--- title: "Scaling Éclair in an agency" description: "Using Éclair for agency work: production process, a duplicated starter site, client accounts, a maintenance plan, the MIT license and quality control." url: "https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/agencies" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-02" updated: "2026-11-02" --- # Scaling Éclair in an agency > **Key takeaways** — To scale Éclair for agency work, build a starter site, duplicate it for each client while renewing its secrets and address, give clients editor accounts and sell maintenance focused on updates, backups and monitoring. The MIT license allows commercial use as long as you keep the copyright notice; “Powered by Éclair” remains optional. Using Éclair for agency work changes the economics of a business website: no plugins to update, no database to monitor, a fast site from delivery day. This lesson offers a method to produce sites at scale without cutting corners: positioning, process, starter site, client accounts, training, maintenance, pricing, license and quality control. > **Before you start** — Time: 40 minutes. Prerequisites: you've delivered at least one Éclair site, and you know [Advanced security and maintenance](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/advanced-security) as well as the [advanced AI workflows](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp/ai-workflows). ## What you'll be able to do ### 🎯 Choose the right projects The sites where Éclair excels, and those to steer elsewhere. ### 🛠 Produce at scale Starter site, clean duplication, quality control. ### 💳 Sell maintenance A clear plan, priced with your own data. ## Which projects suit Éclair for agency work? | Project | Does Éclair fit? | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | business website for a craftsperson, small business, freelancer or nonprofit | yes | four starter site types, SEO and GEO built in | | blog, portfolio, small media outlet | yes | pillar categories, author pages, 12 art directions | | sales page | yes | “Landing page” type: hero, features, FAQ, form | | small shop with a few dozen products | yes | Stripe, PayPal or Revolut Business payment links | | catalog of hundreds of products, cart, discount codes | no | a full e-commerce platform will be a better fit | | booking, members' area, custom feature | no | Éclair has no plugins | When you pitch to a client, rely on verifiable facts: a 480 KB archive, no database, 100 in all four Lighthouse categories (measured locally on the demo site), no cookies on the public site, an offensive security review. And no plugins to update, which Éclair's README presents as the main source of vulnerabilities in a typical WordPress site. ## The production process 1. **Brief**: business, audience, goals, pages, languages, legal information (legal notice, terms of sale if there's a shop) and existing content. 2. **Art direction**: show the client two or three of the 12 directions in the live preview, or have **Imagine my direction with AI** suggest three options, for about $0.03 with Claude Sonnet 5.5 according to the official guide. 3. **Content**: compose the pages with **Create with AI** (about $0.08 per page with Claude Sonnet 5.5, $0.16 with Opus 5.5), with the built-in assistant, or with Claude and ChatGPT through the MCP connector on your subscription. The AI makes up no facts: the “[To complete⁠: …]” placeholders list what the client has to provide. 4. **Review**: the SEO, GEO and Design scores in the **Analysis** tab, then a human review of every page. 5. **Launch**: the quality checklist at the end of this lesson. ## Starter site and duplication First build a starter site: art direction, menus, legal page outlines, standard pages, custom CSS, SEO and GEO settings. For a new client, copy the whole folder, as you would for a move, then remove what must never pass from one site to another. ```bash # New client site from the starter site (over SSH, on the same server) cp -a /var/www/modele /var/www/client-dupont cd /var/www/client-dupont/data rm -rf keys.php vault.php ai sessions limits logs messages inbox.php ``` | Item removed from data/ | Why | | --- | --- | | `keys.php` | Éclair generates a new secret and a new IndexNow key as soon as it needs them | | `vault.php` | the agency's API keys | | `ai/` | the starter site's conversations, suggestions and MCP connections | | `sessions/`, `limits/`, `logs/` | the starter site's sessions, counters and logs | | `messages/`, `inbox.php` | messages received by the starter site's form | Without SSH access, make the same copy and the same deletions via FTP. Then: 1. Open the copy's admin directly, without visiting its public pages: as long as the address hasn't changed, they would redirect with a 301 to the starter site, and your browser would remember it. 2. In **Settings › General**, enter the client's official address: Éclair verifies it right away; if it doesn't, do it from the **Security** page. Also change the name, the tagline and, in **Settings › Advanced**, the admin URL. 3. In **My profile**, change your password, then turn two-factor authentication off and on again: you get a secret and recovery codes specific to this site, since the old codes no longer work with the new secret. 