How To: Connect ChatGPT to WordPress with MCP

Connecting ChatGPT to your WordPress site is now as easy as pasting a URL and clicking Approve. AI Engine now ships with proper OAuth 2.1 support for MCP, so there is nothing to install, no token to copy, and no config file to edit. 😮 It’s free: no account, no daily cap and no API key (how it compares with WPVibe).

What’s MCP? The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the open standard ChatGPT (and other AI assistants) uses to call external tools. With AI Engine, your WordPress site becomes an MCP server that publishes 66 tools in the free version (well over 100 with Pro, depending on your plugins): everything from wp_create_post to wp_upload_media and theme operations. Here’s everything AI Engine’s MCP server can do. New to MCP? Our WordPress MCP FAQ covers the basics.

Using a different assistant? See my guides for Claude Desktop and Claude Code. This article covers ChatGPT.

Hit “Couldn’t reach the MCP server” or the consent screen never loads? See Fix: MCP Connection Issues: local-only hostnames, blocked /.well-known/, WP Engine’s WAF, 2FA interception, and a quick diagnostic checklist.

Our AI Engine app for ChatGPT’s directory is coming soon. Today, connect ChatGPT straight to your site with the steps below. That needs a paid plan, and ChatGPT may ask you to turn on Developer Mode first (see the OpenAI docs).

Quick Setup

1. Enable MCP on Your Site

MCP is on from the start in AI Engine (on an older install, turn it on in AI Engine → Modules). That’s the only switch you need for OAuth. You don’t have to set a Bearer Token: OAuth clients like ChatGPT don’t use one. 😺

Later, you can turn on more tool sets in AI Engine → MCP → Tools: WordPress (on by default), Plugins, Themes, Polylang, WooCommerce, and so on.

2. Add the Connector in ChatGPT

In ChatGPT, open Plugins → Add → Add custom MCP server. Give it a name (such as WordPress (My Website)) and paste your site’s MCP URL as the Server URL:

https://example.com/wp-json/mcp/v1/http

For authentication, choose OAuth, then save it.

Several sites? Add one connector per site and name each after its site (like WordPress: Offbeat Japan), so you always know which one the AI is working on.

3. Sign In and Approve

ChatGPT opens your browser and sends you to your WordPress site. If you’re not already logged in, you’ll see WordPress’s normal login screen first (the standard wp-login.php page, nothing custom). Once you’re in, you’ll land on an approval screen showing which app is asking, who you’re signed in as, and what role you have on the site. Click Approve, and that’s it. 🎉

Back in ChatGPT, open the plugin and click Refresh to see the tools. ChatGPT now has access to your WordPress site through your own user account, scoped to your role.

PS: If you turn on more tool sets later (Plugins, Themes, and friends), hit Refresh on the plugin to pick up the new tools.

What You Can Do

Just ask, in plain English:

• Simple: “List my latest 5 posts.”
• Simple: “Create a draft post about summer recipes and tag it.”
• Intermediate: “Show me my top 10 articles this year and explain why they perform well.”
• Advanced: “Fork Twenty Twenty-One into a dark grid theme called Futurism supporting post types Article and Project.”

Wondering what this means for your own site? Read MCP for Site Owners.

Manage Connections

In AI Engine → MCP, Connections lists every OAuth grant: which client, which WordPress user it’s tied to, when it was authorized, and when it was last used. One click revokes access. 🔒

Why AI Engine?

Unlike raw REST API access, AI Engine provides AI-optimized tools: clear parameters, concise responses, and smart annotations that keep interactions safe and efficient. The tools cover everything from posts, media, comments, users, and taxonomies (WordPress core), to plugin and theme management, multilingual content with Polylang, WooCommerce, AI image generation, and vision analysis. ✨

MCP gives ChatGPT full access to your WordPress through your account. It can create, modify, and delete content, plugins, themes, and settings. Start with a test site, and use it wisely on production! Every change it makes can be undone from AI Engine → MCP for 30 days, and deletions can wait for your approval.

Apps That Can’t Sign In

Some apps can’t sign in with OAuth. For those, AI Engine has a token: in AI Engine → MCP, click Connect, pick Other, then Token. Next to the usual address, it also shows an address with the token inside, for apps that can’t send headers. Keep that one private, and use OAuth whenever you can.