diff --git a/backend/igny8_core/business/automation/services/automation_service.py b/backend/igny8_core/business/automation/services/automation_service.py
index c46bce64..1466e51c 100644
--- a/backend/igny8_core/business/automation/services/automation_service.py
+++ b/backend/igny8_core/business/automation/services/automation_service.py
@@ -98,6 +98,18 @@ class AutomationService:
             raise ValueError("Automation already running for this site (cache lock)")
         
         try:
+            # Capture initial queue snapshot for accurate progress tracking
+            # Do this BEFORE credit check to validate there's work to do
+            initial_snapshot = self._capture_initial_snapshot()
+            
+            # Check if there are any items to process across all stages
+            total_pending = initial_snapshot.get('total_initial_items', 0)
+            if total_pending == 0:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "No items available to process. Add keywords, clusters, ideas, tasks, "
+                    "or content to the pipeline before running automation."
+                )
+            
             # Estimate credits needed
             estimated_credits = self.estimate_credits()
             
@@ -109,9 +121,6 @@ class AutomationService:
             # Create run_id and log files
             run_id = self.logger.start_run(self.account.id, self.site.id, trigger_type)
             
-            # Capture initial queue snapshot for accurate progress tracking
-            initial_snapshot = self._capture_initial_snapshot()
-            
             # Create AutomationRun record
             self.run = AutomationRun.objects.create(
                 run_id=run_id,
@@ -1609,14 +1618,6 @@ class AutomationService:
         cache.delete(f'automation_lock_{self.site.id}')
         
         logger.info(f"[AutomationService] Stage 7 complete: {approved_count} content pieces approved and published")
-        self.run.status = 'completed'
-        self.run.completed_at = datetime.now()
-        self.run.save()
-        
-        # Release lock
-        cache.delete(f'automation_lock_{self.site.id}')
-        
-        logger.info(f"[AutomationService] Stage 7 complete: Automation ended, {total_count} content ready for review")
     
     def pause_automation(self):
         """Pause current automation run"""
diff --git a/docs/50-DEPLOYMENT/WORDPRESS-INTEGRATION-FLOW.md b/docs/50-DEPLOYMENT/WORDPRESS-INTEGRATION-FLOW.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f643d782
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/50-DEPLOYMENT/WORDPRESS-INTEGRATION-FLOW.md
@@ -0,0 +1,574 @@
+# WordPress Integration & Publishing Flow - Complete Technical Documentation
+
+**Last Updated:** January 1, 2026  
+**Version:** 1.3.0  
+**Status:** Production Active
+
+---
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+1. [System Overview](#1-system-overview)
+2. [Integration Setup Flow](#2-integration-setup-flow)
+3. [Manual Publishing Flow](#3-manual-publishing-flow)
+4. [Automation Publishing Flow](#4-automation-publishing-flow)
+5. [Webhook Sync Flow (WordPress → IGNY8)](#5-webhook-sync-flow-wordpress--igny8)
+6. [Metadata Sync Flow](#6-metadata-sync-flow)
+7. [Data Models & Storage](#7-data-models--storage)
+8. [Current Implementation Gaps](#8-current-implementation-gaps)
+9. [Flow Diagrams](#9-flow-diagrams)
+
+---
+
+## 1. System Overview
+
+### Architecture Summary
+
+IGNY8 integrates with WordPress sites through a **custom WordPress plugin** (`igny8-wp-bridge`) that:
+- Receives content from IGNY8 via a custom REST endpoint (`/wp-json/igny8/v1/publish`)
+- Sends status updates back to IGNY8 via webhooks
+- Authenticates using API keys stored in both systems
+
+### Communication Pattern
+
+```
+IGNY8 App ←→ WordPress Site
+   │              │
+   │  HTTP POST   │
+   ├─────────────→│  Publish content via /wp-json/igny8/v1/publish
+   │              │
+   │  HTTP POST   │
+   │←─────────────┤  Webhook status updates via /api/v1/integration/webhooks/wordpress/status/
+   │              │
+```
+
+### Key Components
+
+| Component | Location | Purpose |
+|-----------|----------|---------|
+| SiteIntegration Model | `business/integration/models.py` | Stores WordPress credentials & config |
+| SyncEvent Model | `business/integration/models.py` | Logs all sync operations |
