# Quickstart

> Install PowerWP AI, activate your plan, connect Claude, ChatGPT or another AI app and ask your first read-only question, in about five minutes.

This is the shortest path from a new site to your first answer. You get the plugin, install it, activate your plan, create a connection for your AI app and ask a first question. Start read-only and nothing on your site changes until you decide it should. You can give the app more permissions later.

> [!NOTE] You need an administrator account on the site, WordPress 6.0 or newer, PHP 7.4 or newer, HTTPS and an AI app with remote MCP support. See [Requirements and compatibility](/docs/get-started/requirements/).

**Which route?** Claude (claude.ai, the Claude app and the phone apps) and ChatGPT sign in to your site, with no key: do steps 1 to 3, then follow [Connect Claude](/docs/connect/claude/) or [Connect ChatGPT](/docs/connect/chatgpt/). Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Devin Desktop, Gemini CLI, Kimi Code, LM Studio and most other apps connect with a key that you copy once: follow steps 4 and 5. Not sure which app to use? The [chooser](/docs/connect/#which-app-should-i-use) helps.

:::steps
1. **Get the plugin.** No account yet? [Get the Free plan](/checkout/?add-to-cart=64): the total is $0 and your account is created at checkout. Then sign in to your account on powerwp.ai, open **My account › Downloads** and download `powerwp-ai-<version>.zip`. Do not unzip it.
2. **Install and activate it.** In WordPress open **Plugins › Add Plugin › Upload Plugin**, choose the zip, select **Install Now**, then **Activate Plugin**. A **PowerWP AI** menu appears. More in [Install the plugin](/docs/get-started/install/).
3. **Activate your license.** Open **PowerWP AI › License**, paste your key from **My account › Licenses** (it looks like `PWAI-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX`) and choose **Activate**. The Free plan has a key too. A site on a local development address, such as `localhost` or a `.test` name, needs a key too: a paid plan covers one local copy without using up its site. More in [Activate your license](/docs/get-started/license/).
4. **Create a connection.** Open **PowerWP AI › Connections** and choose your AI app.
  - Pick what it may do. Start with **Read-only diagnostics**.
  - Under **More options** set when the connection expires (90 days by default) and, if you like, an IP allow-list.
  - Choose **Create key and show steps**. The key is shown only once.
5. **Connect the app.** The screen shows the steps for your app, with your address and key already filled in.
  - **Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Devin Desktop, Gemini CLI, Kimi Code:** copy the message in the box marked **Fastest** (for example "Let Claude Code connect itself"), paste it into a chat in the app and send it. The app adds the connection and tells you the next step.
  - **Cursor, VS Code, LM Studio:** or select the **Add to** button and confirm in the app.
  - **Anything else:** follow the setup steps on the screen. Quit and reopen apps that read their settings only at start.
6. **Watch it connect.** A box under the steps waits for the app and turns green when it reaches your site.
7. **Ask your first question.** Paste it into the app.
:::

```
Give me an overview of my site.
```

The app calls the `site_overview` tool and answers with your WordPress version, theme, plugins and recent errors. If it answers, you are connected.

> [!TIP] The key in step 4 is shown once and PowerWP AI keeps only a fingerprint of it. Copy the setup step before you close the window. If you lose it, revoke the connection and create a new one.

## Try next

Two more read-only questions. Neither changes anything.

```
Are there any errors in the logs from the last 24 hours? Don't change anything.
```

```
Which plugins need updates, and is any of them risky?
```

[Your first safe session](/docs/get-started/first-session/) has eight questions and shows how to read the activity log afterwards.

## If something does not work

- **The app does not list your site.** Quit the app completely and open it again. A missing comma in a JSON settings file also stops it.
- **A 401, 403 or 429 error.** The [troubleshooting page](/docs/help/troubleshooting/) lists each message and its fix.
- **Sign-in is not offered.** Sign-in needs pretty permalinks (any structure except Plain), a public HTTPS address and **Settings › Connection security › Sign-in for AI apps** switched on. An app on the internet cannot reach a site that runs on your own computer.
- **Sign-in will not work for you?** Connect [Claude Code](/docs/connect/claude-code/) with a key instead. It needs no sign-in and no public address.

:::cards
- [Your first safe session](/docs/get-started/first-session/) — Eight example questions and how to read the activity log.
- [Choose how to connect](/docs/connect/) — Detailed steps for each AI app.
- [Permissions and presets](/docs/concepts/permissions/) — Decide what each app may do.
- [How PowerWP AI keeps you safe](/docs/safety/) — Undo, health check, rescue mode and backups.
:::

Source: https://powerwp.ai/docs/get-started/quickstart/