wix-app

Wix App Builder

Helps build extensions for Wix CLI applications. Covers all extension types: dashboard pages, modals, plugins, menu plugins, custom element widgets, Editor React components, site plugins, embedded scripts, backend APIs, events, service plugins, and data collections.

Scaffolding is owned by the Wix CLI. Use wix generate --params for every supported type. It generates files and, where applicable, builder boilerplate, UUIDs, and src/extensions.ts registration. HTTP endpoints are discovered from files and need no registration. This skill provides the decision logic, API guidance, configuration semantics, and business-logic patterns that fill in the generated stubs.

⚠️ MANDATORY WORKFLOW CHECKLIST ⚠️

Before reporting completion to the user, ALL boxes MUST be checked:

• Step 1: Determined extension type(s) needed
  • Asked clarifying questions if requirements were unclear
  • 🛑 SDK-First Gate (MANDATORY before any Data Collection): Confirmed the data is NOT owned by an existing Wix app — if it is, use its SDK module, never CMS (see SDK-First Rule)
  • Checked for implicit Data Collection need — unless user provided a collection ID directly (see Data Collection Inference)
  • Obtained app namespace if Data Collection extension is being created
  • Determined full scoped collection IDs if Data Collection extension is being created (see Collection ID Coordination)
  • Explained recommendation with reasoning
• Step 2: Read extension reference file(s) for the chosen type(s) and the project-wide CODE_QUALITY.md

  • Dashboard page UI: Translated the prompt into a workflow before choosing components — what the user must understand, focus on, investigate, act on, and see confirmed. See UX Success Model, and Collection Toolkit for which component serves each need.

    • The page shows aggregate numbers, not only rows (SummaryBar) — unless the prompt asks for a single record. "How many, and which ones need me" is why someone opens a dashboard.
    • A row the user can open — WDS SidePanel to inspect without losing the filtered list, or EntityPage for deep or shareable detail — unless the prompt is explicitly a report or an export.
    • Every filter reaches the query: declared in the collection hook's filters and read inside fetchData. Filter UI that never narrows the rows is a defect that looks like a feature.

    A filtered table with none of the three is what gets built when nobody states the requirement — it is the most common way a generated dashboard disappoints.

  • 🛑 Patterns Docs Gate (MANDATORY for any dashboard page UI): Read WIX_PATTERNS_DOCS.md, then Read dist/dts-bundle/index.json for the component inventory, upgrading @wix/patterns if that file is missing. The patterns docs are only ever read directly from those two published files — never by hand from anywhere else in node_modules.

  • 🛑 Component Docs Gate (MANDATORY, dashboard UI only): Printed the doc for every patterns component, hook, and state type you are about to write — Read its file from dist/docs/index.json, and Read its bundled .d.ts from dist/dts-bundle/index.json for any patterns type you name in your own code. The inventory gives the name; the doc gives the props and the import path. Name what you read before the first line of JSX.

• Step 3: Checked API references; used MCP discovery only for gaps
  • Site/editor extensions only: kept SDK calls in the extension by default, routing out only business-wide methods a visitor genuinely cannot call (see Identity and Elevation Requirement)
• Step 4a: Scaffolded each CLI-supported extension via wix generate --params
• Step 4b: Filled in business logic in the generated files
  • 🛑 Component Selection Gate (MANDATORY, dashboard UI only): For every UI element on a Dashboard Page, resolved it against @wix/patterns BEFORE reaching for @wix/design-system — and never hand-rolled a component either library already provides. See Component Selection Order.
  • Invoked wix-design-system skill ONLY before editing the first .tsx/.jsx file that imports @wix/design-system. Skip for backend-only or data-only extensions.
  • WDS: imported @wix/design-system/styles.global.css in the main component entry file (page.tsx, modal .tsx, etc.) — not child/tab/helper files.
• Step 5: Ran validation (see Validation)
  • Dependencies installed
  • TypeScript compiled
  • Build succeeded
  • Preview deployed
• Step 6: Collected and presented ALL manual action items to user

🛑 STOP: If any box is unchecked, do NOT proceed to the next step.

