The redesigned Studio desktop application now integrates an AI coding agent at its core, enabling more intuitive, real-time site development for users across macOS, Windows, and Linux during its beta testing phase.
WordPress has opened beta access to a redesigned Studio desktop app that places its AI coding agent at the centre of the local development workflow. The company said the new interface, unveiled at WordCamp US last week, is built around Studio Code and is now available to users on macOS, Windows and Linux.
The updated layout is arranged in three panes: sites on the left, a conversational agent in the middle and a live preview on the right. According to WordPress, the aim is to let users describe a change in plain language, see it applied immediately in preview and then push the finished site to production from the same window. Existing Studio users will keep their local sites when switching to the new experience, with no migration step required.
WordPress first introduced Studio Code in June as an AI-powered assistant for the Studio desktop app, and later expanded it into the desktop environment itself. Documentation for the tool says it can work conversationally with WordPress code, create themes and plugins, edit files, run WP-CLI commands and deploy previews, while remaining in beta and free to use with a WordPress.com account. The GitHub repository for Studio also describes the desktop app as open source and highlights Studio Sync for moving work to WordPress.com or Pressable hosting.
The company is positioning the beta as a way to test an agentic development model rather than a throwaway prototype. Users can switch off the new AI features if they prefer a conventional workflow, while still creating local WordPress sites in the app. WordPress says the preview reflects the local site in real time, including access to the admin dashboard, so that changes to posts, pages and other content can be checked without leaving the interface.
For repeated edits, Studio Code includes an annotation flow that lets users click elements on the page, collect notes and submit them together. WordPress says this is intended to compress the review-and-revision loop for developers and designers. During the beta period, users receive a one-time credit to try the new system, with additional top-ups available for $10. The company is also asking for feedback through GitHub issues as it continues to refine the product.
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