The MCP Adapter exposes abilities registered through WordPress's Abilities API as tools an AI assistant can use, over HTTP or WP-CLI. It replaced Automattic's archived wordpress-mcp plugin and is the route we recommend for developers on self-hosted WordPress.
It's pre-1.0 and has had breaking changes, and it only exposes abilities that plugins mark as public. Non-developers will find AI Engine's or Jetpack's MCP options easier. Follow our MCP tutorial.
What WordPress MCP Adapter is
The official bridge between WordPress abilities and the Model Context Protocol so MCP clients (Claude, Cursor, VS Code, etc.) can discover and run site actions. It provides only the server/transport layer; what an agent can do depends on abilities registered and marked public.
How it works with WordPress
Plugin/Composer package that exposes Abilities API abilities as MCP tools/resources/prompts over HTTP (/wp-json/mcp/mcp-adapter-default-server) or STDIO (wp mcp-adapter serve). Auth via WordPress users/Application Passwords. Can be auto-installed by the AI plugin's 'MCP Access' experiment.
Key features
- Converts abilities to MCP tools, resources and prompts
- HTTP and STDIO (WP-CLI) transports, custom transports possible
- Multiple MCP servers per site
- Default tools: discover-abilities, get-ability-info, execute-ability
- Opt-in exposure (meta.mcp.public) plus per-user permission checks
- Supports MCP spec revisions 2025-11-25 and 2026-07-28
Pricing
| Plan | Price (USD) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Open source |
Prices are as listed on the official pricing page in November 2026 and can change. Check the current pricing before you buy.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Official and vendor-neutral
- Fine-grained, opt-in exposure
- Works with any MCP client
- Free and open source
Cons
- Pre-1.0 with breaking changes between versions
- Needs abilities registered to be useful
- Setup is technical (Application Passwords, proxy, WP-CLI)
On WordPress.org: active installs: 70,000+, rating: 5/5 (1 rating), last updated: 2026-10-16, version: 0.7.1, requires wp: 6.9 (as shown in November 2026).
Who it's for
Good fit: Developers and technical site owners connecting AI agents to self-hosted WordPress.
Look elsewhere if: Beginners wanting one-click agent access (consider Jetpack/WordPress.com MCP, AI Engine or Uncanny Automator).