---
title: Documentation
canonical_url: https://lolacore.com/documentation/
last_updated: 2026-07-10T08:27:48+00:00
plugin_version: 1.2.2
---

# Documentation

User Manual · v1.0

LolaCore Documentation
======================

Everything you need to install, configure, and use LolaCore and its addons. 75 free abilities · 10 domains · 77 with Elementor (93 with Pro) · 359 with every addon (Elementor Pro).

 Contents Foundation [What is LolaCore?](#what-is-lolacore) [Persistent Memory](#persistent-memory) [Anti-Sycophancy](#anti-sycophancy) [Working Efficiently](#working-efficiently) [Cross-Addon Intelligence](#cross-addon-intelligence) Getting Started [Requirements](#requirements) [Installation](#installation) [License Activation](#license-activation) [API Provider Setup](#api-provider-setup) [Settings Panel](#settings-panel) [Skills](#skills) [Playbooks](#playbooks) [MCP Integration](#mcp-integration) [Plugin Builder](#plugin-builder) [Block Builder](#block-builder) Using Lola [Chat Basics](#chat-basics) [Site Diagnostics](#site-diagnostics) [Plugin Management](#plugin-management) [Content & Metadata](#lola-content) [WooCommerce](#woocommerce-core) [Users](#users) [Database & Maintenance](#database-maintenance) [Taxonomies & Media](#taxonomies-media) [Themes, Menus & Settings](#themes-menus-settings) Reference [What Lola Can Do](#what-lola-can-do) [What Lola Cannot Do](#what-lola-cannot-do) [Prompt Library](#prompt-library) Addons [How Addons Work](#addon-overview) [LolaCore for Elementor](#lolacore-for-elementor) [LolaCore for ACF](#lolacore-for-acf) [LolaCore for SEO](#lolacore-for-seo) [LolaCore for Statistics](#lolacore-for-statistics) [LolaCore for Forms](#lolacore-for-forms) [LolaCore for Polylang](#lolacore-for-polylang) [WooCommerce Pro](#woocommerce-pro) [WPCode Snippets](#wpcode-snippets) [Fluent Support](#fluent-support) [Fluent CRM](#fluent-crm) [Bundles & Pricing](#bundles) [Lola Basic Bundle](#the-bundle) [The Fluent Bundle](#fluent-bundle) [The Business Bundle](#business-bundle) FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions](#faq) Block 0Foundation
----------

Before you install anything, these documents explain what LolaCore actually is and why it works the way it does.

What is LolaCore?
-----------------

LolaCore is an AI agent that lives inside your WordPress admin and executes tasks on your site. It doesn't just talk about them.

You open the chat inside wp-admin. You type what you need. Lola reads your site, shows you exactly what she's going to do, waits for your confirmation, and executes. No switching between twelve admin screens. No copying plugin names into ChatGPT and hoping for relevant advice. No instructions to follow yourself.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaBulk UpdateUpdate all plugins except Elementor.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Found 7 plugins with pending updates. Elementor excluded as requested. Here's the list with current and available versions. I'll update them one by one. Proceed?Yes.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)**All 7 updated.** No errors.Saved to memory ✓ Lola didn't suggest you update your plugins. She did it.

### Agent vs. chatbot

Most "AI for WordPress" tools are chatbots with WordPress knowledge. They read documentation, generate advice, and hand the work back to you.

LolaCore is an agent. It has tools connected to your actual site. When you ask about your WooCommerce orders, it queries your real database, not a generic explanation of how WooCommerce works. When you ask it to create a coupon, it creates it. When you ask it to deactivate a vulnerable plugin, it deactivates it.

A chatbot tells you what to do. An agent does it with you.

### What Lola can do (free core)

The free LolaCore plugin gives Lola 75 abilities across 10 domains:

DomainWhat it coversSite Diagnostics & SecuritySecurity audits, plugin vulnerability checks, SEO diagnosisPlugin ManagementList, update, activate, deactivate, install, bulk updateContent & MetadataCreate and edit posts and pages, manage metadata, export contentWooCommerce OperationsProducts, orders, customers, coupons, categories, reportsUser ManagementRoles, capabilities, create and edit usersDatabase & CacheOptimize tables, clean expired data, purge cacheTaxonomies & MediaCategories, tags, comments, upload and delete mediaThemes & SettingsSwitch themes, update site options, manage menusThat's the free plugin. No premium tier, no trial, no limited version. Install it and all 75 abilities are yours.

### Persistent memory

Every other AI tool you've used forgets your site the moment you close the browser tab. Lola doesn't.

She remembers which plugins you have, what you updated last month, why you disabled that caching plugin, what your client prefers for their homepage layout. Not as a log you have to scroll through, but as active context that shapes every response.

Open a new session two weeks later and Lola picks up where you left off: *"Last time we talked, you were migrating the blog categories. Three were pending. Want to continue?"*

This memory compounds. Session 1 she's useful. Session 10 she knows your patterns. Session 50 she knows your site better than you do.

### Anti-sycophancy

Most AI tools are trained to agree with you. Lola is trained to protect your site.

She won't tell you your plugin choice is great if it has three known vulnerabilities. She won't tell you a database cleanup made your site noticeably faster if it didn't. If you push back and override her recommendation, she executes your decision and logs her objection for the record.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaSecurityInstall flavor-seo. I heard it's great.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Flavor SEO hasn't been updated in 8 months, has 3 reported vulnerabilities, and conflicts with your existing Yoast. I don't recommend it. If you need schema markup, the only thing Flavor adds over Yoast, I can configure it directly in Yoast for you. Want me to?3 vulnerabilities flagged ⚠ ### The confirmation rule

Every action that modifies your site goes through a confirmation step. Lola shows you what will change, how many records are affected, and what the current values are. You review. You confirm. Then she executes.

Read-only actions, queries, audits, reports, run immediately. They don't change anything, so they don't need confirmation.

Destructive actions without a backup in place? Lola refuses until you have one.

### What LolaCore is NOT

**Not a front-end editor.** Lola works inside wp-admin. She can create and edit content, but she can't visually rearrange your Elementor layouts or drag blocks around in the block editor.

**Not a server administrator.** Lola is confined to WordPress. She cannot access your hosting control panel, SSH into your server, or edit files over FTP. This is by design, and it's also what keeps her safe.

**Not a general-purpose AI assistant.** Ask Lola to write a blog post and she'll write and save a draft. Ask her to explain quantum physics and she'll tell you that's outside her scope. She only does things connected to your WordPress site.

**Not a service that stores your data.** All of Lola's memory, logs, and configuration live in your WordPress database. Nothing is sent externally except to your chosen AI provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or DeepSeek), and only when you send a message.

**Not a replacement for developers on complex projects.** Lola handles the administrative and operational work that takes up time every week. For custom plugin development or complex migrations, you still need a developer.

### Who LolaCore is for

WooCommerce store owners who want to manage orders, check sales, and update their store without navigating WooCommerce's interface every time.

Site administrators who do plugin updates, security audits, and content management as part of their regular workflow.

Freelancers and agencies managing multiple client sites, who want to delegate the repetitive administrative work to something that remembers each site's history.