❌ ANTI-PATTERNS (DO NOT DO)

Quick Decision Helper

1. What are you trying to build?

   • Admin interface → Dashboard Extensions
   • Backend logic → Backend Extensions
   • Data storage / CMS collections → Data Collection (app-owned data only — see SDK-First Rule)
   • Editor React component → Site Extensions (app projects only)

2. Who will see it?

   • Admin users only → Dashboard Extensions
   • Site visitors → Site Extensions
   • Server-side only → Backend Extensions

3. Where will it appear?

   • Dashboard sidebar/page →
     • Full admin screen: Dashboard Page — UI built with @wix/patterns + @wix/design-system (see Component Selection Order)
     • Popup/form: Dashboard Modal
   • Existing Wix app dashboard (widget) → Dashboard Plugin
   • Existing Wix app dashboard (menu item) → Dashboard Menu Plugin
   • Anywhere on site → custom element widget
   • Anywhere on site (with editor manifest) → Editor React component
   • Wix business solution page → Site Plugin
   • During business flow → Service Plugin
   • Exposing tools to the Wix AI assistant → App Tools
   • After event occurs → Backend Event Extension

Decision Flow (Not sure?)

• Admin: Admin screen in the site owner's dashboard? → Dashboard Page — build its UI with @wix/patterns first, @wix/design-system for whatever patterns does not cover (see Component Selection Order). Need popup/form? → Dashboard Modal. Extending Wix app dashboard with a visual widget? → Dashboard Plugin. Adding a menu item to a Wix app dashboard's more-actions or bulk-actions menu? → Dashboard Menu Plugin. Modal constraint: Dashboard Pages cannot use <Modal />; use a separate Dashboard Modal extension and dashboard.openModal().
• Backend: During business flow (checkout/shipping/tax)? → Service Plugin. Exposing tools to the Wix AI assistant? → App Tools (requires both APP_TOOLS declaration + TOOLS_PROVIDER_CONFIG handler — see APP_TOOLS.md). After event (webhooks/sync)? → Backend Event Extension. Custom HTTP endpoints? → Backend API. Need CMS collections for app-owned data? → Data Collection (see SDK-First Rule).
• Site: User places anywhere (standalone)? → custom element widget. Editor React component with editor manifest (styling, content, elements)? → Editor React component. Fixed slot on Wix app page? → Site Plugin. Scripts/analytics only? → Embedded Script.

Component Selection Order

Dashboard pages at Wix are built from two libraries. For every UI element, resolve in this order and stop at the first hit. Never skip a step, and never decide a component is missing from memory — check.

1. @wix/patterns — page structure and data collections

Patterns owns the page shell and everything collection-shaped. These concepts are patterns' territory — if you need one, look it up there first rather than assembling it from WDS parts:

Looking a component up is two direct file reads — no script, never node_modules browsed by hand. Resolve the installed package root once per session (Prerequisites), then reuse it. Start with what exists:

cat <pkgRoot>/dist/dts-bundle/index.json

Then read the doc for each name you plan to use, including the state types they cross-reference — Read <pkgRoot>/dist/docs/index.json to find the file, then Read it directly. Props and import paths exist only there, and patterns is not a flat namespace — @wix/patterns/page, /provider, /form — so an import from memory is a guess.

Each doc gives its import line, props table, and an example. For a TypeScript type rather than a component — Filter<T>, RangeItem<T>, CursorQuery, a ...Props interface — look it up the same way in dist/dts-bundle/index.json instead and Read the .d.ts at exactly the file path it gives; it's already fully resolved, which is what keeps a deep @wix/bex-core/dist/types/... path out of the tree.

If dist/dts-bundle/index.json doesn't exist, the installed @wix/patterns predates this feature — upgrade it, then re-check. See Prerequisites. A missing index is not a reason to fall through to step 2; it means the lookup has not happened yet. Falling through here is the single most common way a dashboard page ends up built entirely from WDS.

Full lookup workflow, provider selection, and the provider/page separation rule: WIX_PATTERNS_DOCS.md.

2. @wix/design-system — everything inside the shell

The leaf-level UI patterns does not own: inputs, buttons, form fields, text, layout primitives, cards, badges, tooltips, toasts, icons. Pick the component by lookup, not recall — invoke the wix-design-system skill, whose bundled helper reads the installed package:

node <wix-design-system-skill-dir>/scripts/wds.cjs search <keyword>
node <wix-design-system-skill-dir>/scripts/wds.cjs component <Name>

3. Custom React — only after both came back empty

Compose from WDS layout primitives (Box, Card, Text). Do not add a third UI dependency, and do not restyle patterns or WDS internals.

