WordPress MCP Server & CLI
A free, open source WordPress MCP server and CLI that lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other AI agents work on posts, pages, media, Elementor and Rank Math SEO.
~/wordpress-mcp-cli
Claude Code v2.1.220This free WordPress MCP server and CLI gives your AI real access to your WordPress site. It works with posts, pages, custom post types, media, categories, Elementor layouts, Rank Math SEO and redirects, across several sites.
It's one install with 2 ways in. Claude, Codex, Cursor or any other MCP app calls its 42 tools for you, and the same tools work as a CLI that agents like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode run, or that you type yourself.
Here's what the WordPress MCP server and CLI is, how to set it up in each app, and every tool it has.
What is the WordPress MCP server & CLI?
The WordPress MCP server & CLI is a free, open source program that lets AI agents work on your WordPress site for you, in 2 ways. The MCP server is what an AI app like Claude, Codex or Cursor connects to, through MCP (Model Context Protocol), the open standard AI apps use to call outside tools.
You ask in plain language. Your AI picks the right tool, and the server makes the call to your site's REST API.
The CLI is the same program as commands. wordpress-cli wp-list-posts runs the same code your AI runs when you ask what's on your blog, whether an agent like Claude Code runs it or you do.
What can you ask it?
Once it's set up, you ask the way you'd ask an assistant. These are real prompts it handles:
Try askingDraft a post about the launch, file it under Marketing, and leave it as a draft.
Which posts are missing a meta description?
Find every page that mentions the old pricing and show me where.
Duplicate the services page so I can rewrite it without touching the live one.
Redirect the old blog URL to the new one, permanently.
Upload this image, set the alt text, and make it the featured image on post 412.
The second one shows why this is useful. WordPress hides the fields where Rank Math keeps its SEO settings and Elementor keeps a page's layout, and with the helper plugin your AI can read and write them.
How to install the WordPress MCP server
Pick your app in the box at the top of this page. Each one is a single command or a pasted block, and they all run through npx, so there's nothing to install first.
Pro tip: Give your AI its own WordPress user with the Editor role. Editor covers almost everything here, and you can revoke that user without touching your own login.
Set up your WordPress site
The server signs in with an application password. It isn't your login password: WordPress makes one per program, you can revoke each on its own, and it carries the role of its user.
WordPress shows the password in groups with spaces. It works with or without them.
The role decides what your AI can do
| Role | What your AI can do |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Everything, including site settings and permanent deletes |
| Editor | Everything with content: publish, edit anyone's posts and upload media |
| Author | Its own posts only |
Add the helper plugin for the full set
30 of the 42 tools work with nothing installed. The other 12, for Elementor, Rank Math, redirects, hidden fields and bulk edits, need the small helper plugin from the repo.
Copy plugin/mcp-wordpress-helper.php into wp-content/mu-plugins/ on your site. Files there load on their own, so there's nothing to activate, and every route checks the same permissions WordPress itself would.
Check that it works
Run the doctor. It checks HTTPS, the password's shape, the sign-in, the user's role and the helper plugin, in that order, and stops at the first real problem.
npx -y @thenavidm/wordpress-mcp-cli doctor"Application password is 12 characters" means you used a login password, since application passwords are 24. "Can publish posts: no" means the role is too low, so use an Editor or Administrator.
Use the WordPress CLI
The CLI is the same 42 tools as commands. AI agents that run commands, like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, use it on their own, and you can type the same commands in a terminal or a script.
Every tool name becomes a command with dashes, so wp_list_posts runs as wordpress-cli wp-list-posts.
npm install -g @thenavidm/wordpress-mcp-cli
wordpress-cli
wordpress-cli wp-list-posts
wordpress-cli wp-get-settingsThe bare wordpress-cli lists every command, and wordpress-cli <command> --help shows what a command takes. Publishing, permanent deletes and bulk edits need --confirm, the terminal's version of the check your AI has to pass.
These flags work on every command:
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
--json | Prints JSON |
--compact | Prints the JSON on one line |
--agent | Machine mode: JSON, compact, no prompts and no color |
--select a,b.c | Keeps only those fields, and a dotted path goes deeper |
--confirm | Lets a write that asks first go ahead |
A script can branch on the exit code:
| Exit code | What it means |
|---|---|
| 0 | It worked |
| 2 | The command was typed wrong, or a write needed --confirm |
| 3 | It wasn't found |
| 4 | WordPress rejected the credentials |
| 5 | WordPress's API failed |
| 7 | You hit a rate limit, so wait and try again |
| 10 | Nothing is set up yet |
MCP server or CLI: which one?