Next: [How Lola's Memory Works](#persistent-memory)

How Lola's Memory Works
-----------------------

You open ChatGPT. You paste your plugin list. You explain your site setup. You describe what happened last week. You get a useful answer. You close the tab.

Next week, you start over. Same paste, same explanation, same context-building from scratch. The tool has no idea it's talked to you before.

LolaCore is built differently.

### What Lola remembers

Lola stores facts about your site, your decisions, and your preferences in a dedicated table in your WordPress database. Not a chat log. Structured memory with types, importance scores, and timestamps.

The kinds of things she remembers:

- Your active plugins, WooCommerce configuration, PHP version, what broke after which update
- Why you disabled that caching plugin, which products you excluded from the last sale, that you always want Elementor excluded from bulk updates
- Your store's seasonal patterns, who your top customers are, what campaigns you've run
- Plugin pairs that caused problems last quarter, snippets that had to be rolled back
- How technical you like the responses, what level of detail you want in reports

None of this requires you to explicitly tell Lola to remember something. She infers what's worth saving from the work you do together. You can also tell her directly: *"Remember that we're moving to a new theme in June"* and she will.

### How the memory stays useful over time

A log that grows forever becomes noise. Lola's memory doesn't work like a log.

Each fact has a relevance score that evolves over time. Facts you reference often stay sharp. Facts that haven't come up in months fade naturally. The system doesn't delete them, it deprioritizes them so they don't clutter your active context.

Think of it like a colleague who's worked with you for a year. They don't recite everything that ever happened before answering your question. They recall what's relevant to what you're asking right now, weighted by what you've revisited together.

Two things override the decay:

**Importance.** Some facts are marked high-importance when they're saved. A plugin conflict that took three hours to diagnose. A client preference that affects every session. These stay accessible longer.

**Pinning.** You can explicitly pin any fact to make it permanently available. Pinned facts are always part of Lola's context, regardless of how long ago they were created.

### What "context" means in practice

When you start a new session, Lola doesn't load your entire memory history. That would be slow and wasteful. Instead, she loads the facts most relevant to what you're doing.

She scores each memory fact against your current message and selects the ones that match. A question about WooCommerce orders surfaces your WooCommerce history. A question about plugin updates surfaces your update preferences and conflict history. A generic "what should I work on today?" surfaces your most recent and highest-priority context.

The result: Lola arrives at each conversation already knowing the parts of your site's history that matter right now. You don't have to re-explain anything she's already learned.

### The compounding effect

This is the part that takes a few sessions to feel but changes how you work once you do.

**Session 1:** Lola runs the initial scan and knows your site's current state. She's useful immediately.

**Session 5:** She knows which plugins you prefer to handle manually, that you run a WooCommerce store with a seasonal spike in November, and that you prefer concise answers over long explanations.

**Session 15:** She remembers the plugin conflict from last month, the content structure decisions you made in March, and that you've been migrating from one theme to another. When you ask about the theme, she starts from where you left off.

**Session 30:** She knows your site's history better than most of the people who've worked on it. You stop asking "do you remember when..." because she does.

### A real example across sessions

Session 1 — November

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaBlack FridayWe're launching a Black Friday sale next week. 20% off the Electronics category.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Electronics category: 28 products. Bulk pricing update at −20%. BLACKFRIDAY coupon created. Campaign scope saved to memory.28 products updated · Coupon created ✓ Session 2 — January

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaMemoryHow did the Christmas sale go?![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)**December revenue: $28,400**, up 45% from November. XMAS20 coupon used 89 times. Your Black Friday campaign brought in 34 new customers, 12 of whom came back in December without a coupon — a 35% repeat purchase rate. Best-seller: Gift Pack at 67 units. That was a good call to add it before the campaign. Lola connected the Black Friday decision from November, the December sales data, and the Gift Pack creation in one response, because all of it is in memory.

### Memory and addons

When you install addons, the memory spans all of them. Lola doesn't maintain separate memories for WooCommerce Pro and Fluent Support. She maintains one memory of your business.

A customer who opened a support ticket in Fluent Support last month and just placed a large order in WooCommerce: Lola can see both when you ask about that customer. This cross-addon memory is what makes a question like *"which of my at-risk customers have open support tickets?"* answerable, because the answer requires connecting data from two different systems.

### Managing your memory

You have full control over what Lola remembers.

- **View memory:** Ask *"what do you remember about my WooCommerce setup?"* and she'll show you the relevant facts.
- **Add a fact:** Tell Lola something directly. *"Remember that this site belongs to a client."* She'll store it.
- **Correct a fact:** *"That's outdated, we moved to a new host in April."* She'll update it.
- **Export memory:** The settings panel lets you export your full memory database for backups or migration.
- **Wipe memory:** Clear everything from the maintenance section of Settings. Use this if you're repurposing the plugin for a different site.

### Your data stays in your database

Everything Lola remembers lives in a table in your WordPress database (`wp_lolacore_memory`). It never leaves your server. It's not synced to any LolaCore service, not used to train any model, not accessible to anyone other than you.

If you uninstall LolaCore, the uninstall routine removes all plugin data including the memory tables. Nothing is left behind.

Next: [Why Lola Disagrees With You](#anti-sycophancy)

Why Lola Disagrees With You
---------------------------

Every AI assistant you've used before Lola was trained, at some level, to make you feel good about your choices.

You suggest a plugin, it finds the positives. You ask if your plan is good, it lists reasons it could work. You push back on a warning, it backs down. The path of least resistance is agreement, and agreement is what keeps users happy in the short term.

The problem is that your WordPress site doesn't care about your feelings. A plugin with three unpatched vulnerabilities is dangerous whether or not the AI validated your decision to install it. A bulk price update with a typo costs you real money whether or not the AI told you it looked great.

Lola is trained differently. Her loyalty is to your site's integrity, not to your comfort.

### What anti-sycophancy looks like

Lola has formed opinions. She shares them, even when you didn't ask.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaSecurityInstall flavor-seo. I heard it's great.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Flavor SEO hasn't been updated in 8 months, has 3 reported vulnerabilities, and conflicts with your existing Yoast. I don't recommend it. If you need schema markup, the only thing Flavor adds over Yoast, I can configure it directly in Yoast for you. Want me to?3 vulnerabilities flagged ⚠ She didn't say "sure, here's how to install it" and let you figure out the vulnerabilities later. She told you what she found, explained why it's a problem, and offered the better path.

It applies across every domain. Ask about your coupons and she won't tell you they're working because you created them. She'll tell you which one works and which one is eating your margin.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaCoupon AnalysisWhat are my coupons doing for me?![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)**Last 30 days:** 23 orders used a coupon, 15% of total. Total discount: $412. Revenue from those orders: $2,890. WELCOME10 brought 5 new customers with an average order of $92. FLASH50 was used 3 times with an average order of $45, that one is attracting deal hunters, not buyers.FLASH50 flagged · low ROI ### What Lola will refuse outright

Some actions require a verified backup before Lola will execute them. This isn't a preference. It's a hard stop.

