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Install on a Mac

Sense runs on your local machine and connects to the Builderius builder. This guide covers the full first-time setup. Steps 1 through 3 only need to be done once per machine. Future WordPress projects only require enabling Sense in Builderius settings and starting the server in the builder.

Step 1: Install Node.js​

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Run each line one at a time:
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
source ~/.zshrc
nvm install --lts
  1. Verify it worked:
node -v

It should return a version number.

Step 2: Install Claude Code​

Screenshot: Claude Code installation in terminal

  1. In Terminal, run:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | sh
  1. Authenticate with your Claude account:
claude login

Follow the prompts to log in. This connects Claude Code to your account and API key.

Step 3: Install Builderius Sense​

Screenshot: Installing Sense via npm

In Terminal, run:

npm install @builderius/sense-ai
One-Time Setup

Steps 1 through 3 are done once per machine. You do not need to repeat them for each WordPress project.

Step 4: Enable Sense in WordPress​

Screenshot: Builderius Sense settings page in WordPress admin with prerequisites detected

  1. In WordPress admin, go to Builderius → Settings → Sense AI
  2. Toggle Enable Sense AI on
  3. Check that the Prerequisites section shows green checkmarks
  4. Click Save Settings

Step 5: Start Sense in the Builder​

Screenshot: Builderius builder with Sense AI tab and Start Server button

  1. Open your site in the Builderius builder
  2. Click the Sense AI tab in the bottom toolbar
  3. Click Start Server

Claude Code will connect and display its version and working directory.

Screenshot: Claude Code running inside the Builderius builder

Verify It Works​

Select an element in the builder and give Sense an instruction. If it builds elements on the canvas and reports what it did, you are good to go.

Screenshot: Sense has built a CTA section inside the builder

For Future Projects​

Once the machine setup is complete, each new WordPress project only needs:

  1. Install and activate Builderius on the site
  2. Builderius → Settings → Sense AI — toggle on and save
  3. Open the builder → Sense AI tab → Start Server

Troubleshooting​

  • "nvm: command not found" — Run source ~/.zshrc or restart Terminal.
  • "node: command not found" — nvm did not install Node. Run nvm install --lts again.
  • Claude Code fails to install — Make sure you are not running Terminal as root.
  • Prerequisites show red in admin — One or more dependencies are not installed or not detected. Check that Node.js and Claude Code are accessible from Terminal.
  • Start Server does nothing — Verify Claude Code is authenticated by running claude login in Terminal. Check that the port (default 7681) is not blocked.