You describe the perfect email to Claude. A clean hero image, a two-column product grid, a bold CTA that matches your brand. The AI gets it. It returns something that looks exactly like what you had in mind.
Then you see the output: 400 lines of raw HTML.
For most marketers, this is where the conversation ends. The code is technically correct, but it's not something you'd feel confident editing. You're left with two options: wrestle with markup you didn't sign up for, or rebuild the whole thing manually in Klaviyo's drag-and-drop editor.
Either way, the speed advantage disappears. And AI-assisted template creation stays a promising idea that never quite becomes a workflow.
Why AI template creation hit a wall
The promise has been real. AI tools are genuinely good at translating a design brief into a structured email. They understand layout, hierarchy, and brand voice. They can iterate quickly when you ask for changes.
But the output format created friction that the design quality couldn't overcome.
Raw HTML intimidates marketers who aren't developers. Even small edits require understanding nested tables, inline styles, and the quirks of email rendering across clients. Most marketers didn't get into this field to debug code.
The workaround that emerged—designing with AI and then rebuilding the template piece by piece in Klaviyo—defeats the entire point. You've doubled the work instead of eliminating it. The AI becomes a mood board, not a production tool.
This gap kept AI template creation as a novelty. Teams would try it once, hit the HTML wall, and go back to their familiar workflows.
What's new: DND create and update email template tools in MCP
That changes with the new drag-and-drop email template tools in Klaviyo's MCP Server. Now you can build and edit fully editable Klaviyo email templates directly from AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT. No raw HTML required.
The key shift: the output is a native Klaviyo template, not a code block. When the AI generates your design, it creates something that maps directly to Klaviyo's drag-and-drop editor. Every section, every block, every element is editable the way you'd expect.
And the conversation doesn't have to end at creation. You can refine the template conversationally. Ask for layout changes, copy tweaks, different image placements, and see those changes applied to the actual template. Keep iterating until it's ready.
When you're satisfied, the template syncs directly to Klaviyo. It's there in your Template Library, ready to use in a campaign or flow, or ready for your team to keep editing.
How it works: from conversation to Klaviyo-native template
Here's what the workflow looks like in practice:
Start a conversation with your AI tool. Describe the email you need: the structure, the content, the design direction. Be as specific or as loose as you want. "A welcome email with our logo, a short intro paragraph, and a single product feature" works. So does "something clean and minimal with a strong CTA."
The MCP tool generates a template structure that maps directly to Klaviyo's drag-and-drop components. You're not getting generic HTML that might work in any email platform. You're getting a template built for Klaviyo's editor, with blocks you can move, edit, and restyle.
From there, you refine conversationally. "Make the hero image full-width." "Add a second product row." "Change the button color to match our brand." Each change updates the template itself, not just a preview or a mockup.
When the template matches what you need, it syncs to Klaviyo. Open it in your Template Library, and you'll see it exactly as you designed it. Fully editable, ready to use, no code in sight.
Why this matters: faster creation, fewer manual steps
This closes the gap that kept AI template creation from becoming a real workflow.
No more rebuilding. The template that comes out of your conversation is the template you use. You're not translating AI output into Klaviyo. You're creating directly in Klaviyo through a different interface.
No context switching. You stay in your creative flow, iterating on the design in the same conversation where you started. The feedback loop is immediate: describe a change, see the change, move on.
Editable by anyone. The templates that land in Klaviyo work the same way every other drag-and-drop template works. Anyone on your team can open them, adjust them, and use them. No code knowledge required.
Genuine end-to-end. From the first idea to a ready-to-send template, the entire process happens in one place. The AI isn't just helping you brainstorm. It's helping you build.
Getting started
The DND create and update email template tools are available now for Enterprise, Commercial, and internal Klaviyo users across all regions.
To start creating, connect your AI tool to Klaviyo's MCP Server. You'll find set-up instructions and the full list of available tools in the MCP Server documentation.
From there, start a conversation and describe the email you need. The template that comes back will be ready to use, and ready to edit.