+| Celery Task | `tasks/wordpress_publishing.py` | Background publishing worker |
+| Webhook Handler | `modules/integration/webhooks.py` | Receives WordPress status updates |
+| Frontend Form | `components/sites/WordPressIntegrationForm.tsx` | User setup UI |
+
+---
+
+## 2. Integration Setup Flow
+
+### 2.1 Pre-requisites (WordPress Side)
+
+1. WordPress 5.6+ with REST API enabled
+2. Pretty permalinks enabled (Settings → Permalinks)
+3. IGNY8 WordPress Bridge plugin installed and activated
+4. No security plugins blocking REST API
+
+### 2.2 Setup Steps (User Flow)
+
+**Step 1: User navigates to Site Settings**
+- Frontend: `/sites/{id}/settings` → WordPress Integration section
+- Component: `WordPressIntegrationForm.tsx`
+
+**Step 2: User clicks "Generate API Key"**
+- Frontend calls: `POST /v1/integration/integrations/generate-api-key/`
+- Body: `{ "site_id": 123 }`
+- Backend creates/updates `SiteIntegration` record with new API key
+
+**Step 3: User copies API key and configures WordPress plugin**
+- User downloads plugin from GitHub releases
+- Installs in WordPress: Plugins → Add New → Upload
+- Configures plugin with:
+  - IGNY8 API URL: `https://app.igny8.com`
+  - Site API Key: (copied from IGNY8)
+  - Site ID: (shown in IGNY8)
+
+**Step 4: Test Connection**
+- User clicks "Test Connection" in either app
+- IGNY8 calls: `GET {wordpress_url}/wp-json/wp/v2/users/me`
+- Uses API key in `X-IGNY8-API-KEY` header
+- Success: Connection verified, `is_active` set to true
+- Failure: Error message displayed
+
+### 2.3 Data Created During Setup
+
+**SiteIntegration Record:**
+```json
+{
+  "id": 1,
+  "site_id": 123,
+  "account_id": 456,
+  "platform": "wordpress",
+  "platform_type": "cms",
+  "config_json": {
+    "site_url": "https://example.com"
+  },
+  "credentials_json": {
+    "api_key": "igny8_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
+  },
+  "is_active": true,
+  "sync_enabled": true,
+  "sync_status": "pending"
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## 3. Manual Publishing Flow
+
+### 3.1 Trigger Points
+
+1. **Content Review Page** - "Publish to WordPress" button
+2. **Content Approved Page** - Publish action in context menu
+3. **Bulk Actions** - Select multiple, publish all
+
+### 3.2 Detailed Flow
+
+**Step 1: User clicks "Publish to WordPress"**
+- Frontend: `ContentViewSet.publish` action called
+- Endpoint: `POST /api/v1/writer/content/{id}/publish/`
+- Optional body: `{ "site_integration_id": 123 }`
+
+**Step 2: Backend validates content**
+- Checks content exists and belongs to user's site
+- Checks content not already published (`external_id` must be null)
+- Finds active WordPress integration for the site
+- Error if no integration found
+
+**Step 3: Optimistic status update**
+- Content status changed to `published` immediately
+- User sees success message
+- Actual WordPress publishing happens async
+
+**Step 4: Celery task queued**
+- Task: `publish_content_to_wordpress.delay(content_id, site_integration_id)`
+- Task name: `igny8_core.tasks.wordpress_publishing`
+
+**Step 5: Celery task execution (Background)**
+
+The task performs these steps:
+
+1. **Load data** - Get Content and SiteIntegration from database
+2. **Check if already published** - Skip if `external_id` exists
+3. **Generate excerpt** - Strip HTML, take first 150 chars
+4. **Load taxonomy terms** - Categories from `taxonomy_terms` M2M field, fallback to cluster name
+5. **Load tags** - From `taxonomy_terms` + primary/secondary keywords
+6. **Load images** - Featured image and gallery images, convert paths to URLs
+7. **Build payload:**
+   ```json
+   {
+     "content_id": 123,
+     "title": "Post Title",
+     "content_html": "<p>Full HTML content...</p>",
+     "excerpt": "Short excerpt...",
+     "status": "publish",
+     "seo_title": "SEO Title",
+     "seo_description": "Meta description",
+     "primary_keyword": "main keyword",
+     "secondary_keywords": ["kw1", "kw2"],
+     "featured_image_url": "https://app.igny8.com/images/...",
+     "gallery_images": [{ "url": "...", "alt": "", "caption": "" }],
+     "categories": ["Category Name"],
+     "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"]
+   }
+   ```
+8. **Send to WordPress:**
+   - URL: `{site_url}/wp-json/igny8/v1/publish`
+   - Headers: `X-IGNY8-API-Key: {api_key}`
+   - Method: POST
+   - Timeout: 30 seconds
