MCP for Beginners: Connect AI Assistants Directly to Your WordPress Site
Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT connect directly to your WordPress site — reading content, creating posts, managing products, and answering questions about your site’s live data. This guide explains what MCP is, what it enables, and how to activate it on your AIWU installation in under 5 minutes.
What is MCP?
Normally, AI assistants only know what you tell them in the chat window. MCP creates a permanent, secure connection between an AI assistant and your WordPress site, so the AI can access live data and take actions directly.
Think of it as giving your AI assistant a login to your site — but controlled and limited to exactly what you allow.
| Without MCP | With MCP |
|---|---|
| “What are my latest posts?” → You have to paste them in manually | Claude reads your latest posts directly and answers immediately |
| “Create a draft about X” → You copy Claude’s output, paste into WordPress | Claude creates the draft in WordPress directly, in one step |
| “What products are low on stock?” → You export, paste, wait | Claude queries your WooCommerce inventory live |
What You Can Do with MCP + AIWU
Once connected, your AI assistant can:
- Read: Browse posts, pages, products, orders, users, categories, settings
- Create: New posts, pages, products, categories, terms
- Update: Edit existing content, update post status, change metadata
- Search: Full-text search across all your content by keyword or topic
- Analyze: Answer questions about your site’s data (e.g. “How many orders came in this week?”)
Step 1: Enable MCP in AIWU
Go to WordPress Admin → AI Copilot → MCP → Settings.
- Enable MCP server: On
- Authentication: Token (recommended for most clients) or OAuth 2.1 (required for Claude.ai)
- Click Save
AIWU will display your MCP server URL — it looks like: https://yoursite.com/wp-json/aiwu/v1/mcp
Step 2: Generate an API Token
Go to MCP → API Tokens → Generate New Token. Give it a name (e.g. “Claude Desktop”) and set the permission level:
| Permission level | What it allows | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | View content, no changes | Research and Q&A use cases |
| Read + Create | View and create new content, no edits to existing | Content creation workflows |
| Full access | Read, create, update, delete | Trusted personal use only |
Copy the token — you’ll need it when configuring your AI client.
Step 3: Connect Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop is the most common MCP client. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → MCP Servers → Add Server.
Enter:
- Server name: My WordPress Site
- Server URL: your MCP URL from Step 1
- Auth header:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN
Restart Claude Desktop. In a new conversation, type: “List my most recent 5 posts.” Claude should return live data from your WordPress site.
Step 4: Connect Claude.ai (Web)
Claude.ai supports remote MCP servers via OAuth 2.1. See the dedicated guide: Remote MCP with OAuth 2.1.
Verify It’s Working
In your connected AI client, ask: “What is the title of the most recent post on my WordPress site?” If MCP is working, the AI reads the data directly and returns the actual title.
Common Issues
Problem: “Connection refused / can’t reach the MCP server.”
Fix: Ensure your site is publicly accessible (not localhost or staging behind a firewall). Check that the MCP endpoint URL is correct and the plugin is active.
Problem: “Authentication error — 401 Unauthorized.”
Fix: Verify the token is being sent correctly in the Authorization header. Re-generate the token in AIWU and update your client configuration.
What’s Next
- 💡 10 practical things to try with Claude + MCP: 10 Things You Can Do with Claude + MCP
- 🔐 Connect Claude.ai with OAuth: Remote MCP with OAuth 2.1
- 🛠️ Troubleshoot MCP issues: MCP Troubleshooting guide
Last verified: AIWU v.4.9.2 · Updated: 2026-02-25