What is the Loco Translate MCP server?
The Loco Translate MCP server from AcrossAI lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and any other MCP client find untranslated strings, translate plugins and themes, and recompile the files WordPress loads on your WordPress site. It runs inside WordPress through the free Abilities Manager and MCP Manager plugins, and works through Loco Translate itself — with no third-party relay in between.
Looking for another plugin? Browse all WordPress MCP integrations or the Multilingual integrations.
What your AI can do with Loco Translate
Translating a WordPress plugin or theme with Loco Translate means finding the right bundle, the right locale and the right file, then recompiling everything WordPress actually loads. These abilities let an AI assistant do all of it through Loco itself — list what needs translating, write the strings, and keep the MO and cache files in step.
Find what needs translating
List every plugin, theme and core bundle, its text domains and which locales already have files.
Translate strings in bulk
Filter to untranslated or fuzzy strings, write translations, and recompile every file WordPress loads in one step.
Start and retire translations
Create a new locale seeded from the template, or delete one with every compiled artefact. Deleting needs confirm.
Keep files in sync
Rebuild templates from source, sync translations against them, and fetch official WordPress.org language packs.
Troubleshooting
Translation not showing on the site? Three reasons it happens quietly.
Each of these leaves the translation looking saved in Loco while the site keeps showing the original text.
The compiled files are stale
Editing a PO file by hand leaves the MO and .l10n.php cache untouched. compile-translations rebuilds them from the PO.
WordPress reads the cache first
Newer WordPress loads the .l10n.php file before the MO. get-translation-status shows which one this site reads.
The template is out of date
New strings in the plugin never reach a translation built from an old POT. Extract a fresh template, then sync.
Try asking
Paste one into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor once your site is connected.
“Which plugins on this site have no French translation yet?”
“List every untranslated string in our theme for German.”
“Translate all untranslated WooCommerce checkout strings into Spanish.”
“Start a Hindi translation for our custom plugin.”
“Why isn’t my edited translation showing on the site?”
“Fetch any official language packs this site is missing.”
AcrossAI vs WPVibe vs Novamira for Loco Translate
Three ways to connect an AI assistant to Loco Translate. The difference is where the MCP server runs and what sits between your AI and your site.
| AcrossAI | WPVibe | Novamira | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the MCP server runs | On your WordPress site | Hosted gateway at mcp.wpvibe.ai | On your WordPress site |
| Third-party relay | None | Every call passes through WPVibe’s cloud | None |
| How it works with Loco Translate | Dedicated Loco Translate abilities, each labelled read-only, write or destructive | Plugin abilities, REST API and WP-CLI | General PHP access; no dedicated Loco Translate specialization listed |
| Designed for | Production sites, with risky changes gated behind confirm | Any host reachable over HTTPS | Dev and staging environments with backups |
| Price | Free, including every Loco Translate ability | Free plan with a daily action allowance; paid tiers | Free core; specializations in Novamira Pro |
Based on each product’s own published documentation, September 2026.
Loco Translate + AI questions
Is there an MCP server for Loco Translate?
Yes. AcrossAI turns your WordPress site into an MCP server with dedicated Loco Translate abilities, so Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or a local model can work with Loco Translate directly. It’s free on WordPress.org.
Can ChatGPT or Claude manage Loco Translate?
Yes, once your site is connected over MCP. Ask in plain English and your AI calls the Loco Translate abilities on this page, with risky changes gated behind an explicit confirm.
Is the Loco Translate integration free?
Yes. All of its abilities ship in Abilities Manager, which is free on WordPress.org.
Can the AI delete a translation by accident?
No. Deleting a translation file and replacing a template both refuse to run without an explicit confirm.
Does it recompile the MO file after changing strings?
Yes. Writing strings recompiles the MO, the .l10n.php cache and the JSON fragments in the same call, so the site shows the change straight away.
Which AI assistants work with it?
Any MCP client: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, Claude Code, and local runtimes such as Ollama, LM Studio and Open WebUI.
Does my site data pass through AcrossAI’s servers?
No. Your WordPress site runs the MCP server and your AI client connects to it directly. There is no hosted gateway in the middle.
Is AcrossAI affiliated with Loco Translate?
No. AcrossAI built and maintains this integration independently, using Loco Translate’s public APIs.