+
+**Step 6: Process WordPress response**
+
+| HTTP Code | Meaning | Action |
+|-----------|---------|--------|
+| 201 | Created | Update content with `external_id`, `external_url`, log success |
+| 409 | Already exists | Update content with existing WordPress post data |
+| 4xx/5xx | Error | Log failure, retry up to 3 times with exponential backoff |
+
+**Step 7: Update IGNY8 content record**
+```python
+content.external_id = str(wp_post_id)
+content.external_url = wp_post_url
+content.status = 'published'
+content.metadata['wordpress_status'] = 'publish'
+content.save()
+```
+
+**Step 8: Create SyncEvent record**
+```python
+SyncEvent.objects.create(
+    integration=site_integration,
+    site=content.site,
+    account=content.account,
+    event_type='publish',
+    action='content_publish',
+    description=f"Published content '{title}' to WordPress",
+    success=True,
+    content_id=content.id,
+    external_id=external_id,
+    details={...}
+)
+```
+
+### 3.3 Error Handling
+
+- **Timeout**: Retry after 60 seconds (first attempt), then exponentially
+- **Connection Error**: Same retry logic
+- **Max Retries**: 3 attempts total
+- **Final Failure**: SyncEvent created with `success=False`, error logged
+
+---
+
+## 4. Automation Publishing Flow
+
+### 4.1 Automation Stage 7: Review → Published
+
+Automation Stage 7 handles auto-approval and publishing:
+
+**Current Implementation:**
+- Content in `review` status is changed to `published` status
+- Status change only - **NO automatic WordPress push currently implemented**
+- Lock released, automation run marked complete
+
+**What DOES NOT happen automatically:**
+- No `publish_content_to_wordpress` task is triggered
+- Content sits in `published` status waiting for manual publish or scheduled task
+
+### 4.2 Scheduled Publishing Task (NOT CURRENTLY SCHEDULED)
+
+There exists a task `process_pending_wordpress_publications()` that:
+- Finds content with `status='published'` and `external_id=NULL`
+- Queues each item to `publish_content_to_wordpress` task
+- Processes max 50 items per run
+
+**CURRENT STATUS: This task is NOT in Celery Beat schedule!**
+
+Looking at `celery.py`, the beat schedule includes:
+- `check-scheduled-automations` (hourly)
+- `replenish-monthly-credits` (monthly)
+- Various maintenance tasks
+
+**Missing:**
+- `process_pending_wordpress_publications` is NOT scheduled
+
+### 4.3 To Enable Auto-Publishing After Automation
+
+Two options:
+
+**Option A: Add to Celery Beat Schedule**
+```python
+'process-pending-wordpress-publications': {
+    'task': 'igny8_core.tasks.wordpress_publishing.process_pending_wordpress_publications',
+    'schedule': crontab(minute='*/5'),  # Every 5 minutes
+},
+```
+
+**Option B: Call directly from Stage 7**
+Modify `run_stage_7()` to queue publish tasks for each approved content item.
+
+---
+
+## 5. Webhook Sync Flow (WordPress → IGNY8)
+
+### 5.1 Purpose
+
+Keeps IGNY8 in sync when content is modified directly in WordPress:
+- Post status changed (published → draft, etc.)
+- Post deleted/trashed
+- Post metadata updated
+
+### 5.2 Webhook Endpoints
+
+| Endpoint | Purpose |
+|----------|---------|
+| `POST /api/v1/integration/webhooks/wordpress/status/` | Status changes |
+| `POST /api/v1/integration/webhooks/wordpress/metadata/` | Metadata updates |
+
+### 5.3 Status Webhook Flow
+
+**Step 1: WordPress plugin detects status change**
+- Hooks into `transition_post_status` action
+- Collects: post_id, content_id, new_status, post_url
+
+**Step 2: Plugin sends webhook to IGNY8**
+```
+POST https://app.igny8.com/api/v1/integration/webhooks/wordpress/status/
+
+Headers:
+  X-IGNY8-API-KEY: {api_key}
+
+Body:
+{
+  "post_id": 123,
+  "content_id": 456,
+  "post_status": "publish",
+  "post_url": "https://example.com/my-post/",
+  "post_title": "My Post Title",
+  "site_url": "https://example.com"
+}
+```
+
+**Step 3: IGNY8 validates and processes**
+
+1. Extract API key from header
+2. Find Content by `content_id`
+3. Find SiteIntegration by site_url + platform
+4. Verify API key matches stored key
+5. Map WordPress status to IGNY8 status:
+   | WordPress | IGNY8 |
+   |-----------|-------|
+   | publish | published |
+   | draft | draft |
+   | pending | review |
+   | private | published |
+   | trash | draft |
+   | future | review |
+6. Update Content record:
+   ```python
+   content.external_id = str(post_id)
