The WordPress MCP Adapter is the official bridge between your WordPress site and AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. This guide covers what it is, how to install it from WordPress.org, and how to set it up without writing code, so you go from a fresh install to a connected AI client in a few minutes.
The short version
- What it is: an official WordPress plugin that turns your site into an MCP server, exposing its abilities to AI clients as tools.
- Where to get it: WordPress.org, slug
mcp-adapter, since October 2026. Needs WordPress 6.9+ and PHP 7.4+. - The catch: it has no admin screens. Servers, client configs and access rules are all code.
- No-code setup: add MCP Manager on top for a full dashboard, ready-made client configs and per-request access control.
What Is the WordPress MCP Adapter?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard AI assistants use to discover and call tools in other systems. Any MCP client can talk to any MCP server without custom integration code.
The WordPress MCP Adapter makes your site one of those servers. It reads the abilities registered through the Abilities API, which has been in core since WordPress 6.9, and presents them to AI clients as MCP tools, resources and prompts. It handles protocol negotiation, authentication, permission checks and errors, over HTTP for remote clients and STDIO for local ones.
It is an official project of the WordPress AI team, part of the AI Building Blocks for WordPress initiative. Out of the box it registers one default server at /wp-json/mcp/mcp-adapter-default-server.
MCP Adapter vs Abilities API vs MCP Manager
Three names come up together, and most setup confusion comes from mixing them up. Each one does a different job:
| Piece | What it does | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Abilities API | Lets core and plugins describe what they can do, in a form machines can read | WordPress core, since 6.9 |
| MCP Adapter | Serves those abilities to AI clients over MCP | Official plugin on WordPress.org |
| MCP Manager | Adds the admin UI the adapter lacks: servers, abilities, client configs, access rules | Free plugin on WordPress.org, by AcrossAI |
Weighing the adapter on its own against adding a UI? Our MCP Adapter vs MCP Manager comparison goes feature by feature.
Before You Set Up the MCP Adapter
- WordPress 6.9 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer.
- Abilities worth exposing. Core ships only three read-only ones, so most sites add more with a plugin such as Abilities Manager.
- HTTPS if you will connect a remote client. Local clients can use STDIO instead.
- An MCP client: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex or similar.
How to Install the MCP Adapter Plugin
The adapter used to be a GitHub download. It is now in the plugin directory, which also means normal updates and auto-updates. In wp-admin, go to Plugins › Add New, search for MCP Adapter, then install and activate. Or from the command line:
wp plugin install mcp-adapter --activateOnce it is active you have a working endpoint. What you do not have is a menu item, a settings page or a single screen. The next step depends on whether you want to configure it in code or in wp-admin.
Two Ways to Set Up the MCP Adapter
Route 1: In code (developers)
Register extra servers in PHP on the mcp_adapter_init hook, flag which abilities each one exposes, create an Application Password in your profile, and hand-write a JSON config for every client. Right when the MCP surface is part of a product you ship. Painful when you just want your own site talking to an AI, because every change is another deploy.
Route 2: No code (everyone else)
Add MCP Manager on top of the adapter. It turns all of that into screens in wp-admin: create servers with a form, tick the abilities to expose, copy a ready-made config for your client, and decide who may connect. The adapter stays the engine; MCP Manager is the dashboard.
MCP Adapter Setup Without Code, Step by Step
MCP Manager’s Quick Setup wizard walks through these steps for you and skips any you have already done:
- Install MCP Manager from Plugins › Add New and open Quick Setup.
- Pick or create an MCP server. Only a name is required; the route fills itself in.
- Decide who can reach it. Until you add a rule, only administrators can.
- Add abilities. One click installs Abilities Manager, taking you from three core abilities to hundreds.
- Choose what AI may do. Enable the abilities this server exposes. Each still requires admin rights unless you widen it.
- Turn the endpoint on. Every server starts disabled, so a half-configured one never accepts traffic.
- Connect your client. Paste one MCP URL and approve it on your site, or copy a ready-made config.
The full walkthrough with screenshots is on the MCP Manager Quick Setup page.
Connecting Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Other Clients
Clients connect to the same endpoint in one of four ways. Pick whichever your client supports:
| Method | Best for | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| One-click connector | Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Cursor | Paste one URL, approve on your site |
| Client config | Claude Desktop, VS Code, Copilot, Codex | Paste a generated JSON block |
| npm | Any terminal-based client | Run one npx command |
| WP-CLI (STDIO) | Local development | No credentials cross the network |
Client-specific guides: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Grok, WP-CLI and any other MCP client.
MCP Adapter Security Checklist
- Expose the minimum. Every enabled ability is something an AI can call. Start read-only and widen on purpose.
- One credential per client. Revoking one then does not break the others.
- Check access on every request. A saved config on someone’s laptop should stop working the moment their access is removed.
- Watch the connection log. Failed attempts are the early warning that a credential is loose.
For a deeper look, read WordPress MCP Security: Your AI Agent Is Only as Safe as Its Permissions.
WordPress MCP Adapter FAQ
Is the MCP Adapter on WordPress.org?
Yes. Since October 2026 you can install it from Plugins › Add New (slug mcp-adapter) or with wp plugin install mcp-adapter --activate. Older guides that point to a GitHub zip are out of date.
Is the MCP Adapter part of WordPress core?
No. It is an official plugin from the WordPress AI team. The Abilities API it relies on is in core, as of WordPress 6.9.
Why does the MCP Adapter have no settings page?
It is built as a developer layer: servers and permissions are configured in PHP. If you want screens in wp-admin, MCP Manager adds them on top without replacing the adapter.
Do I need both the MCP Adapter and MCP Manager?
The adapter is the engine and MCP Manager is the dashboard, so they work together. If you only ever configure servers in code, the adapter alone is enough.
My MCP client connects but shows no tools. Why?
Usually the server has no abilities enabled, or the endpoint is still turned off. Check that abilities are enabled for that server and that the server itself is on. Core alone only provides three read-only abilities.
Can one site run more than one MCP server?
Yes. Separate servers with their own routes, abilities and access rules are the cleanest way to give different people or clients different levels of access.
Set up the MCP Adapter in minutes
Install MCP Manager, run Quick Setup, and connect your first AI client without touching a config file.