Both are the same program with the same 42 tools. The difference is when your AI pays for them, in the tokens it reads.
- MCP server
- 23,300 tokens
- CLI
- Nothing
- MCP server
- 1,300 tokens
- CLI
- Nothing
- MCP server
- Nothing more, or in Claude Code the tools it picks
- CLI
- 4,000 tokens, once
- MCP server
- 465,000 tokens
- CLI
- 4,000 tokens
- MCP server
- Yes
- CLI
- No, there's no terminal there
- MCP server
- No
- CLI
- Yes
An app that loads every tool up front sends the full list with every message, whether you mention WordPress or not. Claude Code doesn't by default: its tool search sends only the tool names and the server's instructions, and loads a tool's full definition when your AI reaches for it.
The CLI costs nothing until WordPress comes up. Then your agent reads its skill file once and runs the commands it needs. With the skill added, Claude Code also lists its one-line description with every message, about 150 tokens.
When the whole conversation is about WordPress, the gap closes. Then the MCP server is the better experience, because you ask in plain language and your AI never has to look up a command.
Where the MCP server's tokens go
| Part of the tool list | Share |
|---|---|
| JSON Schema structure, like types, required lists and nesting | 42% |
| Argument descriptions | 38% |
| Tool descriptions | 20% |
42% of it is MCP writing every tool out as JSON Schema, which any server with this many tools pays. The rest is the wording that lets your AI use each tool without guessing.
How to spend less
In Claude Code, leave tool search on, which it is unless you've set ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH=false.
Turn the server off when you aren't editing the site. In Claude Code that's the /mcp panel, and every AI app has its own switch. WORDPRESS_READ_ONLY=1 cuts it to the 22 reading tools.
Or install the CLI and connect the server later, on the days it earns its place. Every tool stays in reach, and the standing cost drops to nothing.
Every number here was measured on September 27, 2026 in Claude Code 2.1.257 with Claude Opus 5. It's the same one-line prompt with and without the server connected, once with tool search off so every tool loads, and once with Claude Code's default. The skill was measured the same way, and other apps and models count tokens a little differently.
What to know about WordPress
Publishing is the only thing on a WordPress site you can't take back. Feeds, email plugins and social auto-posters pick up a published post within minutes, and setting it back to draft recalls nothing.
An Elementor page ignores its own post content, because the layout lives in a hidden field. Use wp_get_elementor and wp_update_elementor for those pages, or duplicate an existing one.
Posts take IDs, never names, so look up a category's ID before you file a post under it. Dates follow the site's time zone, not yours, and wp_get_settings shows which.
Every WordPress tool
All 42 tools, grouped the way the repo groups them. 22 only read, and 20 change something on your site.
Posts
wp_list_posts- What it does
- List posts, filtered by status, search term, category, tag, author or date range.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_get_post- What it does
- Fetch a single post by ID, in edit context so the raw unrendered content comes back rather than the filtered output.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_post- What it does
- Create a post.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_update_post- What it does
- Update any field on an existing post.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_delete_post- What it does
- Move a post to the trash, where it stays until emptied and can be restored from wp-admin in one click.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_duplicate_post- What it does
- Duplicate any post, page or custom post type item as a draft, copying every meta field with it, including Elementor layouts, ACF fields and SEO settings.
- Kind
- Writes
Pages
wp_list_pages- What it does
- List pages, filtered by status, search term, parent or slug.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_page- What it does
- Create a page.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_update_page- What it does
- Update any field on an existing page.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Custom post types
wp_list_post_types- What it does
- List every post type registered on the site, built in and custom, with the REST base each one answers on, whether it is hierarchical, and which taxonomies apply to it.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_list_custom- What it does
- List items of any post type by its REST base: products, listings, lessons, projects, or whatever the site has registered.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_get_custom- What it does
- Fetch a single item of any post type by REST base and ID, in edit context so the raw content comes back rather than the rendered output.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_custom- What it does
- Create an item in any post type by REST base.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_update_custom- What it does
- Update any field on an item of any post type.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_delete_custom- What it does
- Move an item of any post type to the trash, which is reversible, or delete it permanently with force: true, which is not.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Media
wp_list_media- What it does
- List items in the media library, filtered by search term, MIME type or the post they are attached to.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_get_media- What it does
- Fetch a single attachment by ID, with its full URL, dimensions, alt text, caption and every generated size.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_upload_media- What it does
- Download a file from a publicly reachable URL and add it to the media library, then set its title, alt text and caption.