+   content.external_url = post_url
+   content.status = mapped_status
+   content.metadata['wordpress_status'] = post_status
+   content.metadata['last_wp_sync'] = now
+   content.save()
+   ```
+7. Create SyncEvent log
+
+### 5.4 Metadata Webhook Flow
+
+Similar to status webhook but updates `content.metadata['wp_metadata']` with:
+- Categories
+- Tags
+- Author info
+- Modified date
+
+---
+
+## 6. Metadata Sync Flow
+
+### 6.1 Manual Sync (User-Initiated)
+
+**Trigger:** User clicks "Sync Now" in Site Settings
+
+**Endpoint:** `POST /api/v1/integration/integrations/{id}/sync/`
+
+**What it does:**
+- Calls `SyncMetadataService.sync_wordpress_structure()`
+- Fetches from WordPress:
+  - Post types and counts
+  - Categories list
+  - Tags list
+  - Site metadata
+- Updates integration's `last_sync_at`
+- Does NOT push/pull content
+
+### 6.2 Structure Update
+
+**Endpoint:** `POST /api/v1/integration/integrations/{id}/update_structure/`
+
+Refreshes understanding of WordPress site:
+- Available post types
+- Taxonomy structures
+- Capabilities
+
+---
+
+## 7. Data Models & Storage
+
+### 7.1 SiteIntegration
+
+| Field | Type | Purpose |
+|-------|------|---------|
+| id | AutoField | Primary key |
+| account | FK(Account) | Owner account |
+| site | FK(Site) | IGNY8 site |
+| platform | CharField | 'wordpress' |
+| platform_type | CharField | 'cms' |
+| config_json | JSONField | `{ "site_url": "https://..." }` |
+| credentials_json | JSONField | `{ "api_key": "igny8_xxx" }` |
+| is_active | Boolean | Connection enabled |
+| sync_enabled | Boolean | Two-way sync enabled |
+| last_sync_at | DateTime | Last successful sync |
+| sync_status | CharField | pending/success/failed/syncing |
+| sync_error | TextField | Last error message |
+
+### 7.2 SyncEvent
+
+| Field | Type | Purpose |
+|-------|------|---------|
+| id | AutoField | Primary key |
+| integration | FK(SiteIntegration) | Parent integration |
+| site | FK(Site) | Related site |
+| account | FK(Account) | Owner account |
+| event_type | CharField | publish/sync/error/webhook/metadata_sync |
+| action | CharField | content_publish/status_update/etc |
+| description | TextField | Human-readable event description |
+| success | Boolean | Event outcome |
+| content_id | Integer | IGNY8 content ID |
+| external_id | CharField | WordPress post ID |
+| error_message | TextField | Error details if failed |
+| details | JSONField | Additional event data |
+| duration_ms | Integer | Operation duration |
+| created_at | DateTime | Event timestamp |
+
+### 7.3 Content Fields (Publishing Related)
+
+| Field | Purpose |
+|-------|---------|
+| external_id | WordPress post ID (string) |
+| external_url | WordPress post URL |
+| status | IGNY8 status (draft/review/published) |
+| metadata['wordpress_status'] | WordPress status (publish/draft/etc) |
+| metadata['last_wp_sync'] | Last webhook sync timestamp |
+
+---
+
+## 8. Current Implementation Gaps
+
+### 8.1 Missing: Scheduled Auto-Publishing
+
+**Problem:** Content approved by Automation Stage 7 is not automatically pushed to WordPress.
+
+**Current State:**
+- `process_pending_wordpress_publications()` task exists
+- Task is NOT in Celery Beat schedule
+- Content remains in `published` status with `external_id=NULL`
+
+**Impact:** Users must manually publish each content item even after automation completes.
+
+### 8.2 Missing: Pull Sync (WordPress → IGNY8 Content)
+
+**Problem:** No way to import existing WordPress posts into IGNY8.
+
+**Current State:**
+- Webhooks only handle status updates for content that originated from IGNY8
+- No "Import from WordPress" feature
+- No scheduled pull sync
+
+### 8.3 Missing: Content Update Sync
+
+**Problem:** Editing content in IGNY8 after publishing doesn't update WordPress.
+
+**Current State:**
+- Only initial publish is supported
+- No "republish" or "update" functionality
+- `external_id` check prevents re-publishing
+
+### 8.4 Missing: Image Upload to WordPress
+
+**Problem:** Featured images are passed as URLs, not uploaded to WordPress media library.
+
+**Current State:**
+- Image URL is sent in payload
+- WordPress plugin must download and create attachment
+- If plugin doesn't handle this, no featured image
+
+### 8.5 Missing: Conflict Resolution
+
+**Problem:** If content is edited in both IGNY8 and WordPress, there's no merge strategy.
