# WordPress MCP: how to connect Claude or ChatGPT to your WordPress site without handing over the keys to everything > Two ways to run WordPress MCP in 2026 - WordPress.com's built-in server or the official MCP Adapter plugin - plus the permission settings to check first. Source: https://contengi.com/blog/wordpress-mcp Author: Stefan Maritz Published: 2026-11-06 Connecting an AI to WordPress is like giving a house-sitter your keys, so decide which rooms they can open first. **TL;DR** - WordPress MCP lets an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT read and change your WordPress site - posts, pages, comments, settings, and plugins - through the Model Context Protocol. - WordPress.com has MCP built in on every plan, free sites included, and self-hosted sites connected through Jetpack can use it with no Jetpack plan. - Self-hosted sites can also use the official MCP Adapter plugin, which turns abilities registered through the WordPress Abilities API into MCP tools and needs WordPress 6.9 or newer. - The adapter only exposes what your site registers, and WordPress 6.9 ships just three core abilities, so writing posts depends on plugins that add more. - Start read-only. Enabling MCP on WordPress.com switches on read and write tools by default, so trim the write tools before you connect an agent. Connecting an AI to WordPress is like giving a house-sitter your keys. Most of the time they water the plants and leave. Before they arrive, you still decide which rooms they can open, and whether the key to the safe stays on the ring. This post covers both ways to run WordPress MCP in 2026, what each one lets the AI do, and the permission settings to check first. For the rest of the SEO stack, see the guide to [SEO MCP servers in 2026](https://contengi.com/blog/seo-mcp). ## What is WordPress MCP? WordPress MCP is any MCP server that exposes a WordPress site to an AI assistant, so the assistant can draft posts, edit pages, moderate comments, or check settings from a chat. There are two official routes, one for WordPress.com and one for self-hosted sites, and both lean on WordPress user permissions to decide what the AI can touch. Plenty of other platforms speak MCP too, headless ones included, so here's every [CMS with an MCP server](https://contengi.com/blog/cms-with-mcp-server) if you're still choosing. ## WordPress.com MCP vs the MCP Adapter plugin WordPress.com MCP MCP Adapter plugin Works on Every WordPress.com site, plus self-hosted sites through Jetpack Self-hosted WordPress 6.9 or newer Setup Toggle MCP on in account preferences, then add the connector Install the plugin, then register or enable abilities What the AI can do Grouped read and write tools for content, site editing, plugins, users, and settings Whatever abilities core and your plugins register Connecting Claude Official connector in Claude's directory WP-CLI over STDIO locally, or an HTTP proxy with an application password Best for Bloggers and small businesses who want it working today Developers and agencies building custom tools ## How does WordPress.com MCP work? [WordPress.com supports MCP on every site, including free sites](https://wordpress.com/support/mcp/), and self-hosted sites connected through Jetpack can use it without a Jetpack plan. You switch it on under Preferences, then "AI and MCP", and connect Claude through the official connector, ChatGPT through the WordPress.com plugin, or any other client with the public MCP URL and an OAuth sign-in. The tools follow your user role. Administrators get every tool, editors can manage content and comments but not settings or plugins, and authors and contributors get less. Changes land in the site's Activity Log, deleted posts and pages sit in the trash for 30 days, and permanent deletions always ask first. Turning MCP access on switches on both the read and write tool groups, so an agent can change content the moment it connects. Open the write list and switch off anything you don't want it doing before the first chat. ## How does the WordPress MCP Adapter work? The [MCP Adapter is an official package in the AI Building Blocks for WordPress initiative](https://developer.wordpress.org/news/2026/02/from-abilities-to-ai-agents-introducing-the-wordpress-mcp-adapter/). It takes abilities registered through the Abilities API, which arrived in WordPress 6.9, and serves them to AI clients as MCP tools and resources. Out of the box it adds three tools that let an agent discover abilities, read their details, and run them. The [adapter does not provide any AI features itself](https://wordpress.org/plugins/mcp-adapter/), and exposure is opt-in, so an ability only reaches MCP once it's marked public and the current user passes its permission check. WordPress 6.9 ships three core abilities, for site info, user info, and environment info. On the adapter route, three core abilities doesn't get you post editing, so you need a plugin that registers content abilities, your own code, or the Jetpack route above. Connecting is a choice of transport. Local sites use STDIO through WP-CLI, and live sites use the @automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote proxy with a WordPress application password. The plugin is at version 0.7.1, needs WordPress 6.9 or newer, and has more than 60,000 active installs. ## What should you let an AI do on WordPress? Let it read everything and write very little at first. The jobs worth handing over are the dull ones you put off. - **Drafts in, never straight to live.** Ask the AI to create posts as drafts, then review them in the editor before you publish. - **Metadata clean-up.** Missing excerpts, weak titles, and empty alt text are quick fixes an agent does well. - **Comment triage.** Approving or flagging comments is a good first write permission, because mistakes are cheap to undo. - **Site checks.** Plugin lists, versions, and environment info help you spot what needs updating. Content is where you should stay hands-on. An AI with write access and no brand context publishes posts that sound like everyone's, so run drafts through the [AI slop cleaner](https://contengi.com/ai-slop-cleaner) and give the model your voice rules first. That's the whole job of learning to [maintain brand voice with AI](https://contengi.com/blog/how-to-maintain-brand-voice-with-ai). Contengi writes drafts against a brand knowledge base and publishes to WordPress natively for the same reason, with updates going back over the original post at the same URL. ## Checklist: WordPress MCP without the regret 1. **Back up first.** WordPress.com Business and Commerce plans can restore from a backup, and self-hosted sites need their own. 2. **Connect as an editor.** A dedicated editor account keeps settings, plugins, and users out of the AI's reach. 3. **Switch off write tools you don't need.** On WordPress.com, open the write list and disable deletes and plugin management. 4. **Ask for drafts only.** Put "save as draft, never publish" in your prompt, every time, until you trust the output. 5. **Check the Activity Log weekly.** It records what the agent changed, so you catch surprises early. For tools that work on WordPress without MCP, there's a list of [AI tools for WordPress blogs](https://contengi.com/blog/ai-tools-for-wordpress-blogs) worth a look. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does WordPress have an MCP server? Yes, two. WordPress.com has a built-in MCP server on every plan, and self-hosted sites can use the official MCP Adapter plugin, which turns registered abilities into MCP tools. ### Is WordPress MCP free? Yes. WordPress.com MCP works on free sites, and the MCP Adapter is a free plugin on WordPress.org. You only pay for the AI client you connect. ### Can Claude publish posts to WordPress? Yes, if the connection has write access and your user role allows publishing. Start with drafts and review them before anything goes live. ### What WordPress version does the MCP Adapter need? WordPress 6.9 or newer, because it builds on the Abilities API that arrived in 6.9. It also needs PHP 7.4 or higher. ### Is WordPress MCP safe? It's as safe as the permissions you give it. Use an editor account, switch off write tools you don't need, keep backups, and check the Activity Log for changes.