Reference router
For markup, read authoring-contract.md once, then select matching references
below. Reuse already-loaded guidance in the same task. Read-only questions need
only the relevant topic. The diagnostic catalog is not a prerequisite for every
layout. Examples never authorize shared styles, tokens, or publication.
| Task or uncertainty | Read |
|---|---|
| Familiar static Element/Text layout, ordinary states, native breakpoints | Contract is sufficient; optional examples/basic/ or examples/layouts/ |
| Unfamiliar tag/attribute; Media or Shape save markup | Relevant block in block-types.md; svg-icons.md for SVG |
| New or materially changed visual direction | design-quality.md and nearest brand guidance; broader design critique only when needed |
| Raw CSS editing, complex selectors, CSS Mode parsing | css-mode.md; css-patterns.md only for a needed recipe |
| Custom breakpoints, container queries, responsive cascade problem | responsive.md |
| Hover/reduced-motion or other animation beyond the contract | animations.md |
| Dynamic post lists | query-block.md + dynamic-tags.md |
| Custom fields, ACF repeaters/options | acf-and-custom-fields.md + dynamic-tags.md; query guide when looping |
| Conditional rendering | conditions.md |
| Forms | pro-forms.md; native editor output for field serialization |
| Accordion, tabs, carousel, navigation, header, overlays | Relevant section of pro-interactive.md |
| Which features require Pro? | gb-pro.md |
| Shared styling choice unclear or implicit pattern dependencies | styling-scope.md |
| Explicitly requested Global Styles/tokens | global-styles.md; add design-systems-beta.md for Pro 2.8 |
| Reusable compositions/pattern imports | patterns.md |
| Existing local/synced pattern or an icon-bearing heading that breaks | patterns.md; Icon support in block-types.md |
| Full-site templates or GeneratePress Elements | template-authoring.md |
| CSS delivery, caches, performance | performance.md |
| Authorized MCP/REST publishing | mcp-publishing.md before writing |
| V1 migration | migrations.md |
| Explicit legacy core/query request | query-loops.md; otherwise use the V2 query family |
| Recovery or preflight failure | Matching topic in recovery-rules.md; troubleshooting.md if unresolved |
| Target convention inspection or bulk conversion diagnostics | Relevant section of field-notes.md |
The stable references record earlier free 2.4.1/Pro 2.7.1 observations. The beta workflow was tested with free 2.5.0-beta.1/Pro 2.8.0-beta.1 on WordPress 7.1.1. Verify the target instead of treating those observations as its installed state.