MODX x AI hackathon #2: next-level AI in MODX!
AI is alive in the MODX community. During the second MODX x AI hackathon, we collaborated with MODX legends Mark Hamstra (modmore), John Peca, and Ryan Thrash (MODX LLC), culd., Census, SEDA.digital, Finetuned, AJR, and more to create smart AI solutions directly within MODX. From an intelligent media manager to MODX updates with an AI assistant, this hackathon was all about one thing: making MODX a bit smarter with AI.
What did we build?
From Claude and OpenAI to Bolt and from vector stores to CLIs — here’s what we worked on during the MODX x AI hackathon #2:
Smarter media manager
Why search by file names when AI knows what’s in an image? During the hackathon, AI was integrated into the media manager to make managing existing images a lot easier. No image generation, but making existing content findable with smart categorization. And that’s built: when you upload images in the media manager, tags, alt texts, and captions are automatically generated with AI.
AI-powered MODX update assistant
The idea: throw your MODX version, package list, and codebase into an AI agent and get an exact briefing back on what steps to take for a safe update. Including deprecated code, potential risks, and recommendations.
We built a tool to analyze this and linked it to Julian's new MODX 3 CLI. The ultimate goal: prepare and execute updates directly from the command line.
The MODX expert
Why dig through Slack, docs, and forums when you can just ask: “How do I fix XSS in MODX?”
During the hackathon, we worked on an AI chatbot based on a custom vector database. The bot is trained on MODX documentation and community knowledge, providing targeted answers for developers and content managers.
From design to MODX template
Upload a screenshot or Figma file, and an LLM generates a neat HTML/CSS template – directly in your MODX manager. At least, that’s the idea. Result: surprisingly good code, especially with Bolt (though it was a bit too eager to create a React app). The next step is to build a tool directly in MODX where you can upload a design and get a working template created from it.
ModAI & AIkit
During the hackathon, we worked on merging ModAI and AIKit into one powerful, modular AI layer within MODX. Mark Hamstra demonstrated how ModAI is now directly integrated into Redactor — allowing you to leverage AI for generating or rewriting content within this rich text content block.
The next step: a dropdown with ready-made prompts (like you know from TinyMCE), so editors can use AI with one click — no technical knowledge needed.
AI in SEO Suite
Earlier, Roel built an extension for SEO Suite where the AI generates meta tags based on content. Now, he has further enhanced this MODX Extra with AI-generated redirect recommendations. Each redirect suggestion gets a quality score (0–100), you can adjust redirects as needed, and once everything looks good, you can implement it all with one click!
What’s next?
The MODX x AI hackathon shows that the community is full of ideas, and they are turning those ideas into reality. From smart content generation to automatic updates — the first proof of concepts are ready.
Do you have an AI feature you’re missing in MODX? Let us know. Who knows, we might build it during the next hackathon!
Want to be the first to know about new MODX meetups and hackathons? Sign up for our MODX newsletter.