Classic Themes vs. Full-Site Editing

The short version

For building with AI, classic file-based themes — hybrid themes that still support blocks — styled with Tailwind tend to produce far better results than full-site editing (FSE) or page builders.

Why AI drifts in FSE and page builders

Full-site editing and builders are abstract by design. Styles can live in custom CSS, in classes the user overrides, and in templates the user overrides — many separate layers. Every layer is a place for the AI to lose track of what’s actually rendering, so the results drift.

Why classic themes work better

Classic themes keep markup and styles co-located in files the AI can read directly. Tailwind reinforces this: utility classes live right next to the markup, so the model can reason about the whole picture instead of guessing at a stylesheet it can’t see.

What about non-technical editors?

That’s the one real advantage FSE is meant to provide. The answer isn’t to hand everyone the full editor — it’s to expose the right surfaces deliberately. See AI Custom Fields.