When AI can write your code, do you still need a CMS?
The debate over the necessity of content management systems (CMS) in the age of AI-driven coding continues. While some argue that AI can replace traditional CMS tools, others maintain that CMS features address real underlying problems. Ultimately, the choice between using a CMS or coding directly hinges on the speed at which different parts of a website need to change.
- ▪The discussion centers on whether AI can replace dedicated content management systems.
- ▪CMSes allow non-developers to make changes quickly without destabilizing the software production process.
- ▪AI can speed up coding, but it doesn't eliminate the structural pace mismatch between content and code.
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Ideas When AI can write your code, do you still need a CMS? It’s less about the tooling and more about who needs to change which parts of your website at which speeds. David Demaree May 20, 2026 Lately there's been a debate about whether, in the era of vibe-coding and agentic AI, anyone still needs a dedicated content management system — or whether you can just keep everything in text files and let Claude or Codex handle the rest.Last fall, Lee Robinson from Cursor wrote about his team's move away from Sanity (our favorite CMS) toward Markdown files, HTML templates, and their own AI agent. Sanity's Knut Melvaer responded with the case that CMS features exist because the underlying problems are real, and that bespoke tooling will accrete complexity until you've reinvented one anyway.
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