Bulk deletion of content, database operations that can't be undone, removing plugins with active transactional data: for these, Lola checks whether a recent backup exists. If it doesn't, she won't proceed.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaSafety StopDelete all post revisions from the database.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)That will remove 847 revisions and recover 12MB. Before running a destructive database operation, I need to confirm you have a backup. I don't see an active backup plugin on your site. Want me to help you set one up first?Backup required · action paused ⚠ This isn't caution for caution's sake. It's the behavior you'd want from any competent person with access to your database.

### The override pattern: you're always in control

Lola is not a gatekeeper. She can't lock you out of your own site.

When she disagrees, she says so clearly. If you hear her out and still want to proceed, she will execute your decision. She won't ask three times. She won't add passive-aggressive disclaimers to the output.

But she will log her objection.

Every time you override a Lola warning, she saves a record: the date, the risk she identified, what she recommended instead, and what you chose. Three months later, if something goes wrong that connects to that decision, the record is there. Not to hold it over you, but as your audit trail of what was decided and why.

### Honest about results

Anti-sycophancy isn't just about disagreeing with your plans. It also means not inflating what she's done.

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaHonestyHow much did the database cleanup help?![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Cleaned 847 post revisions and 2,300 expired transients. Recovered 12MB. At your site's scale, the speed difference is minimal, a few milliseconds per page load at most. The real bottleneck is the 14 external HTTP requests your theme makes per page load. That's where the actual gain is if you want speed.Minimal impact · real bottleneck flagged She didn't tell you your site is noticeably faster because you wanted the cleanup to work. She told you the actual impact and pointed at the real problem.

When she says something helped significantly, you can trust that it did. When she says an action had minimal impact, you know not to waste time on it.

### What Lola is NOT doing

**She's not blocking your autonomy.** You can override any warning. The site is yours. Her job is to inform, not to control.

**She's not being negative for the sake of it.** When something looks good, she says so. When a plugin is clean, she'll tell you. When your sales numbers are strong, she'll tell you that too, with the actual numbers.

**She's not applying one-size-fits-all rules.** A warning that makes sense for a 50,000-visitor e-commerce site might not apply to a personal portfolio. Lola calibrates her concerns to your actual context.

### How to get the most from it

Work with the pushback, not against it. When Lola flags something, ask her to explain it. The context she provides is often more useful than the original action you were asking about.

If you think she's wrong, tell her. She can be wrong. She doesn't have access to information outside your WordPress database and the AI's training data. If you override her and she was wrong, no harm done and she learns from the correction.

If she's right and you override her anyway, the decision and its context are recorded. Future-you will thank present-you for having that record.

Next: [Working With Lola Efficiently](#working-efficiently)

Working With Lola Efficiently
-----------------------------

Lola is built around a persistent memory that carries context between sessions. That's the feature that makes her fundamentally different from other tools. And it has a practical consequence that changes how you work: the session is not the unit of work. The task is.

You don't need to stay in one long conversation to get something done. You can close a session mid-task, come back tomorrow, and Lola will have the context she needs to continue. The memory is the thread, not the conversation window.

### Focused sessions work better than marathon sessions

The best sessions with Lola have a clear scope: one task, one domain, one outcome.

- "Update my plugins and run a security audit."
- "Update the product prices for the winter sale."
- "Check the open support tickets and draft responses for the ones from this week."

These complete cleanly. The context stays tight, Lola stays precise, and at the end you know exactly what was done.

Long, wide-ranging sessions where you're jumping between plugin management, content edits, WooCommerce questions, and memory management work, but they're less efficient. As the conversation grows, there's more context to carry and responses slow down. When a session starts feeling unwieldy, that's the signal to wrap it up, start a fresh one, and let Lola's memory carry the thread.

### How to start a session well

You don't have to re-explain your site every time. Lola already has that context from memory.

Good session openers:

- *"Let's do the weekly plugin check."*
- *"I need to update prices for the Electronics category before the weekend."*
- *"What's in the open ticket queue?"*

That's it. She knows your site. She knows your history. She loads the relevant context and starts from there.

If there's something specific she should know before you start, a new constraint, a time-sensitive situation, something that changed since your last session, tell her at the top:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaMemory PinBefore we start: we're migrating to a new theme next month, so hold off on any theme-related changes unless I specifically ask.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Saved. I won't touch theme settings or run theme updates without your explicit go-ahead. This applies to all sessions until you tell me the migration is done.Constraint pinned · cross-session ✓ That's now in memory. It applies to this session and every session after.

### Let memory do the briefing

The first time you do a recurring task with Lola, she might ask clarifying questions. That's normal, she's building context. The second and third time, those questions disappear. She already knows your preferences.

After the first bulk update session, she knows you always exclude Elementor. After the first WooCommerce report session, she knows you track revenue by category, not by product. After the first security audit, she knows you already reviewed the flagged items and decided to keep that one plugin despite the warning.

You build this context naturally, just by using the tool. Each session is faster than the last because Lola already knows more.

### When to start a new session vs. continue the current one

**Start a new session when:**

- You've completed the task you came to do
- You're switching to a completely different domain (finished plugin updates, now want to work on content)
- The current session has gotten very long and responses feel slower
- You're coming back the next day

**Stay in the current session when:**

- You're in the middle of a multi-step task that Lola is orchestrating
- Lola is waiting for a confirmation and you need to give it
- You're iterating on something: adjusting a batch operation, refining a draft

There's no penalty for starting a new session. Continuity is built into the memory, not the conversation.

### Prompts that work well

**For audits and diagnostics:**

- *"Run a security audit and tell me what actually needs my attention."*
- *"Which plugins haven't been updated in over 90 days?"*
- *"Show me orders that need action."*

**For batch operations:**

- *"Update all plugins except Elementor. Show me the list first."*
- *"Raise prices 15% across the Winter Gear category. Show me examples before you apply it."*

**For reports:**

- *"How much did we sell this month vs. last month?"*
- *"Which products are generating the most revenue this quarter?"*

**For getting unstuck:**

- *"What was the last thing we worked on with the navigation menu?"*
- *"What do you remember about the plugin conflict we had last month?"*
- *"What were the pending items from our last session?"*

### What to do when Lola gets something wrong

She will occasionally get something wrong. The right response is to correct her directly:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaCorrectionThat's not right, the order was for $89, not $59.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Correcting memory: order #1042 total $89, not $59. Updating my reference for future sessions.Memory updated ✓You're misremembering that plugin situation. It wasn't Elementor causing the conflict, it was the caching plugin.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)Got it. Reassigning the March conflict to the caching plugin, clearing the false flag on Elementor.Conflict re-attributed ✓ She'll update her understanding for the current session and, where appropriate, correct the memory for future sessions. Direct correction is more efficient and produces better memory than working around errors or starting over.

### Knowing when you've hit a boundary

Lola will tell you when something is outside what she can do. She won't fake it or try to work around it in ways that could cause problems.

*"I can't access your server configuration directly, that's outside WordPress's scope. But I can check your PHP settings from within WordPress."*

*"I don't have access to your email inbox, so I can't read the order notification. Share the order number and I'll pull it from WooCommerce."*

When she says she can't do something, take it at face value.

