Integrations

Works with the tools you already use.

Design in whatever tool you like, connect the AI assistant you already pay for, publish from the writing app you already own, and talk to everything else over a REST API, a PHP API or the command line.

Design tools

Bring your own front end.

Total CMS never dictates your markup. Hand-code it, generate it or design it visually, then drop in Total CMS tags where the content goes.

Stacks

Total CMS is the CMS of choice for the Stacks web building community, with dedicated CMS stacks for every content type, collection loop stacks, and deployment built in.

View the Stacks integration
Pinegrow
Design visually, export the HTML, and add the tags to the parts your client should edit.
Bootstrap Studio
Export the Bootstrap markup as it is. The tags go where the content goes; the classes stay yours.
Blocs
Export from Blocs and mark the editable parts. The layout you built is the layout that ships.
Hand-coded, or written by your agent
Any HTML works the same way. A coding agent connected over MCP can add the tags for you.
index.twig Exported from Pinegrow 
{# Your markup. Total CMS fills the content. #}
{% set hero = cms.collection.object('pages', 'home') %}

<section class="hero">
  <h1>{{ hero.title }}</h1>
  {{ cms.render.image(hero, {w: 1200},
       {collection: 'pages', property: 'photo'}) }}
</section>
Your client edits the title and swaps the photo in the admin. The section, its classes and its layout never leave your template. How templating works

AI clients

Connect your assistant in one click.

Standard and Pro sites serve an MCP server, so an agent reads your real schemas and content instead of guessing. The module connects to the Total CMS documentation; to connect a site of your own, point the same client at yoursite.com/mcp.

Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT
Anything that speaks MCP connects with one URL and no plugin on either end. ChatGPT gets the standard search and fetch tools, so deep research cites your content accurately.
Claude Code knows your version
tcms skill:install puts an agent skill matched to your installed Total CMS into the project, so the agent works from the conventions of the version you run.
Your own site, your rules
Standard exposes only what you publish publicly. Pro adds API keys and OAuth 2.1, so an agent can reach private content and write: scoped, revocable and logged.
How agents work with Total CMS
MCP client config 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "totalcms": {
      "url": "https://totalcms.co/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Claude Code 
claude mcp add --transport http totalcms https://totalcms.co/mcp
Or one click: Claude Desktop CursorVS Code

Apps & services

Publish from the app you write in.

Writing apps Pro

Total CMS answers the WordPress XML-RPC calls desktop and iOS writing apps already speak, so posts land straight in a blog collection.

  • MarsEdit
  • Ulysses
  • Byword
  • Open Live Writer

iA Writer isn’t supported: it publishes over the WordPress REST API, not XML-RPC.

Set up WordPress publishing

Services, bundled

Two extensions ship with Total CMS and connect it to a service you already have an account with.

Algolia Pro
Route MCP search through Algolia’s hosted keyword and neural index, falling back to built-in search if Algolia is unreachable.
Pushover Pro
A push notification to your phone when a form is submitted, with Twig templates, image attachments and delivery groups.
Every extension

Developers

If it speaks HTTP, it works.

Questions

Common questions.

Does Total CMS need RapidWeaver?

No. Total CMS started in 2015 as an add-on for Stacks and RapidWeaver, but Total CMS 3 is a standalone PHP application. It installs on any host with PHP 8.2 or later and needs no database. Build the site by hand, in the Site Builder, in a tool like Pinegrow, Bootstrap Studio or Blocs, or with a coding agent.

Can I still build with Stacks?

Yes. Stacks is one of the ways to design a Total CMS site, not a requirement. The Stacks integration gives you a CMS stack for every content type, collection loop stacks and built-in deployment, and the content it edits is the same content the admin, the REST API and the MCP server work with.

Try it with your own stack.

The free 45-day trial includes every Pro feature, API keys, OAuth and writing-app publishing among them, so you can wire Total CMS into your actual workflow before spending anything.

Start Free Trial Connect an AI client