WP Editorial Abilities

What is this?

WordPress plugin that registers editorial workflow abilities — drafts, media, SEO, scheduling, publishing — through the WordPress Abilities API and the official MCP Adapter.

Why?

WordPress 7 ships AI assistants inside the editor, but that integration expects provider API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) billed per token — separate from the flat $20/month subscriptions many people already pay for Claude or ChatGPT.

This plugin offers an alternative:

• MCP Adapter exposes WordPress abilities over MCP.
• WP Editorial Abilities (this repo) registers the editorial tools an AI assistant needs.
• Automattic MCP WordPress Remote connects your local MCP client to your WordPress site over HTTPS and an application password.

Use your existing Claude Desktop, Codex, or Cursor subscription. No extra AI API key is required on the WordPress side.

How it works

flowchart TB
  mcpClient["Claude Desktop / Codex / Cursor"]
  remoteBridge["Automattic MCP WordPress Remote"]
  mcpAdapter["MCP Adapter plugin"]
  editorialAbilities["WP Editorial Abilities"]
  wordpress["WordPress core"]

  mcpClient -->|"HTTPS + application password"| remoteBridge
  remoteBridge --> mcpAdapter
  mcpAdapter --> editorialAbilities
  editorialAbilities --> wordpress

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See docs/ABILITIES.md for the full list of registered abilities.

Requirements

• WordPress 6.9+ (tested against 7.0 stable).
• PHP 8.0+.
• Site served over HTTPS (required for application password authentication).
• Official wordpress/mcp-adapter plugin installed and active.
• An MCP client: Claude Desktop, Codex, or Cursor.
• Node.js LTS (runs the Automattic MCP remote bridge via npx).

Installation

Estimated time: 20–30 minutes. All WordPress steps are done in wp-admin — no server SSH required.

If your host provides staging, complete the setup there first.

1. Download and activate plugins

MCP Adapter (install first):

1. Download the latest zip from WordPress/mcp-adapter releases.
2. In wp-admin: Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin → install and activate.

WP Editorial Abilities:

1. Download the latest zip from GitHub Releases (wp-editorial-abilities-vX.Y.Z.zip).
2. In wp-admin: Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin → install and activate.

Post-activation checks on the Plugins screen:

• No notice — ready.
• Red notice ("requires WordPress 6.9…") — update WordPress first.
• Yellow notice ("install the MCP Adapter…") — activate MCP Adapter, then deactivate and reactivate this plugin.

2. Create an MCP user and application password

Do not use your administrator account for MCP access.

1. Users → Add New — create a user such as claude-editorial with the Editor role (use Author if you want drafts only, without publish permission).
2. Open that user's profile → Application Passwords → create one named e.g. MCP Client → copy the password immediately.

Save these values:

Setting	Example
Site URL	https://yoursite.com
Username	claude-editorial
Application password	abcd EFGH 1234 wxyz 5678 90ab

3. Connect your MCP client

Install Node.js LTS if you do not have it. The bridge runs via npx.

Claude Desktop

1. Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json).
2. Add or merge:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wp-editorial": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote@latest"],
      "env": {
        "WP_API_URL": "https://yoursite.com/wp-json/mcp/mcp-adapter-default-server",
        "WP_API_USERNAME": "claude-editorial",
        "WP_API_PASSWORD": "abcd EFGH 1234 wxyz 5678 90ab"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Replace WP_API_URL, WP_API_USERNAME, and WP_API_PASSWORD with your values. The URL must use https://.
4. Quit Claude Desktop completely and reopen it. The wp-editorial connector should appear.

Codex or Cursor

Add the same MCP server definition to your client's MCP configuration — npx with @automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote@latest and the same three environment variables (WP_API_URL, WP_API_USERNAME, WP_API_PASSWORD).

Restart the client after saving the config.

4. Verify the setup

Run these prompts in a new conversation and confirm results in wp-admin under Posts:

1. "List the categories on my WordPress site." — confirms the connection.
2. "Create a draft titled Installation test with two short paragraphs." — confirm a Draft appears.
3. "Add SEO metadata to that post." — check Yoast or Rank Math if active.
4. "Publish it." — Claude must ask for explicit confirmation; publishing requires your approval.

Security

• Use a dedicated MCP user with editorial permissions only — not an administrator.
• Publish and schedule abilities require explicit confirmation (confirm_publish: true).
• Revoke access anytime: Users → [MCP user] → Application Passwords → Revoke.
• Review drafts in wp-admin before publishing.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Red notice: "requires WordPress 6.9…"	WordPress too old	Update WordPress
Yellow notice: "install the MCP Adapter…"	MCP Adapter missing	Install and activate MCP Adapter first
MCP connector missing	Invalid JSON or client not restarted	Validate config JSON; fully quit and reopen the client
401 / unauthorized	Wrong password or HTTP URL	Regenerate application password; use https://
command not found: npx	Node.js not installed	Install Node.js LTS and restart
Categories work, drafts fail	Insufficient permissions	Use Editor role for the MCP user
SEO not saved	No SEO plugin	Activate Yoast SEO or Rank Math

Further reading

• docs/ABILITIES.md — full abilities reference and SEO options
• docs/REPOSITORY-ANATOMY.md — architecture and codebase layout
• CONTRIBUTING.md — local development, testing, and releases