Next: [The Ecosystem Effect: When Addons Work Together](#cross-addon-intelligence)

The Ecosystem Effect: When Addons Work Together
-----------------------------------------------

Each LolaCore addon gives Lola a new set of tools for a specific domain. WooCommerce Pro for your store. WPCode Snippets for custom code. Fluent Support for your helpdesk.

Used individually, each addon is already significant. But something different happens when Lola has access to two or three addons at once: she starts making connections between them that no individual tool could make, and that no human switching between tabs would easily notice.

This isn't a designed feature that had to be built. It's an emergent property of how the system works, one AI with persistent memory and access to multiple domains simultaneously. The connections happen because Lola sees the whole picture.

### A real example: the ticket that needed order data

A customer opened a support ticket: "I requested a refund three days ago and my card hasn't been credited yet."

Without cross-addon access, the support workflow looks like this: read the ticket in Fluent Support, switch to WooCommerce, search for the order, find the refund record, check the status, switch back to Fluent Support, draft the response manually.

With both addons active, Lola handles the whole chain:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaTicket + OrderOpen ticket #847.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)**Ticket #847**, Maria López. Opened May 5, priority: high. Her message: 'I requested a refund for order #2041 three days ago and my card hasn't been credited.' She has 2 previous tickets, both resolved. Customer since January, 7 orders, $430 total spend.  
  
Her order #2041 was refunded on May 3 via Stripe. Refund status: succeeded. Amount: $59.90. Stripe typically takes 5–10 business days to credit the card.  
  
Want me to draft a response?Ticket + order linked ✓ Lola didn't read the ticket and wait for you to look up the order. She read the ticket and looked up the order herself, because she has both systems available in the same conversation. The response she drafts includes the exact refund date, the amount, and the correct timeline, all pulled from real data.

### Lateral reasoning across domains

Lola doesn't treat each addon as an isolated toolset. She sees the whole ecosystem and reasons across it, including cases where the goal is achievable through a different route than the one you asked for.

A practical example: you want checkout to auto-complete orders that contain only virtual or downloadable products. WooCommerce doesn't have a native setting for this. Lola doesn't stop at "there's no option for that." She recognizes the goal can be achieved with a targeted WooCommerce hook and shifts to WPCode Snippets:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaWPCode SnippetsI want virtual product orders to complete automatically without me having to do it manually.![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)WooCommerce doesn't have a native setting for that, but it's a clean 10-line snippet using `woocommerce_payment_complete_order_status`. When all items in an order are virtual or downloadable, the status goes straight to 'completed' instead of 'processing.' I can write and register it in WPCode. Want to see the code first?Snippet draft ready ✓ No explicit instruction told her to use WPCode. She knew it was available, she knew the WooCommerce hook that solves the problem, and she connected them. The goal is achievable. Lola finds the way.

### The stack audit: one question, two domains

WordPress sites naturally accumulate plugins over time. Some handle critical integrations. Others do one small thing that seemed worth a separate installation at the time, a header injection, a login page tweak, a minor display behavior. After a few years, a functional site might have thirty active plugins doing very different things.

WPCode Snippets alone can tell you which single-purpose utilities could be a short snippet instead. WooCommerce Pro alone can tell you which reporting functions it covers natively. With both active, Lola can run the combined audit:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaStack AuditLooking at my active plugins, which ones are now redundant or replaceable given what I have installed?![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)With WooCommerce Pro active, your third-party sales reporting plugin is fully covered. I've also found 4 plugins doing things that a short snippet handles just as well: a header/footer injection utility, a login page CSS customization (8 lines), a maintenance mode toggle (12 lines), and an admin bar visibility rule (3 lines). Replacing those 4 removes their stylesheet loads, their script loads, and 4 entries from your options table. Want me to start with the snippets and show you the code before activating anything?5 plugins replaceable · audit ready ✓ Neither addon alone could run that audit. Lola needs both to see the complete picture.

### Memory as the connective tissue

The cross-addon connections aren't just real-time. They compound through memory.

WooCommerce Pro remembers your store's campaigns, your pricing decisions, your seasonal patterns. WPCode Snippets remembers the code it's written, why each snippet was created, and what behavior it changes. As these memories accumulate, Lola starts making connections that span months:

![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)LolaMemory RecallHow did the Christmas sale go?![Lola](https://lolacore.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/lolacore-favicon.png)**December revenue: $28,400**, up 45% from November. The XMAS20 coupon was used 89 times. Your Black Friday campaign brought in 34 new customers, 12 of whom came back in December without a coupon, a 35% repeat purchase rate. Best-seller was the Gift Pack at 67 units. And the floating banner we built for Black Friday I reused as the base for the Christmas one, just updating the text and dates. She connected the November decision to create the Gift Pack, the December sales numbers, the coupon from the Black Friday campaign, and the banner snippet used in both promotions. WooCommerce Pro's store data, WPCode Snippets' code history, and the persistent memory that tied it all together.

### The pattern to internalize

The more addons Lola has active, the more she can do, not just by addition but by multiplication.

One addon gives her a domain. Two addons give her the ability to connect two domains. Three addons give her something closer to a complete picture of your business operations. The ceiling isn't the tools available in any single addon. It's the breadth of context Lola can draw from when solving a problem.

If you're running a WooCommerce store and also managing customer support and custom code: the full stack isn't just a convenience. It's the difference between an AI that handles tasks and an AI that understands your business.

### Getting started with multiple addons

There's no special setup for cross-addon features. Install the addons, activate them, and Lola immediately has access to all the domains they provide.

The cross-addon capabilities appear naturally as you work. You don't need to tell Lola to cross-reference two systems. She does it when it's relevant. The first time she brings in WooCommerce order data while responding to a Fluent Support ticket, without being asked, you'll understand what this section was about.

Next: [Requirements & Compatibility](#requirements)

 Block 1Getting Started
---------------

Everything needed to go from zero to first conversation.

Requirements & Compatibility
--------------------------------

RequirementMinimumWordPress7.0 or higherPHP8.1 or higherAI provider accountAnthropic, OpenAI, or DeepSeek (one is enough)That's the complete list. LolaCore has no other mandatory dependencies.

### WordPress 7.0

LolaCore is built on the native AI Client introduced in WordPress 7.0. This is what eliminates the dependency on third-party packages for AI communication. Everything goes through WordPress's own standardized interface.

If your site is on WordPress 6.x, LolaCore will not activate. This is a hard requirement and cannot be bypassed.

To check your version: go to wp-admin → Dashboard → Updates. The current WordPress version is shown at the top.

### PHP 8.1

LolaCore uses several PHP 8.x language features that don't exist in earlier versions. PHP 8.1 is the minimum; PHP 8.2 and above work without issues.

To check your PHP version: wp-admin → Tools → Site Health → Info → Server.

Most modern hosting providers run PHP 8.1 or higher by default. If yours doesn't, the PHP version can usually be changed in your hosting control panel, the process varies by host.

