-> { abilities: [ ..., { name: "bricks/delete-global-class", enabled: false, category: "bricks-design" } ], ... }
# Admin disabled it. Tell the user:
# "The site owner has disabled delete-global-class on this Bricks install.
# Re-enable it under Bricks > AI."
Don't
- Don't assume tool availability is stable across sites. Check
list-ability-status when an expected ability is missing.
- Don't retry on
bricks_ability_disabled. The deny-list is explicit.
- Don't bypass the AI screen by editing
bricks_mcp_settings directly. The UI is the contract.
- Don't assume a missing
tools/list entry means the ability is disabled. Many enabled Bricks abilities are dispatcher-only.