Before you start

A WPTom template is a complete website project. You’ll run it on your computer, change it, and put it online. You don’t need to be a developer: if you can follow a recipe, you can follow these guides. This page lists what to set up once.

What you need

What	Why	Cost
A computer with macOS, Windows or Linux	To run the site while you work on it
Node.js 22.12 or newer	Runs the WPTom CLI and builds the site	Free
A code editor, e.g. VS Code	To open and change the project’s files	Free
Git	Saves versions of your work; wptom update uses it to merge updates	Free
A GitHub account	Stores your project online, so a host can publish it	Free
A host, e.g. Vercel	Puts your site on the internet	Free plan to start
A WPTom license, for PRO templates	Unlocks the template in the CLI	Pricing

Free templates work without a WPTom account.

Tip

Using an AI assistant such as Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code with Copilot or PhpStorm’s AI Assistant? Every template comes with instructions for it (AGENTS.md), and the WPTom MCP server lets it read these docs and your components. It can do most of the steps below with you.

The terminal, in two minutes

Most steps are one command typed in a terminal: a window where you type commands instead of clicking.

• macOS: press ⌘ Space, type Terminal, press Enter.
• Windows: press Win, type Terminal (or PowerShell), press Enter.
• Linux: open your distribution’s terminal (often Ctrl Alt T).
• VS Code has one built in: menu Terminal → New Terminal. It opens in your project folder, which is handy.

In the guides, a command looks like this:

node --version

Type it (or copy it) and press Enter. Don’t type the $ some pages show in front of example output; it only marks where the command starts.

Three things you’ll use all the time:

Command	What it does
cd my-site	change directory: go into the folder my-site
cd ..	go back up one folder
Ctrl C	stop the command that’s running (e.g. the local site)

The terminal always works “in” one folder. When a step says “in your project folder”, first cd into it.

Next

1. Install Node.js (skip if node --version shows 22.12 or newer).
2. Create your first site.