MCP on WordPress.com

WordPress.com includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, enabling seamless integration with MCP-enabled AI agents like Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, and more.

What is MCP?

MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to LLMs (Large Language Models). Connecting your AI agent to WordPress.com allows you to interact with your WordPress.com account and websites using the natural language interfaces that these AI applications provide.

At a high level, here’s how MCP adds context to your AI requests:

• You ask your AI agent for some information about your WordPress.com account or sites
• The AI agent uses an LLM to understand the request and determines that it needs more context. It checks if there are MCP tools it can use to enable that context.
• It finds the right MCP tool and attempts to request it. The AI agent asks for your permission to make that request.
• Once you give permission, the MCP tool request is made, and the specific data the tool can provide is returned. That data is then included in the request to the LLM.
• The LLM uses your original request and the context from the MCP tool to generate its response.

At no point in time is data shared between the MCP server and the LLM that you don’t have complete control over. It also does not use the data from the MCP tools to train AI models; the data is used only once as part of the original request.

MCP tool access

On WordPress.com, access to specific MCP tools is restricted by the same restrictions applied to user roles:

Requirements

To connect your AI agent application to WordPress.com, you simply need:

• A WordPress.com account with a paid plan
• MCP enabled on your account (see Enable MCP on WordPress.com below)
• An MCP-enabled AI client such as Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, VS Code, or Cursor

The WordPress.com MCP server uses OAuth 2.1 for authentication, which handles the connection and authorization through your web browser; no additional software installation is required.

Connecting Your AI Client

After enabling MCP on your WordPress.com account, you can connect any MCP-enabled AI client using the WordPress.com MCP server URL:

https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1

Claude

WordPress.com has an official Claude Connector to make setup simple and straightforward:

1. On Claude desktop or web, go to your Settings. Click Connectors, and then click the “Browse connectors” button.

2. Search for “WordPress.com” and click the + button to connect.

3. You’ll be prompted to log in to WordPress.com and grant secured access to your sites, thanks to OAuth 2.1.

ChatGPT

To connect ChatGPT to WordPress.com:

1. Open ChatGPT
2. Click on your profile icon in the bottom left
3. Select Settings
4. Go to the Apps tab and click on Advanced settings

5. Enable Developer Mode – this is necessary to allow you create a custom app

6. Click Back to return to Apps tab and click on Create app button.

7. Enter the following details:
   • Name: WordPress.com (or any name you prefer)
   • URL: https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1

8. Click Create to begin the authorization flow between ChatGPT and your WordPress.com account
9. Grant ChatGPT access your WordPress.com account through your browser.
   

10. ChatGPT will have access to your WordPress.com sites through the MCP tools.

11. Be sure to select your WordPress.com connector when starting a new chat in Developer mode.

Cursor

To connect Cursor to WordPress.com using the Cursor MCP Directory:

1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://cursor.com/docs/context/mcp/directory

2. Search for “WordPress” and click on the “+Add to Cursor” button.

2. This will trigger a browser action that will open your Cursor app and add the MCP configuration to the Tools & MCP settings.

2. Click Install to begin the authorization flow between Cursor and your WordPress.com account.
3. Grant Cursor access to your WordPress.com account through your browser.

2. Once the connection is complete, Cursor will have access to your WordPress.com sites through the MCP tools.

Other Clients

For other MCP-enabled clients, consult your client’s documentation for how to add an MCP server, then use the URL:

https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1

The OAuth 2.1 authentication flow will automatically guide you through browser-based authorization.

Supported clients

You can use any MCP-enabled AI client application to connect to WordPress.com. If you don’t already have one, we’ve listed some of the most popular below.

• Claude Desktop
• VS Code
• Cursor

Available MCP Tools

All WordPress.com MCP Tools are listed in the WordPress.com MCP Tools Reference doc.

Enable MCP on WordPress.com

To use MCP on WordPress.com, you need to complete the following steps:

1. Enable MCP either on your WordPress.com account
2. Connect your MCP-enabled AI client
3. Accept the OAuth authentication request

To enable MCP on your WordPress.com account, navigate to your MCP settings here, or:

1. Log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Hover over your name in the top right-hand corner and then click “My WordPress.com Account.”
3. Click MCP on the My Profile page.

To enable MCP on your account:

1. Toggle “Allow MCP access.”

2. Once enabled, you can also enable or disable specific MCP tools.
3. To configure an MCP client, click on the “Configure MCP client” button.
4. On the MCP Setup page, select the client you wish to configure from the drop-down menu. The page will display a Quick Setup option and/or a Manual Setup option.
   • Quick Setup: This option allows you to set up the MCP configuration in just one click for a few of the available clients.
   • Manual Setup: This is a manual JSON configuration you’ll need to paste into your client application. View the linked setup instructions to ensure that you configure the MCP connection in your client application correctly.

Disable MCP Access for specific sites

At the bottom of the MCP Account Settings page, you can also disable MCP access to specific sites.

Disabling access to specific sites will block all MCP tools for all users on that site, and override your account settings for that site.

To block MCP access for a site:

1. Search for, or select, a site from the list of available sites
2. Toggle “Disable MCP access for this site” on

You can enable MCP access for specific sites in the same way, by toggling “Disable MCP access for this site” back off.

Authentication

The WordPress.com MCP server uses OAuth 2.1 for secure authentication. OAuth 2.1 is the latest OAuth standard, incorporating modern security best practices including:

• PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange): Protects against authorization code interception
• Dynamic Client Registration: Your AI client can register automatically
• Token Rotation: Enhanced security through automatic token refresh
• No Client Secrets Required: Secure authentication without storing sensitive credentials

How it works

1. When you add the WordPress.com MCP server to your AI client, the client will attempt to connect
2. Your web browser will automatically open to the WordPress.com authorization page
3. Log in to your WordPress.com account (if you aren’t already logged in)
4. Review and authorize the connection
5. You’ll be redirected back to your AI client, which can now access your WordPress.com sites

Managing Connections

You can disconnect your AI client at any time through your WordPress.com account:

1. Go to Security → Connected Apps
2. Find your AI client in the list (it may appear as “MCP Client” or with your client’s name)
3. Click Disconnect to revoke access

The OAuth 2.1 flow ensures your WordPress.com credentials are never stored on your computer or shared with your AI client; only secure, expiring access tokens are used.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If you’re having trouble connecting to the WordPress.com MCP server:

1. Verify MCP is enabled: Check that MCP is enabled on your WordPress.com account
2. Check the URL: Ensure you’re using the correct server URL: https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1
3. Review authorization: Make sure you completed the OAuth authorization flow in your browser
4. Check connected apps: Visit Connected Apps to verify your client is connected
5. Restart your client: Try restarting your AI client application
6. Check client logs: Consult your AI client’s documentation for how to view connection logs

Disabling tools

If you disable any tools on your account or disable MCP on any sites, you will need to restart the MCP server connection in your AI client. This allows the application client to refresh the list of available tools.