Overlaps and scope

• When both libraries ship the same concept (page header, page container), the patterns one wins inside a patterns page — it is the piece wired into the shell's layout and collection state. Use the WDS equivalent only outside a patterns page shell.
• Patterns has its own overlays. PickerModal / usePickerModal and bulkActionModal cover collection-related overlays. "It's a modal" is not a reason to leave patterns.
• Dashboard Plugins render outside a patterns page shell, so WDS is the default there. Patterns collection components still apply when such a surface displays a data collection.

Entity create and edit

Any dialog that creates, updates, or displays one record listed by a collection page is an EntityPage — not a Dashboard Modal. This holds whether the records come from a CMS collection or an existing Wix app's SDK. A create / "add new" form is included: it writes the record, so it is an EntityPage even though nothing is being edited yet. "It's a simple data-entry dialog, not an entity edit" is the wrong reading of this rule.

A page that lists nothing — a settings page, an embedded-script config page — carries no EntityPage obligation. But "I built the list without @wix/patterns" is not an exception: a page that lists records should be a CollectionPage.

This is the most common place the selection order gets dropped: the collection gets built correctly with patterns, then the "add item" flow is hand-built as a WDS form in a modal.

The documented flow:

1. From the collection page's action cell or primary action, call navigateToEntityPage({ path, entity }) from usePatternsNavigate(). (The patterns docs give this exact use case — "navigate to an entity page on an action cell click on a collection page" — and it renders the entity header immediately, before the fetch resolves.) On the create route there is no record to pass: omit entity and see ENTITY_PAGE_TOOLKIT.md § Create route, which is what the whole "add new" flow turns on.
2. Register the route with PatternsReactRoute inside PatternsReactRouter.
3. In the entity page, useEntityPage({ fetch, onSave }) owns fetching, saving, validation, dirty state, loading skeletons, and error states. Form state comes from useForm / useController in @wix/patterns/form. The call itself — both generics, what onSave receives, which params exist — is in ENTITY_PAGE_TOOLKIT.md.
4. Compose the body from EntityPage.Header, EntityPage.MainContent, EntityPage.AdditionalContent, and EntityPage.Card. WDS goes inside those cards — FormField, Input, Text for the individual fields.

Use a Dashboard Modal for dialogs that neither write nor display a listed record: a delete or discard confirmation, an unsaved-changes prompt, an informational notice, or any dialog on a page that lists nothing. Dialog size and field count are not exceptions — a one-field create form over a listed record is still an EntityPage. Reach for a modal because the interaction persists nothing, never because "the form should open in a modal."

Extension Types Reference Table

Key constraints:

• Dashboard Page cannot use <Modal />; use a separate Dashboard Modal and dashboard.openModal().

HTTP endpoints: Generate with extensionType: "HTTP_ENDPOINT" (not BACKEND_API). See BACKEND_API.md for project-specific directories, handler types, and frontend URLs.

Extension Comparison

Cross-Cutting References

SDK-First Rule (Existing Wix App Data Is Never CMS)

CRITICAL: Data owned by an existing Wix business app is read and written through that app's SDK module — NEVER modeled as a new CMS Data Collection. A custom collection for such data starts empty and stays disconnected from the real records (e.g., a "refunds dashboard" built on CMS shows an empty state while refunded orders exist in Wix eCommerce).

Entity → SDK module map (find the entity the user mentioned, use that package):

If the entity isn't listed or you're unsure, run SearchWixSDKDocumentation for it — never conclude CMS with zero MCP calls. CMS is only for data your app itself introduces (configuration, rules, app-specific records) that no Wix app manages.

Data Collection Inference

CRITICAL: Data collections are often needed implicitly — don't wait for the user to explicitly say "create a CMS collection." Infer the need automatically.

⚠️ Apply the SDK-First Rule first — the indicators below only apply to data your app itself owns, not to entities a Wix app already manages.

Skip this section if the user provides a collection ID directly (e.g., an existing site-level collection). In that case, use the provided ID as-is — no Data Collection extension or namespace scoping needed.

