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The WordPress MCP Server transforms how you manage WordPress sites. Instead of clicking through admin panels or writing custom scripts, you can control your entire site through natural language conversations with AI assistants like Claude.
This guide walks you through everything: installation, configuration, connecting to Claude Desktop, and running your first commands. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional WordPress MCP setup ready for AI-powered site management.
What You’ll Need
Before starting, ensure you have:
- A WordPress site (local or hosted) running PHP 7.4+
- Admin access to install plugins
- Claude Desktop app (download from claude.ai)
- Basic familiarity with your computer’s terminal
The MCP Server works with any WordPress installation—Local by Flywheel, MAMP, live hosting, or managed WordPress. If you can access wp-admin, you can use MCP.
Step 1: Install the WordPress MCP Plugin
The WordPress MCP Server consists of a plugin that exposes your site’s capabilities through standardized endpoints.
Download and Install
- Download the MCP Core plugin from the Master Control Press repository
- In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Select the downloaded ZIP file and click Install Now
- Activate the plugin
After activation, you’ll see a new “MCP Settings” menu item in your WordPress admin sidebar.
Generate Your API Credentials
Navigate to MCP Settings in your WordPress admin. The plugin automatically generates secure credentials:
- Site URL: Your WordPress site address
- API Key: A unique key for authentication
- Secret: Used for request signing
Keep these credentials secure. Anyone with access can control your WordPress site through the MCP interface.
Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop needs to know how to connect to your WordPress MCP Server. This requires editing the Claude configuration file.
Locate Your Config File
The Claude Desktop config file location varies by operating system:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: {bf039d2de9abfee38ce35c41c82d2c75ec0079cf87af26ab21d48095b517c22b}APPDATA{bf039d2de9abfee38ce35c41c82d2c75ec0079cf87af26ab21d48095b517c22b}Claudeclaude_desktop_config.json
- Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Create the file if it doesn’t exist.
Add Your WordPress MCP Server
Open the config file in any text editor and add your WordPress MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"wordpress": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@anthropic/mcp-remote",
"https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/v1/sse",
"--header",
"X-MCP-API-Key: your-api-key-here"
]
}
}
}Replace your-site.com with your WordPress URL and your-api-key-here with the API key from your MCP Settings page.
For Local Development Sites
If you’re using Local by Flywheel or another local development environment, your URL might look like:
"https://my-site.local/wp-json/mcp/v1/sse"Local sites work identically to production sites—the MCP Server doesn’t distinguish between environments.
Step 3: Restart Claude and Verify Connection
After saving your config file, completely quit and restart Claude Desktop. The app needs to reload its configuration to recognize the new MCP server.
Check the Connection
Once Claude restarts, you can verify the connection by asking Claude directly:
“What WordPress abilities do you have access to?”
Claude should respond with a list of available capabilities. With the full MCP installation, you’ll see 217 abilities across WordPress Core, ACF, WooCommerce, and theme management.
Step 4: Run Your First Commands
With the connection established, you can start managing WordPress through conversation. Here are some commands to try:
Get Site Information
“Show me my WordPress site information”
Claude will return your site name, URL, description, WordPress version, and active theme.
List Recent Posts
“List my 10 most recent WordPress posts”
You’ll see post titles, publication dates, status, and URLs.
Create a Draft Post
“Create a draft post titled ‘Test Post’ with the content ‘This is a test of the MCP system.’”
Claude creates the post and returns the new post ID and edit URL.
Check Installed Plugins
“What plugins are installed on my site?”
Claude lists all plugins with their activation status and version numbers.
Understanding MCP Abilities
The WordPress MCP Server organizes capabilities into logical groups:
Core WordPress (79 abilities)
Posts, pages, categories, tags, users, comments, media, menus, plugins, themes, and site settings. Everything you’d normally do in wp-admin becomes conversational.
Advanced Custom Fields (70 abilities)
If you have ACF Pro installed, the MCP Server adds abilities to manage field groups, create custom post types, work with repeater fields, and handle flexible content layouts.
WooCommerce (52 abilities)
Product management, orders, customers, coupons, shipping zones, and store settings. Perfect for e-commerce sites needing bulk operations.
Theme Management (16 abilities)
Block templates, template parts, patterns, and theme.json settings. Full Site Editing capabilities through natural language.
Common Setup Issues
“No abilities found” Response
If Claude can’t see any WordPress abilities:
- Verify the config file syntax (JSON must be valid)
- Check that Claude Desktop fully restarted
- Confirm the API URL is correct and accessible
- Test the endpoint directly in a browser: yoursite.com/wp-json/mcp/v1/
Authentication Errors
If you see “unauthorized” or similar errors:
- Double-check your API key in the config file
- Regenerate credentials in MCP Settings if needed
- Ensure no extra spaces in the API key
SSL Certificate Issues
Local development sites sometimes have SSL problems. If using Local by Flywheel, ensure “Trust” is enabled for the site’s SSL certificate in the Local app settings.
Next Steps
With your WordPress MCP Server running, you’re ready to explore AI-powered site management:
- Bulk operations: Update multiple posts, assign categories, manage tags at scale
- Content creation: Generate drafts, optimize existing content, manage media
- Site administration: User management, plugin updates, security checks
- Custom development: Create custom post types, manage ACF fields, build templates
The real power emerges when you combine multiple abilities in complex workflows—tasks that would take hours through traditional admin panels become minutes of conversation.
Start simple, experiment with different commands, and discover how natural language WordPress management can transform your workflow.
