Claude can do real work on a WordPress site: read the error log, check which plugins need updates, edit a page or look up an order. First it needs a connection to your site. That connection is MCP, the open standard Claude uses to reach tools outside the chat. This guide compares the three ways to connect Claude to a self-hosted WordPress or WooCommerce site, what each one needs, and how to start without risk.
What you need first
- A Claude account. As of October 2026, Anthropic offers custom connectors on its Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans; the Free plan allows one. On Team and Enterprise, an owner adds the connector for the organization first. Anthropic still calls the feature a beta.
- Something on your site that speaks MCP. WordPress doesn’t do this on its own. A plugin such as PowerWP AI, or the official MCP Adapter, turns your site into an MCP server.
- A site Claude can reach. Claude on the web, in the app and on your phone connects from the internet, so the site needs a public HTTPS address. A site on your own computer works with Claude Code.
Way 1: sign in from Claude
This is the simplest route, and it works on claude.ai, in the Claude app and on your phone. With PowerWP AI installed:
- In WordPress, open PowerWP AI › Connections › Create connection › Claude and copy your site’s address.
- In Claude, open Settings › Connectors and click Add custom connector. Paste the address, click Add, then Connect.
- Sign in to WordPress as an administrator. On the approval screen, choose what Claude may do (start with Read-only diagnostics) and click Allow.
There is no key to copy and no file to edit. The connection appears in WordPress with a Signed in badge, where you can change its permissions or revoke it. The Claude setup guide has every step and the fixes for common problems.
Good for: site owners and teams who want Claude on the web, on the desktop and on the phone.
Way 2: Claude Code with a connection key
Claude Code is Anthropic’s agent app. It runs in the Code tab of the Claude app and in a terminal, and despite the name you don’t need to write code: you describe the job in plain words. It connects with a key instead of a sign-in, so it also works with a site on your own computer.
- In WordPress, open PowerWP AI › Connections › Create connection › Claude Code, choose what it may do and click Create key and show steps.
- Copy the message under Let Claude Code connect itself and paste it into a Claude Code chat. Claude Code adds your site and tells you the next step.
- Start a new session and type
/mcp. Your site is listed as connected.
The message holds your key, so paste it only into your own account. The Claude Code guide also has a one-line command if you prefer a terminal.
Good for: developers, longer jobs and sites on your own computer. Claude Code can also download your backups to your computer by itself.
Way 3: the official MCP Adapter
The MCP Adapter is the official, free WordPress plugin that offers the abilities WordPress and your plugins register to AI apps. Claude signs in to it as a WordPress user with an application password, which you set up in Claude Desktop’s settings file through a small Node.js helper, or in Claude Code. Claude then sees three general tools: find abilities, read one ability’s details and run one.
What Claude can do depends on which abilities your plugins mark as public. The official advice is to give the app its own WordPress user with few rights and to prefer read-only abilities. The MCP Adapter explained covers what it does and what you need.
Good for: developers who want Claude to use their own plugin’s features, with their own permission checks.
Which way to choose
| Way | Works in | You need |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sign in from Claude | claude.ai, the Claude app, your phone | PowerWP AI and a public HTTPS site |
| 2. Claude Code with a key | The Code tab of the Claude app, a terminal | PowerWP AI; a local site works too |
| 3. The MCP Adapter | Claude Desktop (with a helper), Claude Code | The adapter, abilities marked public, an application password |
If your site is hosted on WordPress.com, look at WordPress.com’s own MCP access first. These three ways are for self-hosted WordPress.
First things to ask
Start with questions that change nothing. They show you how Claude works with your site, and with PowerWP AI they work on the Free plan.
- “Give me an overview of my site.”
- “Read the error log from the last 24 hours and tell me what matters.”
- “Which plugins need updates, and is any of them risky?”
- For a store: “Give me a health check of my store for the last 7 days. Change nothing.”
The post 10 prompts to check your WooCommerce store with AI has more.
Stay in control
- Start read-only, and widen permissions one level at a time once you trust what you see.
- Add only servers you trust. Anthropic reminds users that it doesn’t check custom connectors: you decide which sites Claude may reach.
- Know where data goes. What Claude reads from your site goes to Anthropic under its terms.
- Keep a way back. With PowerWP AI, changes are recorded so you can roll them back, and one switch turns all AI access off. Before a big job, set a checkpoint.
Questions
Does Claude need a paid plan to connect to WordPress?
No. As of October 2026, Claude’s Free plan allows one custom connector, which is enough for one site.
Can Claude connect to a site on my own computer?
Not from claude.ai or the phone, because they connect from the internet. Use Claude Code, which connects with a key.
Can I use Claude on my phone with my site?
Yes. Once you add your site as a connector, it is available in the Claude app on your phone too.
Is it safe to let Claude edit my live site?
Start read-only and let Claude show you a plan before any change. With PowerWP AI, each connection has its own permissions, changes are recorded so you can roll them back, and the activity log shows what Claude did.