How to Connect WordPress MCP to Claude

What is WordPress MCP?

WordPress MCP is a plugin made by Automattic that lets Claude interact with your WordPress website. This can be a useful integration for WordPress owners who don’t have much time to monitor everything on the website. Or it might be helpful for marketers who are in charge of taking care of the site. So, how do you connect it to your Claude for daily work? We have the answer in this article.

How to Connect WordPress MCP to Claude

Step 1: Install the WordPress MCP Plugin

Easy Method:

1. Download the plugin file from GitHub Releases
2. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
3. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
4. Upload the file you downloaded and click “Install Now”
5. Click “Activate” after installation

Step 2: Set Up the Plugin

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Settings > WordPress MCP
2. Make sure “Enable MCP” is turned on
3. Keep the default settings for now (you can explore more options later)

Step 3: Create an Access Token

You need a secure way for Claude to access your WordPress site:

1. Go to Settings > WordPress MCP > Authentication Tokens
2. Choose how long the token should work (1-24 hours is best for security)
3. Click “Generate New Token”
4. Copy the token – you’ll need it later

Step 4: Connect Claude to Your WordPress Site

The best way to connect Claude to your WordPress site is using a special bridge called “mcp-wordpress-remote”:

1. Find the Claude Desktop config file:
   • On Mac: Click Claude in the menu bar > Settings > Developer > Edit Config
   • On Windows: Click your profile icon > Settings > Developer > Edit Config
2. Add this configuration to the file (replace the example values with your information):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wordpress-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [ "-y", "@automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote@latest" ],
      "env": {
        "WP_API_URL": "https://your-website.com/",
        "JWT_TOKEN": "your-token-from-step-3"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you use WooCommerce and want Claude to access that too, add these lines under the “env” section:

"WOO_CUSTOMER_KEY": "your-woocommerce-key",
"WOO_CUSTOMER_SECRET": "your-woocommerce-secret"

Step 5: Restart Claude and Test

1. Close Claude Desktop completely
2. Restart Claude Desktop
3. You should see a tools icon in the chat input area (looks like a hammer or wrench)
4. Click it to see if WordPress tools are available

Step 6: Try It Out

Ask Claude to do something with your WordPress site:

• “Can you list all the posts on my WordPress site?”
• “Create a draft post about gardening tips”
• “Show me the recent comments on my site”

Troubleshooting Tips

If you have problems:

• No connection: Check that your website URL is correct and your token hasn’t expired
• Authentication error: Try generating a new token
• Tools not showing: Make sure you’ve restarted Claude completely
• Error messages: Look for exact error messages to help solve the problem

What Claude Can Help

With WordPress MCP, Claude can interact with your WordPress site in various ways. The exact capabilities depend on which tools are enabled in the plugin, but typically include:

• Reading and accessing information about your posts and pages
• Viewing comments and other site data
• Accessing site settings and configuration
• Interacting with the WordPress REST API

For more advanced capabilities, custom tools or custom resources can be added to extend the functionality.

Security Tips

• Use tokens that expire quickly (1-24 hours)
• Don’t share your tokens with anyone
• Only give access to what Claude really needs
• Regularly check and remove old tokens

Other WordPress MCP you might find interesting: MCP WordPress Remote Proxy.

Special note: Do you use ChatGPT and WordPress? We wrote a simple guide to help you connect them.