pom_get_authoring_context: inspect POM authoring context
The orientation tool. Call it first in any POM authoring session — it tells the client what kind of site this is, what the rules are, and which tools to use next.
Arguments
| Argument | Required | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
target_type |
No | The kind of target: site, page, post or template. Defaults to site |
target_id |
No | A specific post or page ID |
post_type |
No | A post type hint, when there is no ID |
Passing target_id makes the answer specific to that item and also tightens the permission check: the acting user must be able to edit that particular post rather than posts in general.
Permissions
mcp:read and wp:content:read. Capability edit_posts, or edit_post for the given target.
What it returns
target — the type, ID and post type resolved, plus found, which is false when an ID was given and no such post exists.
theme — whether the POM theme is detected, and its details.
builder — the Classic Builder integration, its availability, shortcode rendering availability and whether the target contains legacy shortcode content. Existing source alone does not establish that the Classic Builder interface is available.
editor — the WordPress block editor context, contextual allowed blocks, POM palette restriction and client serialization requirements. It reports unavailable when the target cannot be edited as blocks.
preferred_content_format — blocks for an available block editor, while existing Classic Builder documents retain shortcodes. Existing block pages containing POM shortcode modules remain block documents.
layout_rules — instructions for the selected format: native block discovery, nesting and serialization for block pages; POM row/column shortcode rules for Classic Builder pages. See block editor authoring.
styling_rules — prefer shortcode attributes over new CSS, use row and column parameters for spacing and responsive behaviour, use existing module parameters rather than hardcoded markup, use el_class only for a known site class, and never add script or PHP tags to content.
preferred_shortcodes — the recommended palette, filtered to what actually exists on this site: vc_row, vc_column, vc_column_text, web_title, web_button, web_image, web_listings, web_gap, web_gallery, web_carousel.
discouraged_shortcodes — a map of elements to avoid and what to use instead, such as vc_btn to web_button and vc_single_image to web_image.
template_contexts — archive, single, feed.
resources — the resource URIs holding the longer guidance.
recommended_next_tools — the relevant authoring tools.
write_tools — the write tools appropriate to POM authoring, so the client knows what to reach for after validating.
common_workflows — the published prompts that cover whole jobs.
Why call it first
The response is a briefing. Without it, a client has to infer the site's conventions from the content it happens to read, and it will infer wrongly — reaching for vc_btn because that is common in the wider WordPress world, when this site expects web_button.
With it, the client knows the palette, the nesting rules and which tools come next, in one call.
Using it well
Read the authoring context for page 88 and tell me which shortcodes it recommends and which it discourages.
Passing the specific page matters for two reasons: it confirms the page exists, and it reports whether that page's existing content already uses the classic builder — which tells you whether you are editing builder content or plain content.
Reading the discouraged list
The discouraged map is the most immediately actionable part of the response. Each entry names a replacement, so an assistant reading it can substitute correctly rather than merely avoiding something.
pom_validate_builder_content raises a warning for each discouraged element it finds, naming the replacement — so the same knowledge appears again at validation time.
When the theme is absent
If the POM theme is not active, the theme and builder sections reflect that. The tool still answers, because the content read permission is what governs it — but the layout rules describe a builder the site may not have.
Check theme.detected and builder.available before treating the response as a mandate.
Related
pom_get_available_shortcodes— the next call- Build POM builder content
- MCP resources