Always include a Data Collection extension when ANY of these are true:

Why this matters: Without the Data Collection extension, the collection won't be created when the app is installed, the Wix Data APIs may not work (code editor not enabled), and collection IDs won't be properly scoped to the app namespace.

If data collection is inferred, follow the App Namespace Requirement to obtain the namespace before proceeding.

App Namespace Requirement

When creating a Data Collection, you MUST ask the user for their app namespace from Wix Dev Center. This is a required parameter that must be obtained from the user's Dev Center dashboard and cannot be recommended or guessed.

If the user hasn't provided their app namespace, read APP_IDENTIFIERS.md and give the user the instructions to obtain it.

Collection ID Coordination

Applies ONLY when a Data Collection extension is being created. If the user provides a collection ID directly, use it as-is — no namespace scoping, no Data Collection extension needed.

When a Data Collection is created alongside other extensions that reference the same collections:

1. Get the app namespace (see App Namespace Requirement above)
2. Determine the idSuffix for each collection (the Data Collection reference documents the full ID format)
3. Use the full scoped collection ID (<app-namespace>/<idSuffix>) in all extensions that reference the collection via Wix Data API calls

Wix Stores Versioning Requirement

Applies when ANY Wix Stores API is used (products, inventory, orders, etc.):

1. Read the Stores Versioning reference — see STORES_VERSIONING.md. It contains the module map, permissions cheatsheet, copy-paste dual-catalog recipes (list/get/create/update/delete products, inventory, categories), the V1→V3 field map, webhook mapping, and the major V3 gotchas. Use it before searching SDK docs — it covers the common 80%.
2. All Stores operations must check catalog version first using getCatalogVersion()
3. Use the correct module based on version: productsV3 (V3) vs products (V1)
4. Apps MUST support both V1 and V3 — single-version apps cannot list in the App Market and break on new sites
5. Request both V1 and V3 permission scopes for every Stores operation

This is non-negotiable — V1 and V3 are NOT backwards compatible.

Identity and Elevation Requirement

Applies whenever an extension calls a Wix SDK method. Decide where the call runs before writing it.

Who the extension runs as decides everything below — the Category column in Extension Types Reference Table tells you which one you have:

• Site and editor extensions — custom element widgets, site plugins, Editor React components, embedded scripts — run as the site visitor or member, never as the app.
• Dashboard extensions run as the Wix user — not as a site visitor, and not as the app.
• Backend extensions — Backend API, Backend Event, Service Plugin — run as the app.

auth.elevate works only in backend code. In a site, editor, or dashboard extension it doesn't work at all.

Default: call the SDK directly from the extension. Routing a call that didn't need it is not a harmless extra hop — it is how working features break. Sort by who the call acts for, never by its scope name:

• Acts for the current visitor or member — their cart, checkout, booking, order, reservation, or profile: currentCartV2.*, cartV2.placeOrder, bookings.createBooking, members.getMyMember, and anything else operating on "my" or "the current" entity. These resolve the actor from the caller's session, so elevating runs them as the app and detaches the result from the person who asked — an order with no buyer, a booking with no attendee.
• The platform filters the result by caller — an elevated call returns what the direct call withheld, so a "fix" for a sparse result becomes a leak. Wix Data items.* follows the collection's dataPermissions (scaffolded default: itemRead: 'ANYONE', writes 'PRIVILEGED' — fix writes with permissions, not routing; see DATA_COLLECTION.md). Catalog reads return base fields to anyone, withholding MERCHANT_DATA and non-visible products unless the app holds SCOPE.STORES.PRODUCT_READ_ADMIN. members.getMember/queryMembers withhold PRIVATE members from visitor and member callers.

Route out only when the method acts on the business as a whole, which a visitor or member genuinely cannot do: archiveLocation, queryLocations, catalog and inventory writes, bookings.confirmBooking, order management. When the method's docs show the call elevated, route it out and elevate there — from any host, dashboard included, because auth.elevate only works in backend code, so the endpoint is the only place the documented pattern can run.

When you're unsure, call it directly and let it fail. A method a site extension may not call returns a permission error you see immediately; a method wrongly routed and elevated succeeds and silently returns the wrong data or acts for the wrong person. Some method pages carry a prose note that settles it — get-my-member: "This method requires visitor or member authentication." Authoritative when present, but only a minority of pages have one, so its absence decides nothing.