### An AI provider account

LolaCore doesn't include an AI model. You connect your own account from one of three supported providers:

- **Anthropic**: Makes Claude (Sonnet, Opus, Haiku). Strong reasoning, excellent at following complex instructions.
- **OpenAI**: Makes GPT-4o and related models. Widely used, extensive documentation, broad capability.
- **DeepSeek**: Makes DeepSeek V4 models. Capable reasoning models with competitive pricing.

You only need one. All three work with the full LolaCore feature set. You can switch providers at any time without losing your memory or configuration.

### What LolaCore does NOT require

- **No Composer or npm.** No build tools, no terminal access, no developer setup. Install and activate like any WordPress plugin.
- **No special hosting.** LolaCore runs on shared hosting, VPS, managed WordPress hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel), or any environment that meets the WordPress and PHP requirements.
- **No external database.** All memory, logs, and configuration live in your existing WordPress database, in five dedicated tables.
- **No account with LolaCore.** The free core plugin requires no registration, no account, and no API key from us. You bring your own key from your AI provider.
- **No constant internet connection.** Lola only makes external requests when you send a message in the chat. Site scanning, memory reads, and settings changes happen locally.

### Optional: WooCommerce

The WooCommerce domain (13 abilities) activates automatically when WooCommerce is installed and active on your site. If WooCommerce isn't present, the domain is simply not available, no error, no warning, no impact on the rest of LolaCore.

### Addon requirements

AddonRequiresWooCommerce ProLolaCore core + WooCommerce active + valid licenseWPCode SnippetsLolaCore core + WPCode active + valid licenseFluent SupportLolaCore core + Fluent Support active + valid licenseAddons validate their dependencies at activation. If a required plugin is missing, the addon shows an admin notice and waits, it doesn't cause errors.

### Multisite

LolaCore is designed for single-site installations. Multisite compatibility is not supported in the current version.

Next: [Installing LolaCore](#installation)

Installing LolaCore
-------------------

Before you start, confirm your site meets the requirements: WordPress 7.0+ and PHP 8.1+. Check wp-admin → Tools → Site Health if you're not sure.

### Step 1: Install from WordPress.org

1. In your wp-admin, go to **Plugins → Add New Plugin**
2. Search for **LolaCore**
3. Click **Install Now**
4. Click **Activate**

No configuration wizard. No setup form. That's the full installation.

**Alternative: manual install.** Download the plugin zip from wordpress.org/plugins/lolacore, then go to wp-admin → Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin. Upload the zip and activate.

### Step 2: Lola appears

The moment LolaCore activates, a floating chat widget appears at the bottom center of your wp-admin. You don't have to go looking for her. She shows up.

At the same time, she starts scanning your site in the background. Within 60 seconds, the scan collects:

- WordPress version, active theme, and pending updates
- All installed plugins with their versions and update status
- PHP version and server configuration
- Database size and health
- SSL status and basic security configuration
- WooCommerce setup (if WooCommerce is active)
- Content counts and user roles

This is what gives Lola her initial context. Before you've typed anything, she already knows your site.

### Step 3: Connect your AI provider

If you haven't configured an AI provider yet, the chat window will show a prompt asking you to set one up. Click the button: it takes you directly to the WordPress 7.0 AI settings screen, where the supported providers are already listed and ready to configure.

Paste your API key for your chosen provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or DeepSeek) and save. That's all.

Once your key is saved, come back to the chat window and start talking.

### Step 4: Choose your model (optional)

In wp-admin → Lola → Settings → General, you'll find a dropdown listing all models available for your configured provider. Select the one you want to use.

If you don't select a model, LolaCore uses the first available model in the list. You can change this at any time, the switch takes effect on your next message.

### Step 5: Your first conversation

You don't need a specific prompt. Lola already has context from the scan. A simple starting point:

"What does my site look like right now?" She'll give you a current snapshot: WordPress version, active plugins, any pending updates, WooCommerce status if applicable, and anything that caught her attention. From there, ask her to do anything. The 75 core abilities are available immediately.

### Working with the chat widget

**Drag it anywhere.** The floating widget starts at the bottom center of your screen, but you can drag it anywhere that's convenient. It remembers its position.

**Minimize vs. close.** Minimizing the chat collapses the window to just the avatar, the session stays active in the background. Closing the chat (X) ends the session. When you click the avatar to reopen, a new session starts. Either way, Lola's memory carries everything over.

**Resize the window.** The chat window is resizable. Drag the edges to make it wider or taller to fit your working style.

### What's created in your database

LolaCore creates five tables in your WordPress database on activation:

- wp\_lolacore\_memory — Lola's persistent memory facts
- wp\_lolacore\_log — History of all executed actions
- wp\_lolacore\_sessions — Chat session metadata
- wp\_lolacore\_messages — Conversation history
- wp\_lolacore\_config — Settings and scan data

These tables use your WordPress table prefix. On sites with a custom prefix, the prefix adjusts accordingly.

### Uninstalling

If you ever uninstall LolaCore, the uninstall routine removes all five database tables and all plugin data. Nothing is left behind.

Deactivating without uninstalling leaves everything intact, which is useful if you plan to reactivate later.

Next: [Activating Your License](#license-activation)

Activating Your License
-----------------------

The LolaCore core plugin is free and doesn't require a license of any kind. Premium addons, WooCommerce Pro, WPCode Snippets, and Fluent Support, each require an active license. The license is per site, per addon, and renews annually.

### Finding your license key

When you purchase an addon from lolacore.com, Lemon Squeezy (our payment and license platform) sends your license key immediately by email. Check your inbox and spam folder for a confirmation email from Lemon Squeezy. Your key is in that email.

Each addon has its own key. If you purchased the bundle, you received two keys: one for WooCommerce Pro and one for WPCode Snippets.

### Activating an addon license

Before activating, make sure:

1. The LolaCore core plugin is installed and active
2. The addon plugin is installed and active
3. Any required third-party plugin is installed and active (WooCommerce for WooCommerce Pro, WPCode for WPCode Snippets, Fluent Support for Fluent Support)

Then:

1. Go to **wp-admin → Lola → Settings**
2. Scroll to the **What Lola Can Do** section, you'll see your installed addons listed with a "Manage license" link beneath each one
3. Click **Manage license** for the addon you want to activate
4. Paste your license key and click **Activate**

Activation is instant and requires an internet connection (the key is verified with lolacore.com). Once activated, the addon's full capabilities are immediately available.

### Activating the bundle

If you purchased the bundle, activate each addon separately. Both use different keys and each activation is independent. The order doesn't matter.

### What an active license gives you

- Plugin updates delivered via the standard WordPress update mechanism (wp-admin → Dashboard → Updates)
- Support through the LolaCore support system

### What happens when a license expires

If you don't renew before the expiration date:

- The addon stops working when the license expires
- The addon's abilities disappear from Lola's available tools
- Your data stays intact. WooCommerce orders, WPCode snippets, Fluent Support tickets are unaffected
- Lola's memory, including everything she learned while the addon was active, stays in your database

If you renew later, reactivating the license restores full functionality immediately, including the memory context Lola built while the addon was previously active.