- Kind
- Writes
wp_delete_media- What it does
- Delete an attachment.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Categories and tags
wp_list_categories- What it does
- List the site's categories with their IDs, slugs, parents and post counts.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_category- What it does
- Create a category and return its ID, ready to pass to wp_create_post.
- Kind
- Writes
wp_list_tags- What it does
- List the site's tags with their IDs, slugs and post counts.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_tag- What it does
- Create a tag and return its ID, ready to pass to wp_create_post.
- Kind
- Writes
wp_list_taxonomies- What it does
- List every taxonomy registered on the site, built in and custom, with the REST base each one answers on and the post types it applies to.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_list_taxonomy_terms- What it does
- List the terms in any taxonomy, custom or built in, by its REST base.
- Kind
- Reads
Rank Math SEO and redirects
wp_get_rankmath- What it does
- Read every Rank Math field set on a post or page: SEO title, meta description, focus keywords, robots directives, canonical URL, the Open Graph and Twitter overrides, schema type, pillar-content flag, primary category and breadcrumb title, along with the stored SEO score.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_update_rankmath- What it does
- Update Rank Math fields on a post or page.
- Kind
- Writes
wp_list_redirects- What it does
- List the site's redirects with their IDs, sources, destinations and HTTP status codes.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_create_redirect- What it does
- Create a redirect from one path to another.
- Kind
- Writes
wp_delete_redirect- What it does
- Delete a redirect by ID, from wp_list_redirects.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Elementor
wp_get_elementor- What it does
- Read the Elementor widget tree for a page or post, as the JSON Elementor itself stores.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_update_elementor- What it does
- Replace the Elementor widget tree for a page or post.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Hidden fields
wp_get_all_meta- What it does
- Read every meta field stored on a post, page or custom post type item, including the underscore-prefixed fields WordPress hides from the core REST API.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_update_meta- What it does
- Write meta fields on a post, page or item, including protected underscore-prefixed keys that the core REST API refuses.
- Kind
- Writes
Bulk edits
wp_bulk_update- What it does
- Apply the same changes to a list of posts in one call: change status, reassign the author, set a menu order, or write meta fields across all of them.
- Kind
- Can ask first
wp_bulk_delete- What it does
- Move a list of posts to the trash, or delete them permanently with force: true.
- Kind
- Can ask first
Search
wp_search- What it does
- Search every searchable post type and term at once, returning IDs, titles, URLs and types.
- Kind
- Reads
Users and comments
wp_list_users- What it does
- List the site's users with their IDs, names, slugs and roles.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_list_comments- What it does
- List comments, filtered by post, status, search term or author.
- Kind
- Reads
Sites
wp_list_sites- What it does
- List every WordPress site this server can reach, with the short name to pass as
site, the URL, the user it acts as, and optionally whether the helper plugin is installed there. - Kind
- Reads
wp_get_me- What it does
- Show the WordPress user the application password belongs to, including the role and the capabilities that come with it.
- Kind
- Reads
wp_get_settings- What it does
- Read the site's general settings: title, tagline, URL, admin email, timezone, date and time formats, start of week, language, and the default post category and format.
- Kind
- Reads
Is the WordPress MCP server safe?
Publishing is the point of the tool, so writes work from the start. 4 kinds of change ask first, because WordPress can't undo them: publishing or scheduling, permanent deletes, replacing an Elementor layout, and anything bulk. The tools that can do one of those are marked Can ask first in the tool tables above.
Trashing, drafting and ordinary edits don't ask, because each is one click to undo in wp-admin.
Make it read-only
Set WORDPRESS_READ_ONLY=1 and every write disappears from the tool list, leaving 22 reading tools. WORDPRESS_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE=0 is the middle setting: ordinary edits still work, and publishing and permanent deletes don't.
Keep a log of every write
Set WORDPRESS_AUDIT_LOG to a file path. The server writes one line per attempted write, allowed or blocked.
Watch out: Comments and post content can be text other people wrote, and a comment can try to give your AI orders. Treat everything it reads as data, and use WORDPRESS_READ_ONLY=1 for an agent working on its own.