4. Create the client's accounts in **Users**. ## Editor accounts for clients The **Editor** role suits most clients: it writes and publishes content and manages media, categories, menus, messages and redirects, but can't access the settings, the accounts or the **Security** page. The agency keeps control of the configuration and the updates. Éclair generates a temporary password when the account is created: pass it on in person or through a secure channel, and the client will replace it at first login. The **Editors can use the assistant** box (**Settings › AI assistant**) opens or closes the assistant and the MCP connector to them. Also recommend two-factor authentication to them. ## Training clients with the academy No need to write a manual for each client: send them to this academy's [Beginner path](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner), then to the lessons that fit their case, such as [Write and publish your first blog post](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/first-article) or [Connect Claude to your site](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp/connect-claude). At handover, show them three things: the public site's **Edit** button, Visual mode and the version history. ## The maintenance plan An agency's Éclair maintenance plan comes down to concrete tasks: - Éclair updates, following the procedure in the advanced security lesson, then an integrity scan; - a monthly backup stored off-site, plus one before every update; - monitoring: protection level, security log, site uptime; - hosting follow-up: a maintained PHP version, a renewed HTTPS certificate; - reviewing accounts and revoking unused MCP access; - an agreed volume of small content changes. With no plugins and no database, the time spent per site stays predictable. ## Pricing structure: illustrative examples No market figures here: build your prices from your measured time, your hourly rate and your real costs. The table shows the method, with fictitious values. | Item | Basis of calculation | Illustrative example, fictitious figures | | --- | --- | --- | | building a business website | planned hours × hourly rate | 20 h × €50 = €1,000 excl. VAT | | content composed with AI | actual API cost + review time | 10 pages × $0.16 = $1.60, plus 3 h of review | | monthly maintenance | monthly time × rate + hosting billed back | 1 h × €50, plus hosting | > **Fictitious figures** — The €50 rate and the durations in the table don't reflect any observed price: they only illustrate the calculation. Replace them with your own measurements. ## The MIT license and the “Powered by Éclair” notice Éclair is distributed under the MIT license: you can use it, modify it, redistribute it and sell the sites you create with it, including for commercial purposes. The condition is to keep the copyright notice (“Copyright (c) 2026 Thierry Gustin”) and the license text in copies of the software. The archive provides them in `LICENSE.txt`, along with `THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt` for the icons derived from Lucide (ISC license) and the Impeccable method (Apache 2.0 license): let them accompany every copy you deliver. The software is provided “as is”, without warranty: your contract sets your maintenance and turnaround commitments, so have it reviewed. Finally, the footer notice is set in **Settings › Appearance › Show “Powered by ⚡ Éclair”**: unchecking it doesn't breach the license, which covers the software's files. ## The MCP connector for your clients A client can connect their own Claude or ChatGPT subscription to their site, at no cost for the site: turn on **Allow MCP connections** in **Settings › AI assistant**, on an HTTPS site at the root of a domain or subdomain. The AI will be able to read, create drafts and suggest changes, 60 per hour per app at most, and you can cut off each access in one click. On the agency side, add one connector per client site in your Claude, with an explicit name; the Free plan only allows one, and in a Team or Enterprise organization, an owner adds them. ## The quality checklist | Item | Where | Expected | | --- | --- | --- | | SEO, GEO and Design scores | editor, **Analysis** tab | close to 100, no “[To complete⁠: …]” placeholder | | mobile Lighthouse | Chrome tools or PageSpeed Insights | 100 in all four categories, give or take a point | | protection level | **Security** | 100% | | integrity | **Security › Scan now** | nothing to report, or only your templates | | legal pages | **Content** | legal notice, privacy policy, terms of sale if there's a shop | | contact form | public site | message received in **Messages** and by email | | visibility | **Settings › SEO** | “Visible to search engines” checked | | Search Console | **Settings › SEO** | tag pasted, sitemap submitted | | backup | **Security** | first archive stored off-site | ## Key points - Éclair for agency work suits business websites, blogs, portfolios, sales pages and small shops; steer large catalogs and plugin needs elsewhere. - Duplicate a starter site, but renew its secrets, remove its API keys and change the address, passwords and two-factor authentication. - Clients get editor accounts; configuration and updates stay with the agency. - Maintenance comes down to concrete tasks: updates, off-site backups, monitoring and access reviews. - MIT license: free commercial use, with the copyright notice kept; “Powered by Éclair” is optional. ## Going further - [Advanced security and maintenance](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/advanced-security): the update procedure and the monthly routine. - [Advanced AI workflows](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp/ai-workflows): one connector per client site and a review checklist. - [Art directions and Design score](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/art-directions): set each client apart with no development. - Open Source Initiative: [the MIT license text](https://opensource.org/license/mit). - Official repository: [Éclair's license on GitHub](https://github.com/Jacckisback/eclair-cms/blob/main/LICENSE). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I sell sites built with Éclair? Yes. The MIT license allows commercial use, modification and redistribution, provided you keep the copyright notice and the license text in copies of the software. ### Do I have to keep “Powered by Éclair” in the footer? No, it's a simple appearance setting. The license covers the software's files, not this visible notice. ### How do I update twenty client sites? Apply the same procedure to each one: backup, replacement of `app/` and `assets/`, cache cleared, integrity scan. With SSH access, these steps can be scripted, and your customized templates live in a Git repository. ### Can a client with an editor account break their site? They can't access the settings, the accounts or the security page. As for their content, the history keeps the last 20 versions of each page, which are easy to restore.