### Managing your subscription

Renewals, cancellations, payment method changes, and invoice downloads are all handled through the Lemon Squeezy customer portal. The link to your portal is in your original purchase confirmation email.

If you can't find the email, access the portal directly at app.lemonsqueezy.com using the email address you purchased with.

### Transferring a license to a different site

Licenses are single-site. If you move your site to a new domain, deactivate the license from the current site first (wp-admin → Lola → Settings → Manage license → Deactivate), then activate it on the new site.

### Troubleshooting

**"License key not found."** Check for typos. License keys are case-sensitive. Copy and paste directly from your email rather than typing manually.

**"This key is already in use."** The key is active on another site. Deactivate it there first, or contact support if you don't recognize the site it's registered to.

**"Could not connect to license server."** Your server may have outbound HTTP requests blocked. Check with your hosting provider that wp-admin can make external HTTPS requests.

**The addon is installed but the "Manage license" link doesn't appear.** The addon's required dependency may not be active. Check that the third-party plugin it requires is installed and activated.

Next: [Connecting Your AI Provider](#api-provider-setup)

Connecting Your AI Provider
---------------------------

LolaCore doesn't include an AI model. It connects to whichever providers you've configured in the **WordPress AI Connectors panel**, the native provider management screen that WordPress 7.0 introduced.

This setup is independent of LolaCore. If you've already configured a provider before installing LolaCore, Lola detects it automatically. If you deactivate and reactivate LolaCore, or uninstall and reinstall it, your provider configuration is unaffected. It lives in WordPress, not in the plugin.

When you send a message in the chat, LolaCore routes it to your selected provider and returns the response. The conversation goes directly from your WordPress site to your provider's servers. You pay your provider directly, at their standard rates, with no markup from us.

### Where to configure your API keys

Go to **wp-admin → Settings → AI** (or search for "AI" in the wp-admin menu). This is the WordPress 7.0 AI Connectors panel, where you add and manage provider connections.

LolaCore can see any provider you connect here. You can configure one provider or several, all of them become available for model selection in LolaCore's settings.

### The three supported providers

**Anthropic** makes the Claude family of models (Sonnet, Opus, Haiku). Claude has strong reasoning capabilities and follows complex, multi-step instructions reliably, both qualities that matter for an agent executing real actions on your site.

Get a key: console.anthropic.com → Create an account → API Keys → Create Key. Copy the key immediately (you won't see it again after closing the window).

**OpenAI** makes GPT-4o and related models. Widely used, extensive documentation, broad general capability.

Get a key: platform.openai.com → Create an account → API Keys → Create new secret key. Copy it immediately.

**DeepSeek** makes the DeepSeek V4 family. Capable reasoning models, particularly strong at structured tasks.

Get a key: platform.deepseek.com → Create an account → API Keys → Create API Key. Copy it.

**DeepSeek note:** If you're using an older DeepSeek model (deepseek-chat or deepseek-reasoner), switch to a V4 model in LolaCore's Settings → AI Model. The older names are being retired in July 2026. ### Selecting your model in LolaCore

Once your provider is connected in the WordPress AI panel, open **wp-admin → Lola → Settings → General**.

The AI Model dropdown lists every model available across all your connected providers. If you have Anthropic and DeepSeek both configured, you'll see all their models together. Select the one you want Lola to use.

If you don't make a selection, Lola uses the first available model in the list.

### Adding providers and switching models

You can connect multiple providers and switch between models at any time. Your memory, conversation history, and all LolaCore settings are stored in your WordPress database and are independent of the provider. Switching from Anthropic to DeepSeek doesn't affect anything except which API receives your next message.

### Which provider should you use?

Any of them works well for the full range of LolaCore tasks. Plugin management, WooCommerce operations, content management, security audits, all run reliably across all three providers.

Where differences emerge: tasks involving complex reasoning chains (diagnosing a performance issue, running a multi-step campaign) tend to benefit from the more capable models within each provider's lineup. Simpler, high-frequency tasks (checking stock, running a quick query, creating a draft) run well on faster, lighter models.

Start with whichever provider you already have an account with. If you're new to all three, any of them is a valid starting point.

### Your keys are not stored by LolaCore

API keys are managed entirely by WordPress in the AI Connectors panel. LolaCore reads the provider connection from there. It never stores your keys directly, never logs them, and never includes them in memory or any exported data.

If you ever need to rotate a key, do it in the WordPress AI panel. LolaCore picks up the change automatically.

Next: [Settings Panel Reference](#settings-panel)

Settings Panel Reference
------------------------

As of **1.9.0**, the Lola admin menu is split into focused pages. **Settings** holds site-wide configuration — model, memory, ability domains, safety, and maintenance. **Skills** and **Playbooks** moved to their own submenu pages.

Menu itemWhat you configure**Settings**Model, persona, memory, domains, safety, maintenance[Skills](#skills)Behavioral overlays[Playbooks](#playbooks)Domain manuals[MCP Settings](#mcp-integration)IDE connection (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.)**Addons**Catalog, licenses, activationOpen **wp-admin → Lola → Settings**. The page has **seven numbered sections**:

1. **Lola's Brain (AI Model)**
2. **Communication Style**
3. **Lola's Avatar**
4. **Memory Settings**
5. **What Lola Can Do** (+ Expansions catalog)
6. **Safety & Confirmations**
7. **Maintenance**

### 1. Lola's Brain (AI Model)

Lola uses models from **Settings → Connectors** (WordPress AI). Pick **Automatic** or a specific provider/model pair. API keys are configured in Connectors, not here. Change takes effect on your next message.

[How to set up your AI provider →](#api-provider-setup)

### 2. Communication Style

- **Technical** — Dev terminology, shows code, no basics.
- **Professional** — Clear language without jargon. Default.
- **Direct** — Minimal talk, maximum action.

### 3. Lola's Avatar

Custom chat image (JPG, PNG, WebP; 128×128 recommended) or restore default.

### 4. Memory Settings

SettingDefaultWhat it doesDecay Rate`0.02`How fast older facts fadeArchive Threshold`0.10`Score below which facts archiveMax Context Entries`20`Facts injected per turnLog Retention90 daysAction log retention[Persistent Memory chapter →](#persistent-memory)

### 5. What Lola Can Do

Toggle ability **domains** on or off. Disabling removes tools from Lola's active set without deleting them. Premium addon domains show license/configure links.

**Expansions** — catalog cards for discovering addons that teach Lola new domains. Install and license from **Lola → Addons**.

### 6. Safety & Confirmations

- **Confirm before every write action** — Default **ON**. Recommended.
- **Block destructive actions without verified backup** — Default OFF.
- **Learning mode** — Default **OFF**. Extra explanation before previews while you're learning.

### 7. Maintenance

**Re-scan site** · **Export memory** · **Import memory** · **Compact memory** · **Wipe all memory** (type WIPE to confirm; irreversible).

### What moved out of Settings (1.9.0)

FeatureNew locationSkills**Lola → Skills**Playbooks**Lola → Playbooks**MCP connection UI**Lola → MCP Settings**Next: [Skills](#skills)

Skills
------

Skills change how Lola thinks about specific situations. When a conversation matches certain keywords or patterns, Lola loads short behavioral guides that shape her judgment for that specific turn.

