--- title: Connect Claude to WordPress with MCP (Step by Step Guide) url: https://handymcp.com/connect-claude-to-wordpress-mcp/ description: Connect Claude to WordPress in five minutes with a WordPress MCP server. Install the plugin, add the connector, approve access and run your first prompt. --- [Home](https://handymcp.com/)[Blog](https://handymcp.com/blog/)[Guides](https://handymcp.com/category/guides/) # How to Connect Claude to WordPress with an MCP Server By HandyMCP October 10, 2026 Updated Oct 2026 7 min read ![How to Connect Claude to WordPress with an MCP Server](https://handymcp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/connect-claude-to-wordpress-mcp-featured-1024x538.webp) On this page 1. What is a WordPress MCP server? 2. Why connect Claude to WordPress 3. What you need 4. Step 1: Install the WordPress MCP plugin 5. Step 2: Copy your MCP server URL 6. Step 3: Add the connector in Claude 7. Step 4: Choose what Claude may do 8. Step 5: Try your first prompts 9. Keeping it safe 10. Common mistakes 11. Troubleshooting 12. Free vs Pro 13. Next steps 14. Frequently asked questions You can connect Claude to WordPress in a few minutes with a WordPress MCP server. Once it is set up, Claude can read your pages, write drafts, edit Elementor layouts, fix SEO fields and update WooCommerce products, all inside the permissions you choose. This guide walks through the full setup with HandyMCP, the plugin we build for this job. It covers Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, Team and Enterprise plans, and Claude Code in the terminal. **Quick answer:** Install the HandyMCP plugin, copy your server URL from HandyMCP > Connection, then in Claude go to Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector and paste it. Click Connect, sign in on your own site and choose what Claude may do. For Claude Code, run claude mcp add with the URL and an access token. ## What is a WordPress MCP server? MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI apps use tools. A WordPress MCP server is a plugin that turns your site into a set of those tools: “create a page”, “update a product”, “list posts missing a meta description” and so on. Claude connects to it with a normal sign-in, then calls the tools when you ask for something in plain words. HandyMCP runs on your own site. There is no relay, no vendor account and no usage fee or limits. Claude talks to your site directly. For background, read [what is MCP for WordPress](/what-is-mcp-wordpress/) or the official [Model Context Protocol site](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). ## Why connect Claude to WordPress - **Less copy and paste.** Claude writes straight into a draft instead of you pasting text into the editor. - **Real page builder edits.** Claude edits Elementor and Gutenberg layouts in their own format, so pages stay editable. - **Bulk jobs.** SEO titles for 50 posts, stock checks, category clean-ups. - **Site questions.** “Which pages have no meta description?” gets a real answer from your data. ## What you need - A WordPress site on HTTPS, running WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. - An administrator account on that site. Other roles can be allowed later in Settings. - A Claude plan that supports custom connectors, or Claude Code. - The HandyMCP plugin. The free version covers posts, pages, Gutenberg, Elementor, SEO, menus, media and WooCommerce basics. ## Step 1: Install the WordPress MCP plugin In your dashboard go to Plugins > Add New, upload the HandyMCP zip and activate it. A HandyMCP menu appears with Connection, Abilities, Activity, Undo history and Settings. Detailed steps are in the [install guide](/docs/#install). ## Step 2: Copy your MCP server URL Open HandyMCP > Connection. At the top you will see your server URL. It looks like this: ``` https://your-site.com/wp-json/handymcp/v1/mcp ``` Copy it. The same screen has steps for 20+ apps, your access tokens, active sessions and a connection check. ![HandyMCP connection screen showing the server URL to connect Claude to WordPress](https://handymcp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hm-connect.webp) The Connection screen shows your server URL, per-app steps, access tokens and sessions. ## Step 3: Add the connector in Claude ### Claude web, desktop and mobile 1. In Claude open Settings > Connectors and choose Add custom connector. 2. Give it a name such as “My WordPress site” and paste the server URL. 3. Click Add, then Connect. A consent page from your own site opens. 4. Sign in and choose scopes: read only, edit content, manage the store or manage the site. 5. Approve. You are back in Claude with the connector active. Menu names in Claude can change. If something looks different, follow the current steps on your Connection screen. ### Team and Enterprise plans An owner adds the custom connector once for the organisation. Each member then clicks Connect and signs in with their own WordPress account. Each person can only do what their WordPress role allows. ### Claude Code Create a personal access token on the Connection screen. It is shown once, so copy it. Then run: ``` claude mcp add --transport http wordpress https://your-site.com/wp-json/handymcp/v1/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" ``` Add `--scope user` to use it in every project, or `--scope project` to share it with a repo. Inside Claude Code, type `/mcp` to check the connection or to sign in with OAuth instead of a token. Full guide: [connect Claude Code to WordPress](/connect-claude-code-to-wordpress/). ## Step 4: Choose what Claude may do Before your first real task, open HandyMCP > Abilities. You can switch whole tool groups off, turn single tools off, or set the connection to read only. A sensible start is read only, then add edit content once you are comfortable. ![HandyMCP abilities screen to control which WordPress tools Claude can use](https://handymcp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hm-abilities.webp) Turn tool groups on or off, or keep Claude read only. ## Step 5: Try your first prompts Start a new chat and ask for something small and safe: - “List my pages and tell me which ones have no meta description.” - “Summarise my last five blog posts in one line each.” - “Create a draft landing page for my webinar with Elementor, using my global colours.” - “Write SEO titles and descriptions for posts in the News category that are missing them.” - “Show me the five products with the lowest stock.” - “Add a Contact link to the main menu pointing to /contact/.” More in our [Claude prompts for WordPress](/claude-prompts-for-wordpress/) and the [prompt library](/prompts/). ## Keeping it safe - **Live page guard.