+
+**Current State:**
+- Last write wins
+- No version tracking
+- No conflict detection
+
+---
+
+## 9. Flow Diagrams
+
+### 9.1 Integration Setup
+
+```
+┌──────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐
+│  User    │     │   IGNY8 App  │     │   WordPress   │
+└────┬─────┘     └──────┬───────┘     └───────┬───────┘
+     │                  │                     │
+     │ 1. Open Site Settings                  │
+     ├─────────────────>│                     │
+     │                  │                     │
+     │ 2. Generate API Key                    │
+     ├─────────────────>│                     │
+     │                  │                     │
+     │<─────────────────┤                     │
+     │ 3. Display API Key                     │
+     │                  │                     │
+     │ 4. Install Plugin──────────────────────┼──────────>
+     │                  │                     │
+     │ 5. Enter API Key in Plugin─────────────┼──────────>
+     │                  │                     │
+     │ 6. Test Connection                     │
+     ├─────────────────>│                     │
+     │                  │ 7. GET /wp-json/... │
+     │                  ├────────────────────>│
+     │                  │<────────────────────┤
+     │<─────────────────┤ 8. Success          │
+     │                  │                     │
+```
+
+### 9.2 Manual Publishing
+
+```
+┌──────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌───────────────┐
+│  User    │     │   IGNY8 API  │     │  Celery  │     │   WordPress   │
+└────┬─────┘     └──────┬───────┘     └────┬─────┘     └───────┬───────┘
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+     │ 1. Click Publish │                  │                   │
+     ├─────────────────>│                  │                   │
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+     │                  │ 2. Validate      │                   │
+     │                  │ 3. Update status │                   │
+     │                  │ 4. Queue task    │                   │
+     │                  ├─────────────────>│                   │
+     │<─────────────────┤                  │                   │
+     │ 5. "Publishing..."                  │                   │
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+     │                  │                  │ 6. POST /publish  │
+     │                  │                  ├──────────────────>│
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+     │                  │                  │<──────────────────┤
+     │                  │                  │ 7. 201 Created    │
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+     │                  │ 8. Update Content│                   │
+     │                  │<─────────────────┤                   │
+     │                  │ 9. Create SyncEvent                  │
+     │                  │                  │                   │
+```
+
+### 9.3 Webhook Status Sync
+
+```
+┌───────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
+│   WordPress   │     │   IGNY8 API  │
+└───────┬───────┘     └──────┬───────┘
+        │                    │
+        │ 1. User changes status in WP
+        │                    │
+        │ 2. POST /webhooks/wordpress/status/
+        ├───────────────────>│
+        │                    │
+        │                    │ 3. Validate API key
+        │                    │ 4. Find Content
+        │                    │ 5. Map status
+        │                    │ 6. Update Content
+        │                    │ 7. Create SyncEvent
+        │                    │
+        │<───────────────────┤
+        │ 8. 200 OK          │
+        │                    │
+```
+
+---
+
+## Summary
+
+| Flow | Status | Notes |
+|------|--------|-------|
+| Integration Setup | ✅ Working | API key based |
+| Manual Publish | ✅ Working | Via Celery task |
+| Automation Publish | ⚠️ Partial | Stage 7 sets status but doesn't trigger WordPress push |
+| Webhook Status Sync | ✅ Working | WordPress → IGNY8 status updates |
+| Webhook Metadata Sync | ✅ Working | WordPress → IGNY8 metadata |
+| Scheduled Auto-Publish | ❌ Not Active | Task exists but not scheduled |
+| Content Pull Sync | ❌ Not Implemented | No import from WordPress |
+| Content Update Sync | ❌ Not Implemented | No republish capability |
+
diff --git a/frontend/src/layout/AppSidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/layout/AppSidebar.tsx
index 0bd98a4d..a9a7bffa 100644
--- a/frontend/src/layout/AppSidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/layout/AppSidebar.tsx
@@ -70,14 +70,12 @@ const AppSidebar: React.FC = () => {
     // SETUP section items - Ordered: Sites → Add Keywords → Content Settings → Thinker
     const setupItems: NavItem[] = [];
 
-    // Add Sites first (if enabled)
-    if (isModuleEnabled('site_builder')) {
-      setupItems.push({
-        icon: <GridIcon />,
-        name: "Sites",
-        path: "/sites",
-      });
-    }
+    // Sites is always visible - it's core functionality for managing sites
+    setupItems.push({
+      icon: <GridIcon />,
+      name: "Sites",
+      path: "/sites",
+    });
 
     // Add Keywords second
     setupItems.push({