How to Use AI to Auto Generate ACF Field Groups

Setting up Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) field groups by hand feels tedious, frustrating, and likely to end in a sore right index clicking finger (or left index finger if you're a psyco jk). Instead of setting them up one by one, you can use AI to generate ACF field groups automatically and import them directly into WordPress.

In this guide, I'll walk you through how to preplan, generate, and import ACF field groups using AI—cutting your setup time drastically while making sure everything runs smoothly.

Step 1: Preplan Your ACF Fields

Before asking AI to generate your ACF fields, it is extremely important to preplan what you need. Clearly defining your field group structure will make the AI-generated output more accurate and save you time on fixing things you missed.

What to Plan

1. Field Group Name – The main container for all related fields.
2. Field Names – Descriptive names for each field.
3. Field Types – Choose between text, image, relationship, repeater, etc.
4. Field Display Conditions – Where and when should the fields appear?
5. Key Settings – Required fields, default values, instructions, and layout settings.

Example Field Group Plan

If you were creating a “Project Details” field group for a portfolio site, your plan might look like this:

• Field Group Name: Project Details
• Fields:
  • Project Title (text field)
  • Project Description (textarea)
  • Featured Image (image upload)
  • Project URL (URL field)
  • Technologies Used (repeater field with text subfields)
• Display Conditions: Show on “Project” post type
• Settings: Display in standard editor, collapsible layout

With this structure defined, you are ready to move on to AI generation.

Step 2: Ask AI to Generate the JSON Code

Now that you've mapped out your ACF field group, it's time to let AI do the heavy lifting by spitting out a JSON file that perfectly mirrors your structure. You can use ChatGPT, or another AI assistant to create the necessary code.

Example AI Prompt

Provide the AI with a clear prompt detailing your field group plan:

Prompt:

Generate an ACF JSON export for the following field group: Field Group Name: Project Details Fields:

• Project Title (text field)
• Project Description (textarea)
• Featured Image (image upload)
• Project URL (URL field)
• Technologies Used (repeater field with text subfields) Display Conditions: Show on “Project” post type Settings: Display in standard editor, collapsible layout

Example AI-Generated JSON

The AI should return a JSON output similar to this:

{
  "key": "group_project_details",
  "title": "Project Details",
  "fields": [
    {
      "key": "field_project_title",
      "label": "Project Title",
      "name": "project_title",
      "type": "text"
    },
    {
      "key": "field_project_description",
      "label": "Project Description",
      "name": "project_description",
      "type": "textarea"
    },
    {
      "key": "field_project_image",
      "label": "Featured Image",
      "name": "project_image",
      "type": "image"
    },
    {
      "key": "field_project_url",
      "label": "Project URL",
      "name": "project_url",
      "type": "url"
    },
    {
      "key": "field_project_technologies",
      "label": "Technologies Used",
      "name": "project_technologies",
      "type": "repeater",
      "sub_fields": [
        {
          "key": "sub_field_technology",
          "label": "Technology",
          "name": "technology",
          "type": "text"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "location": [
    [
      {
        "param": "post_type",
        "operator": "==",
        "value": "project"
      }
    ]
  ]
}

Step 3: Import JSON into ACF

You've got your AI-crafted JSON file in hand—now let's drop it into WordPress and make the magic happen.

How to Import

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Custom Fields > Tools.
3. Under Import Field Groups, click Choose File.
4. Select the JSON file that AI generated.
5. Click Import and wait for the confirmation message.

Once the import is complete, your new ACF field group will be available and ready for use.

Conclusion

That's really all there is to it, nothing much right? The biggest thing is taking the time to think through your field setup beforehand. It completely defeats the purpose if you forget half the fields you need or realize later that your structure doesn't make sense. Fixing it after the fact is a pain that we're trying to avoid in the first place, so do yourself a favor and plan it out properly upfront.

AI can handle the grunt work, but you still need to think like a developer and map out your fields logically. Get that part right, and this workflow will save you a ton of time and clicks. Try it and let me know how it works out for you.