Two signals never settle it: the scope name — locations.queryLocations is SCOPE.DC-MULTILOCATION.READ-LOCATIONS yet admin-only, while currentCartV2.addLineItemsToCurrentCart carries SCOPE.ECOM.MANAGE-ADMIN yet is visitor-callable and breaks if elevated — and the SDK schema line's client prefix, which varies by docs channel for the same method, so carries nothing and isn't worth re-deriving.

Routing out means a Backend API endpoint that elevates and is reached with httpClient.fetchWithAuth(). Elevation bypasses Wix's permission check, so the endpoint must re-check the caller itself — see Identity and Authorization for what each host can actually verify, and why an owner-only operation belongs in a dashboard extension instead.

Add the scope in Dev Center → Permissions (it isn't declared in a repo file) and report it under Manual Steps Required.

App Market Review

Applies when a user wants to submit their app to the Wix App Market, list it publicly, prepare for App Market review, audit decline risk, or fix App Market review feedback. Not needed for private apps or routine version releases.

Read APP_MARKET_REVIEW.md — it contains the full technical checklist, implementation notes with Wix doc links, and the review taxonomy IDs for traceability.

Implementation Workflow

Step 1: Ask Clarifying Questions (if needed)

Only ask for configuration values when absolutely necessary for the implementation to proceed. If a value can be configured later or added as a manual step, don't block on it.

If unclear on approach (placement, visibility, configuration, integration), ask clarifying questions. If the answer could change the extension type, wait for the response before proceeding. Otherwise, proceed with the best-fit extension type.

Step 2: Make Your Recommendation

Use the Extension Types Reference Table and decision content above. State extension type and brief reasoning (placement, functionality, integration).

Step 3: Read Extension Reference, Check API References, Then Discover (if needed)

Workflow: Read extension reference → Check API references → Use MCP only for gaps.

1. Read the extension reference file for the chosen extension type from the table above
2. Identify required APIs from user requirements
3. Check relevant API reference files:
   • Backend events → references/backend-event/COMMON-EVENTS.md
   • Wix Data → references/data-collection/WIX_DATA.md
   • Dashboard SDK → references/dashboard-page/DASHBOARD_API.md
   • Service Plugin SPIs → read references/SERVICE_PLUGIN.md together with the matching references/service-plugin/<NAME>.md leaf
   • App Tools (AI assistant tools) → read references/APP_TOOLS.md; it links to references/app-tools/TOOLS.md (declaration) and references/service-plugin/TOOLS_PROVIDER.md (handler)
4. Verify the specific method/event exists in references
5. ONLY use MCP discovery if NOT found in reference files

Platform APIs (never discover - in references):

• Wix Data, Dashboard SDK, Event SDK (common events), Service Plugin SPIs

Vertical APIs (discover if needed):

• Wix Stores (⚠️ MUST use Stores Versioning reference — V1/V3 catalog check required), Wix eCommerce, Wix Bookings, Wix Members, Wix Pricing Plans, third-party integrations — find the right @wix/* package in the SDK-First Rule module map first, then discover methods via MCP

Decision table:

MCP Tools for discovery (when needed):

• SearchWixSDKDocumentation - SDK methods and APIs (Always use maxResults: 5)
• ReadFullDocsMethodSchema - Full type schema for a specific SDK method (parameters, return type, permissions)
• ReadFullDocsArticle - Prose guides and conceptual articles only (not for SDK method signatures)

Step 4a: Scaffold via the CLI

For each supported type, including HTTP endpoints, run npx wix generate --params '<json>'. The command returns {"success":true,"extensionType":"...","newFiles":[...]} on success.

If the command fails because of unknown or invalid params, run npx wix schema generate --type <extensionType> to print the JSON Schema for that extension type, fix the --params payload, and retry. Do not fall back to manual scaffolding. The one exception is HTTP_ENDPOINT on a CLI older than 1.1.243, which predates the generator but still supports the extension: create the endpoint file by hand as described in BACKEND_API.md.

What the CLI does automatically:

• Creates folders and stub files
• For registered extensions, generates a fresh UUID and updates src/extensions.ts with the import and .use() call
• For HTTP endpoints, creates the route file without changing src/extensions.ts
• Enforces naming rules (kebab-case, hyphen-required custom elements, etc.)