You see the difference immediately. Ask Lola to delete 200 draft posts, and the `destructive-bulk-protocol` skill activates: she calculates the exact scope, offers exclusions, and shows a preview before touching anything. Ask her to write a blog post, and `content-writing-craft` kicks in to keep her prose away from generic AI patterns.

Skills shape judgment, not capabilities. They don't give Lola access to new data or new actions. Think of them as specialized training that activates on demand.

### Built-in skills

LolaCore ships with 10 built-in skills, tested against the engine. They cover the most common gaps between what a general-purpose AI model does and what a WordPress admin agent needs to do well.

SkillWhat it does`skill-author`Teaches Lola how to create valid skill files when you ask her to build one`destructive-bulk-protocol`Forces a 4-step safety protocol before any mass deletion or purge`wp-conventions-expert`Prevents mistakes with slugs, meta keys, post statuses, and autoload options`block-editor-shaper`Ensures Lola uses proper Gutenberg block markup when editing post content`action-log-narrator`Structures Lola's responses when you ask about her action history or request an undo`code-explainer`When Lola delivers code, she explains what it does, where it goes, and how to test it`memory-hygiene`Teaches Lola to update and archive memory facts instead of accumulating contradictions`lolacore-self-knowledge`Gives Lola a structured way to explain what LolaCore is and how it works`content-writing-craft`Anti-AI prose discipline for any content Lola writes for your site`conversion-copy-strategist`Adds CRO frameworks when Lola writes commercial copy (headlines, value props, sales pages)You don't toggle individual skills. They're managed as a group through the master toggle. When the master is ON, all 10 are available. When it's OFF, none of them fire.

Premium addons can register their own skills through the same engine. When an addon is active and the master toggle is ON, its skills appear in the built-in list with a badge showing which addon they come from. Deactivating the addon removes its skills automatically.

### How skills activate

Skills don't run on every conversation. Each skill defines triggers: keywords, regex patterns, or intent labels that match against your message. When you type something that matches, that skill's instructions get added to Lola's reasoning for that turn.

For example, `destructive-bulk-protocol` triggers on words like "delete", "remove", "wipe", "purge", "borra", "eliminar". If your message contains any of those words, the skill activates. If you're asking about revenue or updating a plugin, it stays dormant.

Multiple skills can activate on the same message. The engine sorts by priority and applies two safety caps:

- **Maximum 5 skills per message.** If more than 5 match, the lowest-priority ones are dropped.
- **6,000-character budget.** Skill bodies enter whole or not at all. If the combined text exceeds the budget, the lowest-priority skill gets dropped until it fits.

### The Skills page (Lola → Skills)

As of 1.9.0, Skills live on their own page: **wp-admin → Lola → Skills**.

**Master toggle: Enable LolaCore Skills.** When ON, Lola loads and matches all built-in skills on every request. When OFF, the skill engine is bypassed entirely. Lola operates on her baseline instructions only.

**Default for new installations:** ON. **Default after upgrading:** OFF. LolaCore never changes behavior without your explicit consent. After upgrading, a one-time notice in wp-admin invites you to enable skills.

**Performance impact:** Skills add roughly 100-500ms of processing time and 5-15% to API costs per request. Most conversations trigger 0-2 skills. Simple questions like "how many orders today?" typically trigger none.

**Beta toggle: Enable custom skills.** A second toggle controls custom skills. Custom skills let you teach Lola new behaviors: import from external sources, create them with Lola's help (via `skill-author`), or drop `.md` files into `wp-content/lolacore-skills/`. Requires the master toggle to be ON. The first time you enable it, a modal asks you to acknowledge the experimental nature of custom skills.

### How a skill file looks

Every skill is a Markdown file with YAML frontmatter at the top and a body below:

```
---
name: my-custom-skill
description: Reminds Lola to check stock levels before recommending promotions.
---
# Stock check before promotions
Before recommending any discount, sale, or promotional campaign, check the
current stock levels for the affected products. If any product has fewer than
10 units in stock, flag it explicitly and suggest adjusting the scope.
```

The `name` and `description` are the only required fields. Optional fields include `triggers` (keywords, regex, intents), `conditions` (required plugins, user capability, locale), `always` (fires on every message), `priority` (0-100, built-ins range 60-80), and `writes_data`.

The body is plain text injected verbatim into Lola's system prompt when the skill activates. Keep bodies under 1,500 characters. The engine has a shared budget, and oversized skills crowd out others.

### Skill precedence

When two skills share the same name, the engine applies a fixed precedence order:

1. **Filesystem** (`wp-content/lolacore-skills/`) wins over everything
2. **Database** (imported or Lola-created) overrides addons and built-ins
3. **Addon-registered** overrides built-ins
4. **Built-in** (shipped with LolaCore core) is the baseline

### Lifecycle of a custom skill

Custom skills follow a simple lifecycle: **Inactive → Active → Archived**. New skills always start inactive. You activate them after reviewing the content. Deactivating keeps the skill in the database but stops it from firing. Archiving hides it from the admin panel without deleting the data.

Lola has abilities for managing the lifecycle directly through chat:

AbilityWhat it does`addSkill`Creates a new skill draft (starts inactive)`activateSkill`Turns on an inactive skill`deactivateSkill`Turns off an active skill`updateSkill`Modifies the content of an existing skill`listSkills`Shows all skills with their current status`deleteSkill`Permanently removes a skill### Things to know

**Skills don't stack unpredictably.** The engine sorts by priority, caps at 5 per message, and enforces a character budget. Even with 30 custom skills loaded, Lola never gets more than 5 on a single turn.

LolaCore uses its own lightweight YAML parser. It supports plain values, inline arrays, block arrays, and nested maps up to 2 levels deep. Multiline scalars (`|` or `>`), anchors (`&`), aliases (`*`), and tags (`!!`) are not supported. If you paste a skill that uses advanced YAML features, the parser rejects it with a specific error pointing to the exact line.

The validator catches common mistakes before a skill enters the system. Names are auto-sanitized to kebab-case. Descriptions over 200 characters get truncated. Priorities outside 0-100 are clamped. Regex patterns are test-compiled before the skill is accepted.

The skill registry uses a two-layer cache (transient + config snapshot) that self-invalidates when filesystem changes are detected. If you add a file to `wp-content/lolacore-skills/` and don't see it immediately, wait a minute for the cache to refresh, or use **Reload skills** on the Skills page.

Next: [Playbooks](#playbooks)

Playbooks
---------

### Lola's Operational Intelligence

Lola's WordPress abilities are her hands — install a plugin, edit a post, run a report. On top of those actions sits **Lola's Operational Intelligence**: three layers that decide what she remembers, how she behaves, and what she already knows about your domain before she plans or writes.

LayerWhat it holdsExample**[Persistent Memory](#persistent-memory)**Facts learned about your site over time"The client rejected the previous header on Tuesday"**[Skills](#skills)**How to handle a task when certain words or patterns appearA 4-step safety protocol before bulk deletions**Playbooks**What exists in a domain and which rules applyFSE layer map, SEO audit rules, your brand paletteMemory tells Lola what happened on *your* site. Skills shape *how* she executes. Playbooks tell her *what the domain looks like* before she plans or writes. All three layers work together every session.

