EmDash CMS

EmDash, built and run by Seahawk.

EmDash is the open-source CMS for Astro: a WordPress-style admin, TypeScript all the way down, sandboxed plugins and an MCP server on every site. We build new EmDash sites, migrate the WordPress sites it suits, and look after them, next to the thousands of WordPress sites we already run.

Talk to us about EmDash EmDash vs WordPress

What it is: Full-stack CMS for Astro
Language: TypeScript
License: Open source (MIT)
Runs on: Cloudflare Workers or Node.js
Database: D1, SQLite, PostgreSQL, libSQL
Stable since: 1.0, September 2026
AI agents: MCP server, REST API, CLI
From WordPress: Importer + exporter plugin

emdashcms.com →

What it is

A CMS for Astro, with the WordPress parts people love

Posts, pages, media, menus, taxonomies, drafts, revisions and scheduling are where you expect them. What changes is underneath.

Astro-native

One TypeScript codebase

Content types are defined in the admin, each one a real database table, and EmDash generates TypeScript types from them. Astro renders every page from structured content, so the CMS and the front end are one project instead of a PHP theme on top of a database.

Security

Plugins in a sandbox

Plugins from the EmDash registry run in their own isolated sandbox: a Worker isolate on Cloudflare, a workerd process on Node.js. They see no environment variables or filesystem and only get the capabilities they declare and you approve, such as reading content or calling one named host.

Agents

Built for you and your agent

Every site ships with an MCP server, so Claude, Codex, Cursor or any MCP client can draft, edit, search and schedule content with the same permissions as your team. Scripts get the same through the REST API and CLI.

Where it fits

EmDash is the CMS. Astro renders the pages.

EmDash sits where WordPress sits. Astro sits where a WordPress theme sits. Here is how it lines up with everything else we build.

WordPress WordPress adminPHP + MySQL PHP themeBlock theme or page builder Stores, memberships, plugin-heavy sites and big editorial teams. WP Services, WP Maintain → WordPress + Astro WordPress adminHeadless, via REST or GraphQL AstroTypeScript, static or server-rendered Editors who know WordPress, visitors who need speed. Seahawk VIP → EmDash + Astro EmDash adminTypeScript, sandboxed plugins AstroSame codebase as the CMS New content sites, developer-led teams and publishing with AI agents. Seahawk → Astro No CMSMarkdown files or a chat editor AstroStatic HTML on any host Brochure sites that rarely change and should never need patching. Spacefast, HII Region →

Honest advice

When we recommend EmDash, and when we don't

Good fit

A new content site, blog or publication with no plugin baggage
A developer-led team that wants the CMS and front end in one TypeScript codebase
Publishing with AI agents, through MCP, under real permissions
A WordPress site that is mostly posts and pages and has outgrown its theme
Teams that want fewer plugin security incidents by design

Stay on WordPress (for now)

WooCommerce stores, memberships, LMS and bookings
Sites that lean on many plugins with no EmDash equivalent yet
Page-builder sites that editors lay out visually every week
Teams that need the widest pool of people who already know the platform
Anything where a migration costs more than the problem it solves

What we do

EmDash, start to finish

The same team, process and care standards we use for WordPress.

1BuildNew EmDash sites: content model, Astro design system, editor training and launch.
2MigrateWordPress to EmDash: content import, URL and redirect mapping, SEO parity, and rebuilding the plugin and page-builder parts that do not import.
3ExtendCustom EmDash plugins in TypeScript: blocks, admin pages, hooks and API routes, with the narrowest permissions that work.
4CareUpdates, monitoring, backups and monthly edits, plus MCP and agent setup for teams publishing with AI.

Guides

EmDash guides

Our stack

EmDash vs WordPress: Which CMS Should You Use? 8 min read · Recommends Seahawk Media

How to Migrate a WordPress Site to EmDash 9 min read · Recommends Seahawk Media

EmDash's Plugin Sandbox, Explained for Security Teams 8 min read · Recommends Seahawk VIP

What EmDash Means for Web Hosts 8 min read · Recommends Seahawk Media

From the blog: Cloudflare's EmDash: the AI-driven alternative to WordPress (April 2026, written at the developer preview).

FAQ

EmDash questions

What is EmDash?

EmDash is an open-source (MIT), full-stack TypeScript CMS for Astro. It started at Cloudflare and reached 1.0 in September 2026. Content types are defined in its admin, pages render with Astro, registry plugins run in an isolated sandbox, and every site ships with an MCP server for AI agents.

Does EmDash only run on Cloudflare?

No. It runs on Cloudflare Workers with D1 and R2, or on any Node.js server with SQLite, PostgreSQL or libSQL and S3-compatible storage. Some newer features lean on Cloudflare, and the plugin sandbox enforces tighter limits there, so we pick the hosting per project.

Is EmDash a replacement for WordPress?

Not for every site. WordPress still wins on plugins, e-commerce and the size of its ecosystem. EmDash is a strong fit for new content sites, developer-led teams and publishing with AI agents. We build and run both.

Can I move my WordPress site to EmDash?

Posts, pages, custom post types, media, categories, tags and authors come across with the importer, and the EmDash Exporter plugin adds menus, comments, SEO fields and custom fields. Plugins, page-builder layouts, shortcodes and the theme do not, so a migration includes rebuilding those as Astro components and EmDash plugins, plus redirects. We scope that before you commit.

Do I need to use AI to use EmDash?

No. The admin works like any CMS. The MCP server is there if you want Claude, Codex, Cursor or another agent to draft, edit or schedule content with the same permissions as your team.

Does Seahawk still work on WordPress?

Yes. We maintain thousands of WordPress sites and that is not changing. EmDash is an extra option for the sites it fits, not a replacement for our WordPress work.

EmDash or WordPress?

Tell us about the site. We will tell you the stack.

Thirty minutes, a straight answer, and a scoped plan if EmDash is the right call.

Book a call How the stack fits