HTTP endpoints: Run npx wix generate --params '{"extensionType":"HTTP_ENDPOINT","name":"hello"}', then implement the handler in the returned file. Follow BACKEND_API.md; if the route does not respond, its troubleshooting hint shows how to confirm discovery from the build output.

Step 4b: Fill in business logic

Open every path returned in newFiles and replace stubbed handler bodies / UI / queries with the user's actual logic, guided by the extension reference file's API and configuration sections.

• ⚠️ MANDATORY when using WDS: Invoke the wix-design-system skill before editing your first .tsx/.jsx file that imports @wix/design-system. Do NOT invoke it preemptively for backend-only or data-only jobs — it adds large content to context that you won't use.
• ⚠️ MANDATORY when using WDS: Add import "@wix/design-system/styles.global.css"; in the main component entry file (page.tsx, modal .tsx, etc.) — not in child/tab/helper files.
• ⚠️ MANDATORY when using Data Collections: Use the EXACT collection ID from idSuffix (case-sensitive). If idSuffix is "product-recommendations", use <app-namespace>/product-recommendations NOT productRecommendations.

Step 5: Run Validation

After all implementation is complete, you MUST run validation. See APP_VALIDATION.md for the complete validation workflow:

1. Package installation (detect package manager, run install)
2. TypeScript compilation check (npx tsc --noEmit -p .)
3. Build validation (npx wix build)
4. Preview deployment (npx wix preview)

Do NOT report completion to the user until validation passes.

If validation fails, fix the errors and re-validate until it passes.

Step 6: Report Completion

Only after validation passes, provide a concise summary section at the top of your response:

## ✅ Implementation Complete
 
[1-2 sentence description of what was built]
 
**Extensions Created:**
- [Extension 1 Name] - [Brief purpose]
- [Extension 2 Name] - [Brief purpose]
 
**Build Status:**
- ✅ Dependencies: [Installed / status message]
- ✅ TypeScript: [No compilation errors / status]
- ✅ Build: [Completed successfully / status]
- ✅/⚠️ Preview: [Running at URL / Failed - reason]
 
**⚠️ IMPORTANT: [X] manual step(s) required to complete setup** (see "Manual Steps Required" section below)

• If there are NO manual steps, state: "✅ No manual steps required — you're ready to go!"

Step 7: Surface Manual Action Items

Present any manual steps the user must perform (e.g., configuring settings in the Wix dashboard, enabling permissions, setting up external services).

Format:

## 🔧 Manual Steps Required
 
The following actions need to be done manually by you:
 
### 1. [Action Category/Title]
[Detailed description with specific instructions]
 
### 2. [Action Category/Title]
[Detailed description]

Extension Registration

wix generate --params updates src/extensions.ts automatically for registered extensions. HTTP endpoints require no import or .use() call; the runtime discovers their files. For background, troubleshooting, and the manual recovery pattern when src/extensions.ts drifts, see EXTENSION_REGISTRATION.md.

Validation

Execute these steps sequentially after all implementation is complete. See APP_VALIDATION.md for the complete guide.

1. Package Installation — Detect package manager, run install
2. TypeScript Compilation — npx tsc --noEmit -p .
3. Build — npx wix build
4. Preview — npx wix preview

Stop and report errors if any step fails. Check .wix/debug.log on failures.

Cost Optimization

• Let the CLI scaffold — don't burn tokens describing folder layouts or builder boilerplate
• Only run wix schema generate --type <extensionType> when wix generate --params fails — don't pre-fetch it
• Read extension reference first — always read the relevant extension reference file before implementing
• Check API references first — read relevant API reference files before using MCP discovery
• Skip discovery when all required APIs are in reference files
• maxResults: 5 for all MCP SDK searches
• ReadFullDocsMethodSchema for SDK method schemas; ReadFullDocsArticle for prose guides only
• Invoke wix-design-system first when using WDS (prevents import errors)
• Patterns before WDS for dashboard page UI — check @wix/patterns docs before building anything collection- or page-shaped (see Component Selection Order)

Documentation

For links to official Wix CLI documentation for all extension types, see DOCUMENTATION.md.