** Ask for a redesign, new version or draft and HandyMCP creates a draft copy. A published page is only replaced when you clearly ask. - **Confirmation for risky actions.** Destructive tools need your explicit yes. Bulk WooCommerce changes over 10 products ask first. - **Conflict check.** If someone edited a page after Claude read it, the save is refused. - **Undo.** Every change is saved first. Undo one change, a whole task or every change on a page. See [undo AI changes](/undo-ai-changes/). - **Activity log.** Every request, app, tool and page touched. - **Secure sign-in.** OAuth 2.1 with PKCE or hashed personal access tokens you can pause or revoke. Cookie login is never accepted by the MCP endpoint. - **Privacy.** Customer emails and phones are masked, secrets are never returned, and site content is treated as data, not instructions. ![HandyMCP undo history for changes Claude made to WordPress, grouped by task](https://handymcp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hm-history.webp) Undo history groups Claude’s changes by task. Read more in [is it safe to let AI edit a live WordPress site](/is-it-safe-ai-edit-live-wordpress-site/). ## Common mistakes - **Using http instead of https.** The connector needs HTTPS. - **Approving read only, then asking for edits.** Reconnect and add the edit content scope. - **Losing the token.** Tokens are shown once. Revoke it and create a new one. - **Vague prompts.** Name the page and the change you want. - **Connecting a non-admin account** without allowing that role in Settings. ## Troubleshooting - **Claude says it cannot connect.** Check the site uses HTTPS and run the connection check on the Connection screen. - **A security plugin blocks the request.** Allow `/wp-json/handymcp/` in its firewall settings. - **Claude connects but cannot change anything.** Check the scopes you approved and that read only mode is off. - **Changes do not show on the front end.** Ask Claude to purge the cache. - **Claude Code shows the server as failed.** Run `/mcp`, check the token and the Authorization header. Full list in [WordPress MCP not connecting fixes](/wordpress-mcp-not-connecting-fixes/). ## Free vs Pro The free plugin has 80+ tools for content, Gutenberg, Elementor, SEO, menus, media, forms and WooCommerce basics, plus the last 20 changes in undo. Pro has 260+ tools and adds other page builders, Elementor Pro Theme Builder, full WooCommerce, plugin and theme updates with automatic restore, malware scanning, file editing and full undo history. See [pricing](/#pricing). ## Next steps - Connect other apps too: [ChatGPT](/connect-chatgpt-to-wordpress-mcp/) or [Cursor](/connect-cursor-to-wordpress-mcp/). - Try editing Elementor pages with AI. - Browse the [documentation](/docs/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Claude edit my WordPress site directly? Yes. With a WordPress MCP server like HandyMCP, Claude calls tools on your site to read and edit content, within the permissions you approve. ### Which Claude plans support custom connectors? Plans change, so check Anthropic’s current plan details. On Team and Enterprise, an owner adds the connector and members click Connect. ### Do I need an API key? No. Claude signs in with OAuth on your own site. Claude Code can use a personal access token instead. ### Is it safe to connect Claude to a live site? HandyMCP keeps live pages safe with drafts, confirmations, conflict checks, an activity log and undo for every change. ### Can I connect more than one site? Yes. Add a connector per site. The Agency plan adds a Client sites hub so one connection works across sites. ### Can I disconnect Claude later? Yes. Revoke the session or token on the Connection screen, or remove the connector in Claude. ### Does it work with Elementor and WooCommerce? Yes. The free plugin edits Elementor layouts and handles WooCommerce basics. Pro adds full WooCommerce and Theme Builder. Ready to start? [Install HandyMCP free](/docs/#install) and connect Claude to WordPress today. Share this article Written by the HandyMCP team We build HandyMCP, the WordPress MCP server that lets Claude, ChatGPT and other AI apps manage your site with permissions and one-click undo. [Read the setup guide](https://handymcp.com/docs/) On this page 7 min read 1. What is a WordPress MCP server? 2. Why connect Claude to WordPress 3. What you need 4. Step 1: Install the WordPress MCP plugin 5. Step 2: Copy your MCP server URL 6. Step 3: Add the connector in Claude 7. Step 4: Choose what Claude may do 8. Step 5: Try your first prompts 9. Keeping it safe 10. Common mistakes 11. Troubleshooting 12. Free vs Pro 13. Next steps 14. Frequently asked questions Let AI do this for you Connect Claude or ChatGPT to WordPress and just ask. Every change is logged and site edits can be undone. [Get HandyMCP Pro](https://handymcp.com/#pricing) Keep reading ## More from the *blog.* [All articles](https://handymcp.com/blog/) Guides Oct 11, 2026 ### [28 Claude Prompts That Save Hours on WordPress](https://handymcp.com/claude-prompts-for-wordpress/) 28 copy-and-paste prompts for Claude and ChatGPT to manage WordPress: content, SEO, Elementor, WooCommerce, maintenance and… Guides Oct 11, 2026 ### [Is It Safe to Let AI Edit a Live WordPress Site?](https://handymcp.com/is-it-safe-ai-edit-live-wordpress-site/) Letting Claude or ChatGPT edit a live WordPress site can be safe if you set it… Guides Oct 11, 2026 ### [WordPress MCP Not Connecting? 12 Fixes](https://handymcp.com/wordpress-mcp-not-connecting-fixes/) Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor will not connect to your WordPress MCP server? Here are the 12…