Theme Engine
Folder-based themes with layout, landing, single, and page routes. Drop a folder in, Catalyst finds it.
Catalyst v1.0.0 for WordPress
Unbloat your WP, buddy.
WordPress stays your backend. You pick how the site actually looks. No theme builder soup, no random plugin stack just to ship a landing page.
Backend
WordPress
Frontend
Your Theme
Admin
One Panel
What You Get
Lean Frontend, Full WordPress Underneath
Let's be real for a sec: most WordPress sites don't need another page builder. They need less junk between the content and the visitor.
Content Admin
Edit posts and pages inside Catalyst. Visual editor, sections, blocks, per-page SEO, auto-save.
SEO and Discovery
Meta tags, Open Graph, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and llms.txt. Built in.
Analytics
Paste your GA4 and Search Console codes. We inject the tags.
Performance
Optional minify, WebP images, query caching, and sensible resource hints.
Security
Security headers, referrer policy, and optional generator tag hiding.
Base Themes
Mono, Null, and Grain ship free. Real layouts, not palette swaps.
Marketplace
Premium themes from WP admin. Coming soon, but the tab is already there.
GitHub Updates
Tag a release, update in one click from the Plugins screen.
Setup
Install in a Few Minutes
WordPress 6.0+, PHP 7.4+. No Composer, no build step, no ceremony.
Download
Grab the latest zip from GitHub. Root folder must be catalyst/catalyst.php.
Upload
Plugins → Add New → Upload. Or copy the folder to wp-content/plugins/.
Configure
Activate, pick a theme, set SEO and analytics. You're live.
Extensible
Custom Themes Without Registration Theater
Drop a folder in catalyst/themes/. Catalyst scans on admin load. That's the whole workflow.
Mono
Balanced default for most sites.
Null
Ultra minimal. Lots of breathing room.
Grain
Warm editorial feel.
Folder Structure
themes/my-theme/ ├── layout.php ├── landing.php ├── single.php ├── page.php ├── theme.json └── assets/
theme.json
{
"name": "My Theme",
"description": "Short blurb",
"version": "1.0.0",
"accent": "#0071e3"
}Templates get a
$catalyst runtime object (site, SEO, posts, nav, route). Helpers like catalyst_nav() and catalyst_assets() keep themes boring in a good way. See theme_guide.md in the repo.FAQ
Questions People Actually Ask
Before you install something that touches your whole frontend, you probably want answers. Fair.
A WordPress plugin that renders your public site through folder-based PHP themes while WordPress stays the CMS behind the scenes.
No. WordPress is still your backend. Catalyst replaces frontend rendering and gives you an optional content panel. Your database, users, media, and plugins all stay.
Drop a folder in catalyst/themes/ with layout.php, landing.php, single.php, page.php, and optionally theme.json. Catalyst scans on admin load. No activation code required.
The plugin and base themes (Mono, Null, Grain) are free and open source on GitHub. Premium themes ship separately; a marketplace for third-party themes is coming.
Publish a GitHub release with a matching tag (e.g. v1.0.0) and attach catalyst-{version}.zip. Installed sites see Update Now on the Plugins screen.
Yes. Meta tags, Open Graph, sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and llms.txt are built in. You might still want a dedicated SEO plugin for edge cases, but most sites won't need one for the basics.
Contact
Need Something? We're on GitHub.
No ticket portal, no sales form. Catalyst is open source. Talk to us where the code lives.
GitHub Issues
Bugs, feature requests, anything broken. Straight to the repo.
Open an IssueDiscussions
Questions, ideas, show-and-tell. Lower stakes than an issue.
Start a ThreadReleases
Download builds, read changelogs, watch for new versions.
View ReleasesBuilt by
@renzoreynIf you're evaluating Catalyst for a client project or a product site, issues and discussions are the fastest way to get a straight answer.
Start Now
How Sellable Is a Site That Loads Fast and Doesn't Feel Like WordPress?
Download Catalyst, pick a theme, ship something that looks intentional. WordPress still runs the show behind the curtain.