AI Built the Plugin. Now What?

This episode of The WP Minute follows Eric Karkovack through his first experience releasing a WordPress plugin with a little help from AI.

Eric joins Matt to talk about Karks CRM, an open-source CRM and invoicing plugin he built to replace his aging QuickBooks Desktop workflow. Claude did much of the coding, but Eric provided the direction, testing, revisions, and real-world business requirements.
The conversation gets into what AI can actually handle, where human judgment still matters, and what happens when AI-generated code meets the standards of the WordPress.org plugin repository. Eric shares what he learned from the review process, including an issue with CSV sanitization that required multiple rounds of changes.

Matt and Eric also talk about why WordPress’s stability and community still matter, especially as developers rush toward AI-generated tools and frameworks. And with Karks CRM now open source, the next question is what happens when other WordPress users start asking for features.

Takeaways

• AI can build a working plugin surprisingly fast.
• The developer still has to direct, test, and validate the work.
• AI-generated code doesn’t automatically meet WordPress standards.
• WordPress’s plugin review process still catches problems AI misses.
• UI and usability can require more iteration than the code itself.
• Open source turns a personal tool into a community commitment.
• WordPress’s stability is still valuable for long-term client work.
• Community is one of WordPress’s biggest advantages.
• Client data makes hosting and security decisions especially important.
• AI may change how plugins get built, but judgment still matters.

Important Links

• Karks CRM: Karks CRM on WordPress.org
• Karks CRM website: Karks CRM
• Claude Code: Claude Code
• Plugin Check:. Plugin Check
• WP-CLI: WP-CLI
• Email delivery service Eric mentions: Mailgun
• Recommended security setup for a site containing client data: Cloudflare