Quickstart — connect your first AI client

Connect your first AI client to WordPress in about three minutes. By the end of this guide an agent like Claude Code, Cursor, or Claude Desktop can read, search, and act on your site through one secure endpoint — running entirely on your own server.

Before you begin

• WordPress 6.0 or newer, with an administrator account.
• The NIBWP plugin installed and activated (step 1 below).
• An MCP-capable client: Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, or any tool that speaks the Model Context Protocol.
• Node.js 18+ available locally — the connector runs through npx.

1. Install NIBWP

Install it like any other WordPress plugin:

• Download the plugin .zip from your NIBWP account.
• In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the file, and click Install Now.
• Click Activate. NIBWP now exposes a Model Context Protocol endpoint at https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/nibwp.

2. Create an Application Password

Agents authenticate with a standard WordPress Application Password — never your real login password, and revocable at any time.

• Go to Users → Profile for your own account.
• Scroll to Application Passwords, enter a name such as NIBWP, and click Add New Application Password.
• Copy the generated password (24 characters, with spaces).

3. Connect your AI client

Point your client at your site with the @automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote connector. Add this to your client’s MCP configuration, replacing the URL, username, and Application Password with your own:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-wordpress": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote@latest"],
      "env": {
        "WP_API_URL": "https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/nibwp",
        "WP_API_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "WP_API_PASSWORD": "xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Where each client keeps that config:

• Claude Code — a .mcp.json file in your project root (or run claude mcp add).
• Cursor — Settings → MCP → Add Server, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json.
• Claude Desktop — Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json).

4. Run your first command

Restart your client so it loads the new server, then confirm the connection and try a read:

> /mcp
my-wordpress — connected · 130+ tools available

> List my 5 most recent posts and their status.
… calling nibwp/wp-list-posts …

If the agent lists your posts, you’re connected. Now try real prompts: “Draft a post about X,” “Find SEO issues on my homepage,” or “Show my last 10 WooCommerce orders.”

Verify it works

• /mcp lists my-wordpress as connected.
• The agent can list posts (a read action).
• Creating a draft post succeeds (a write action).

Troubleshooting