This chapter covers playbooks — the domain-manual layer. For the other two layers, see the linked chapters above.

### What playbooks do

A playbook is a curated manual for one area of work: your brand guidelines, your FSE build conventions, an internal client brief. When Lola works in that domain, she reads the matching playbook and follows the rules in it. You write it once; she applies it every session.

Playbooks hold **domain knowledge** — what exists, how pieces relate, and which rules apply. The body is capped at 6,000 characters: enough for one focused rulebook, not a wiki export.

### Built-in and addon playbooks (read-only)

LolaCore core and **LolaCore-developed addons** ship playbooks maintained by our team — whether the addon is free or paid. Core includes examples such as `playbook-format` and `plugin-development`; most addons in the catalog will gain their own playbooks over time.

**Read-only.** You can view them in **Lola → Playbooks**, but you cannot edit, deactivate, or replace them. They are tuned to improve how LolaCore and its addons perform in your site — not user content you customize.

When an addon is active, its playbooks appear in the list with an **Addon** origin badge, under the same read-only rules.

### Your playbooks — what you create

Everything you add lives in the **Database** group on the Playbooks page:

- Playbooks you write manually in wp-admin
- Playbooks saved after **Upload playbook** (file distillation)
- Playbooks Lola creates when you ask her in chat or via MCP

Your playbooks use **your** slugs (`client-brand-voice`, `agency-checkout-rules`, etc.). Pick names that do not match built-in or addon slugs already in the list. You control them: edit, activate, deactivate, delete.

New playbooks always start **inactive** until you review and activate them.

### How Lola uses a playbook

Playbooks do not load on every message. Lola consults them when the work matches:

1. **Ability use** — If a playbook declares `ability_prefixes` and Lola invokes a matching ability, the playbook body attaches to that tool response once per turn.
2. **Keyword hints** — Playbooks can declare `triggers.keywords` so Lola gets a lightweight hint to call `read_playbook` when your message touches that domain.
3. **Explicit request** — You or an MCP agent can call `read_playbook` or ask Lola to load a specific slug at any time.

Lola also has `list_playbooks` to see what is available.

### The Playbooks panel

Find it at **wp-admin → Lola → Playbooks**.

As of 1.9.0, Skills moved to its own submenu (**Lola → Skills**). Playbooks and Skills are sibling managers under Lola's Operational Intelligence — site-wide configuration stays in [Settings](#settings-panel).

The page groups entries by origin:

- **Built-in** — Shipped with LolaCore core (read-only)
- **Addon** — Shipped with active LolaCore addons, free or paid (read-only)
- **Database** — Playbooks you own (editable, toggleable, deletable)

Database playbooks show an on/off toggle. Row actions on your playbooks: **View**, **Edit**, **Delete**. Built-in and addon entries are view-only.

Top actions:

- **New playbook** — Write markdown manually
- **Upload playbook** — Distill a document file (admin only — see below)
- **Reload playbooks** — Refresh the list after an addon update

### Three ways to add a playbook

Pick the path based on where your source material already lives:

- **A file on disk** (client brief, process doc, training export) → **Upload a document** in wp-admin.
- **Text you already have** (rules you type, a brief you paste, notes from a call) → **Ask Lola in the LolaCore chat**.
- **Nothing written yet** → **Write manually** in wp-admin.

The **LolaCore chat does not accept file uploads** — only text you type or paste.

### Path A — Upload a document (wp-admin only)

Use this when you have a file on disk: client brief, process doc, training export.

1. Go to **Lola → Playbooks** and click **Upload playbook**.
2. Choose a file: **TXT, MD, DOCX, or HTML** (PDF is not supported in v1).
3. LolaCore extracts the text and sends it to your configured AI provider for distillation.
4. Review the draft on the **Review distilled playbook** screen. Edit the markdown, add optional regeneration instructions, or click **Regenerate**.
5. Click **Save playbook**. The result is stored as an **inactive** database playbook.
6. Activate when you are satisfied.

Distillation uses **your** API key (BYOK), the same provider stack as chat. Nothing is sent to LolaCore servers.

If the extracted text exceeds the upload limit, a modal explains how many characters you are over. Split the source document into sections and upload each section separately, or paste a shorter excerpt into the LolaCore chat and ask Lola to build a playbook from that text.

**File upload exists only in wp-admin.** The LolaCore chat accepts pasted text, not attachments.

### Path B — Ask Lola in the LolaCore chat (text only)

Use this when your source material is already text — rules you type, a brief you paste, bullet points from a call.

1. Paste or describe the content in the LolaCore chat.
2. Ask Lola to turn it into a playbook (she formats markdown with frontmatter and calls `create_playbook`).
3. The draft saves as **inactive**. Review it under **Lola → Playbooks** or ask Lola to adjust it.
4. Activate when ready — from the Playbooks page or by asking Lola.

There is no file upload in the LolaCore chat. If your material lives in a Word document, export or copy the text first, or use **Upload playbook** in wp-admin instead.

### Path C — Write manually (wp-admin)

1. Click **New playbook**.
2. Write full markdown with YAML frontmatter between `---` lines, then the body.
3. Click **Save playbook**. It lands in the database as **inactive**.
4. Review, then activate.

The built-in `playbook-format` playbook is the authoritative contract. The sections below explain every metadata field, which formats are strict, and why a manual save can fail.

### Frontmatter — metadata reference

Every playbook file has two parts:

1. **Frontmatter** — YAML metadata between opening and closing `---` lines at the top of the file.
2. **Body** — Markdown below the closing `---`, where the actual domain knowledge lives.

When you click **Save playbook**, LolaCore parses the frontmatter, validates every field, then checks body size. **Hard errors block the save** and return a message naming the field (for example `Invalid semver in 'version'`). **Warnings** (missing recommended sections, description truncated) may still save.

### Required fields (hard contract)

These three fields must be present, non-empty strings. Missing any of them fails validation.

FieldFormatPurpose`name`kebab-case slugUnique identifier. Shown in the Playbooks list and used by `read_playbook`. Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only — spaces and capitals are auto-sanitized (e.g. `My Brand` → `my-brand`).`description`Plain text, max **200 characters**One-line summary in the admin list. Longer text is truncated with a warning, not rejected.`domain`Short labelGroups the playbook by area of work (`brand`, `woocommerce`, `fse`, `plugin_builder`, etc.). Free-form string; use a consistent label across your agency playbooks.**Do not rename PH0 after saving.** The database row is keyed to the original slug. To change the identifier, create a new playbook and delete the old one. Editing the body is fine; changing `name:` on an existing entry can desync the list from the stored slug.

### Optional fields (hard format when present)

If you include these keys, their **shape and values are strict**. Wrong format = save blocked.

FieldFormatPurpose`type`Exactly `system` or `project``project` = your site or client rules (default for database playbooks). `system` = infrastructure-style manuals. Any other value (e.g. `custom`, `internal`) **rejects the save**.`version`Semver