How to use

Create a site by talking

The full path, by conversation: from install to a published site, without leaving Claude Code. Coding without AI? There is a manual path in the docs.

Before you start

What you need

Claude Code

Or another AI agent that accepts skills. It is the one that will install, structure and run Velk for you — your job is to describe and approve.

PHP 8.2+ and MySQL

On your computer to develop (Herd, MAMP, XAMPP…) and any PHP host when it is time to publish. MariaDB 10.2+ also works.

The official skill

The Velk manual the AI consults: schema, fields, helpers, CLI and deploy. It is the first step of the guide, right below.

Preparation

Start with the skill

Two steps and Velk is running on your machine — no terminal, no Composer, no 40-minute tutorial.

Install the official skill

It all starts here — even installing Velk is done by the AI. The skill teaches Claude Code the whole framework: the site.json format, the 17 field types, the theme helpers, the CLI and the install, deploy and upgrade flows. With it, the AI does not guess — it looks things up.

Ask for the install

Open Claude Code in the project folder and ask. The AI downloads the latest official Velk release, verifies the checksum, configures the .env, creates the database, runs the migrations, creates your admin user and starts the dev server.

Install Velk in this folder and create my admin user.
~/my-site

$ claude

> Install Velk in this folder and create my admin user

✦ Downloading the latest release and verifying the checksum

✦ .env configured · database created · migrations ok

Done: http://localhost:8080 — panel at /admin

Want to install by hand, without AI? The manual step-by-step — download, .env and installer — is in the documentation.

Construction

The site is born in the conversation

Structure, layout and content — all by prompt. The AI edits the site.json, validates and the panel keeps up instantly.

Describe the site

Talk in plain language: sections, content types, fields. The AI writes the site.json, creates the theme templates, validates with schema:validate and starts the dev server so you can see it. A few examples to steal:

Build a site for a dental clinic: home, team page, blog with categories and a contact form.
Convert this static HTML into a Velk theme and wire the texts, images and the blog into the panel.

Refine by talking

Changed your mind? Just say so. A new field, a new section, a different layout for a specific item — the AI edits the schema, validates and the panel follows instantly. No content migration, no plugins.

Add a price field to the services and show it on the page, formatted in dollars.

Fill in the content

Go into /admin and edit like any CMS — or let the AI populate the site via the CLI (item:create, page:update), handy for migrating content from an old site or generating drafts in bulk. The panel only shows what the site has.

Publishing

From localhost to live

Publish

Any host with PHP 8.2+ and MySQL will do. No SSH? Upload the files over FTP and you are done: on the first request Velk runs the migrations by itself. With SSH, ask the AI to deploy — the skill covers the whole flow, from rsync to the database.

Deploy this site to my hosting over SSH.

Maintain

Once the site is live, upgrades are just a request: the engine is swapped whole, and theme, content and uploads stay untouched. The client keeps editing in the panel — and new sections keep being born by conversation, whenever you want.

Update Velk in this project to the latest version.

Tips

Prompts that work

Vibe coding pays off more when the request is specific. Four patterns that work well with Velk:

Describe the content, not just the visuals

Say which fields each thing has — the AI turns it straight into schema.

Create the "property" type with a gallery, price, bedrooms, neighborhood and a featured toggle.

One section at a time

Small changes are easy to review — and to undo.

Now just the testimonials section on the home: a repeater with photo, name and text.

Ask it to validate and show

Schema validated and panel open: you check the result right away.

Validate the schema and open the panel so I can check the new fields.

Reuse what already exists

Old static site? It becomes a Velk theme with a panel — no redesign needed.

Convert this HTML into a Velk theme keeping the look, with editable texts and images.

Elleven

Need a professional service?

Elleven is the agency that created and maintains Velk. If you need a professional team to build and evolve your site, get in touch and see our cases and services.

  • Website creation
  • Support and evolution
Meet Elleven