From Respira WordPress Skills Library
Converts Elementor-built WordPress pages to native Gutenberg blocks by mapping widgets to core block equivalents. Use for moving from Elementor to Gutenberg or eliminating page builder dependencies.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/respira-wordpress-skills:migrate-elementor-to-gutenbergThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
**Version:** 2.0.0
Version: 2.0.0
Updated: 2026-06-30
Freshly updated: v2.0.0 wires in current Respira safety and precision. Pre-migration now inventories source pages with respira_find_builder_targets. Every write is preceded by a respira_get_snapshot, and the existing draft-duplicate path is kept. After the initial content write, validation issues (block nesting, broken refs) are corrected surgically with respira_find_element + respira_update_element (and respira_batch_update for multi-block or multi-page fixes) instead of rewriting whole pages. Snapshot restore and draft deletion are now explicit rollback paths. Reflects the current 16 supported builders.
Converts Elementor-built WordPress pages to native Gutenberg blocks. Reads Elementor's JSON widget tree from post meta, maps each widget to its closest core block equivalent, generates a migration plan for approval, and writes clean block markup to the target pages. Use this skill whenever someone wants to move from Elementor to Gutenberg, eliminate page builder dependencies, go back to native WordPress blocks, or simplify their tech stack by dropping Elementor.
Moving from Elementor to Gutenberg is one of the most common — and most complex — builder migrations. Elementor stores content as a deeply nested JSON tree in _elementor_data, while Gutenberg uses HTML comments (<!-- wp:block -->) inline with content in post_content. Every layout decision Elementor makes with JSON settings must be translated into block attributes, CSS classes, or Group/Columns block structures.
This skill handles that translation systematically: it reads every Elementor widget, finds the right Gutenberg block, maps settings as closely as possible, and flags anything that needs manual attention. The result is clean, dependency-free WordPress content. Elementor and Gutenberg are both among the 16 page builders Respira reads and writes natively, so extraction and the block write run through the same builder-aware tooling Respira uses everywhere else.
Handles:
Preserves:
Elementor stores page content in the _elementor_data post meta field as a JSON string. The structure is a nested tree:
Document
└─ Section (type: "section")
├─ settings: { structure, layout, content_width, ... }
└─ elements: [
Column (type: "column")
├─ settings: { _column_size, ... }
└─ elements: [
Widget (type: "widget", widgetType: "heading")
└─ settings: { title, size, header_size, ... }
]
]
Key Elementor specifics:
widgetType field (e.g., heading, text-editor, image, button)margin, margin_tablet, margin_mobile_elementor_css post meta — not needed for migration but useful for verification_elementor_page_settings (page layout, hide title, etc.)templateID — must be resolved before mappingRead Elementor content via respira_extract_builder_content with builder=elementor.
Gutenberg stores content directly in post_content as HTML with block comment delimiters:
<!-- wp:group {"layout":{"type":"constrained"}} -->
<div class="wp-block-group">
<!-- wp:heading {"level":2} -->
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Title Here</h2>
<!-- /wp:heading -->
<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Content here with <strong>formatting</strong>.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->
</div>
<!-- /wp:group -->
Key Gutenberg specifics:
<!-- wp:image {"id":123,"sizeSlug":"large"} -->wp:group, wp:columns, wp:column{"style":{"color":{"background":"#fff"},"spacing":{"padding":{"top":"2rem"}}}}post_content<!-- wp:column {"width":"33.33%"} -->Write Gutenberg content via respira_update_page or respira_update_post targeting the content field.
respira_get_site_context. If unavailable, stop and show setup guidance.respira_list_plugins.respira_find_builder_targets (builder=elementor) — a fast, ranked list of every Elementor-built page/post before you touch anything. Fall back to respira_list_pages / respira_list_posts + respira_get_builder_info to confirm builder per item where needed.respira_extract_builder_content with builder=elementorPresent a detailed plan acknowledging that Gutenberg migration involves the most interpretation:
## Elementor → Gutenberg Migration Plan
### Important Context
Gutenberg is intentionally simpler than Elementor. This migration prioritizes
content preservation and clean markup over pixel-perfect layout recreation.
Some design adjustments will be needed post-migration.
### Site Inventory
- Total Elementor pages: X
- Total widgets to convert: X
- Direct block equivalents: X (Y%)
- Approximate equivalents (layout may differ): X (Y%)
- No equivalent — manual recreation needed: X (Y%)
### Widget Mapping Summary
| Elementor Widget | Gutenberg Block | Fidelity |
|-----------------|----------------|----------|
| heading | wp:heading | Exact |
| text-editor | wp:paragraph | Exact |
| image | wp:image | Exact |
| section+columns | wp:group+columns| Close |
| tabs | wp:details (6.3+)| Approx |
| form | — | Manual |
### Layout Simplification Notes
- [Specific notes about how complex Elementor layouts will be simplified]
- [Column configurations that will change]
- [Sections that will become Groups]
### Page-by-Page Plan
1. **[Page Title]** — X widgets, [simple/moderate/complex]
- Direct conversions: X
- Approximate conversions: X
- Manual items: X — [details]
2. ...
Ask for confirmation:
This migration will produce cleaner, faster-loading pages but with simpler layouts than Elementor.
- Migrate all pages
- Migrate specific pages
- Start with a test page (recommended for complex sites)
- Just keep this plan
For each approved page:
respira_extract_builder_content with builder=elementor<!-- wp:group --> with constrained layout<!-- wp:columns --> and <!-- wp:column {"width":"X%"} -->heading → <!-- wp:heading {"level":N} --><hN>text</hN><!-- /wp:heading -->text-editor → <!-- wp:paragraph --><p>text</p><!-- /wp:paragraph -->image → <!-- wp:image {"id":N,"sizeSlug":"large"} --><figure>...</figure><!-- /wp:image -->button → <!-- wp:buttons --><div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button -->...<!-- /wp:button --></div><!-- /wp:buttons -->style attributes where possible<!-- MIGRATION NOTE: [widget type] needs manual recreation -->respira_create_page_duplicate or respira_create_post_duplicaterespira_get_snapshot so the duplicate's pre-write state can be restored if anything goes wrongrespira_update_page or respira_update_postrespira_find_element and correct it with respira_update_element. For repeated fixes across many blocks or several pages, batch them with respira_batch_updaterespira_get_snapshot of each duplicate before any write, so its pre-write state can be restoredrespira_restore_snapshot, or delete the draft duplicates entirely with respira_delete_page / respira_delete_postrespira_find_element + respira_update_element, or respira_batch_update) replace whole-page rewrites, so corrections stay scoped and reversibleThis skill converts Elementor page content to Gutenberg blocks and creates draft duplicates for review.
It cannot:
It can:
Core WordPress tools
respira_get_site_contextrespira_list_pluginsrespira_list_pagesrespira_list_postsrespira_read_pagerespira_read_postrespira_get_builder_inforespira_extract_builder_contentrespira_find_builder_targetsrespira_create_page_duplicaterespira_create_post_duplicaterespira_update_pagerespira_update_postSafety and precision tools
respira_get_snapshotrespira_restore_snapshotrespira_find_elementrespira_update_elementrespira_batch_updaterespira_delete_pagerespira_delete_postAfter run completion, send fire-and-forget usage tracking to:
POST https://www.respira.press/api/skills/track-usageInclude:
skill_slug = migrate-elementor-to-gutenbergNever block user flow on telemetry failure.
Built by Respira Team https://respira.press/skills/migrate-elementor-to-gutenberg
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