Your data
Nothing goes anywhere but your own site. Your application password stays in your app's config or your shell, and there's no tracking of any kind.
To disconnect, revoke the password under Users, then Profile, then Application Passwords. It stops working right away, and your login is untouched.
Connect more than one WordPress site
List your sites in WORDPRESS_SITES as JSON, each with its own address, username and application password. Pass site on any call, or set WORDPRESS_DEFAULT_SITE, because a call that names no site is refused rather than guessed at.
WordPress MCP server settings
Every setting is an environment variable, in your app's config or your shell.
WORDPRESS_SITE_URL- Default
- none
- What it does
- Sets your site's address
WORDPRESS_USERNAME- Default
- none
- What it does
- Sets the user the password belongs to
WORDPRESS_APP_PASSWORD- Default
- none
- What it does
- Holds the application password, never your login
WORDPRESS_SITES- Default
- none
- What it does
- Lists several sites, as JSON
WORDPRESS_DEFAULT_SITE- Default
- none
- What it does
- Picks the site that acts when a call names none
WORDPRESS_READ_ONLY- Default
- off
- What it does
1hides every write
WORDPRESS_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE- Default
- on
- What it does
0blocks publishing and permanent deletes
WORDPRESS_AUDIT_LOG- Default
- none
- What it does
- Logs every attempted write to a file
WORDPRESS_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS- Default
30000- What it does
- Sets how long a request can take
Troubleshooting
Run the doctor first. It names the step that failed and the fix.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
incorrect_password on every call | You used a login password, or the site runs on plain HTTP |
rest_cannot_edit on some posts | The user is an Author, who only reaches their own posts. Use Editor or Administrator |
rest_no_route | A security plugin blocks the REST API, or the post type isn't shown in REST |
| "needs the WordPress MCP Helper plugin" | The tool needs the helper plugin in mu-plugins |
| "returned HTML rather than a REST response" | A firewall, a security plugin or a maintenance page answered instead of WordPress |
| Edits to an Elementor page do nothing | The layout lives in a hidden field. Use wp_update_elementor |
| A post scheduled at the wrong hour | Dates use the site's time zone. Check wp_get_settings |
If the server doesn't show up in your app at all, run the command your app runs, in a terminal, and read the error.
More free tools for your site
Check your site's structured data, or make the llms.txt file AI search reads.
WordPress MCP Server FAQs
Here are the questions people ask most about the WordPress MCP server and CLI.
The WordPress MCP server & CLI is a free, open source program that lets an AI app like Claude, Codex or Cursor work on your WordPress site.
It has 42 tools for posts, pages, custom post types, media, taxonomies, Elementor, Rank Math SEO, redirects and bulk edits, and the same tools run as a CLI that agents like Claude Code and Codex use, or that you type yourself.
An MCP server is a standard way to give an AI app real access to a tool, so it can act instead of guessing.
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, and Claude, Codex, Cursor and many other AI apps speak it.
The WordPress CLI is the same program as the WordPress MCP server, run as commands.
AI agents like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode run them for you, and you can type them in a terminal or a script.
Use the WordPress MCP server in an AI app with no terminal, like Claude Desktop's chat, and the CLI in a terminal, a script or a cron job.
In an AI app that can run commands, like Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, the CLI is the lighter choice, because it costs nothing until it runs.
Yes, the WordPress MCP server is free and open source under the MIT license, and so is its helper plugin.
The only thing you pay for is your own AI app.
The WordPress MCP server uses an application password because you can revoke it on its own and it carries only its user's role.
WordPress has made them since version 5.6, under Users, then Profile.
You need the WordPress helper plugin only for 12 of the tools: Elementor, Rank Math, redirects, hidden fields and bulk edits.
The other 30 work with nothing installed.
Yes, the WordPress MCP server reads and replaces Elementor layouts with wp_get_elementor and wp_update_elementor, through the helper plugin.
Replacing a layout asks for a confirm check first.
The WordPress MCP server publishes when you ask it to.
Publishing, permanent deletes, layout replacements and bulk edits only run once your AI passes a confirm check.
The WordPress MCP server works with any WordPress site on HTTPS, wherever it's hosted.
If you're choosing a host, I recommend Hostinger for WordPress.
Yes, the WordPress MCP server connects as many sites as you list in WORDPRESS_SITES.
Every call names its site, or uses the default you set.
The WordPress MCP server works with any app that speaks MCP.
That includes Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Antigravity and Hermes.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
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