MainWP MCP
MainWP MCP is a free, open-source WordPress MCP server that connects Claude, Cursor, VS Code Copilot or OpenAI Codex to your MainWP Dashboard, so your AI assistant can work on every site you manage from one connection. It runs on your own computer, talks only to your Dashboard, and previews updates and deletions before they run.
It’s built for agencies, freelancers and developers who look after many client sites and want an AI assistant that knows their clients, follows their update rules and asks before it updates or deletes anything.
Over 20,000 MainWP Dashboards manage over 700,000 child sites, and MainWP has over 2,200 five-star reviews on WordPress.org.
Why connect your AI assistant to your MainWP Dashboard instead of each site?
A WordPress MCP server gives an AI assistant tools it can call on a WordPress site. When that server is a plugin on each site, every client site gets its own AI setup to install, connect and keep track of. MainWP MCP connects your assistant to your MainWP Dashboard, and your Dashboard works with your child sites the way it already does.
| TodayInstall and configure an AI plugin on every client site | With MainWP MCPYour child sites keep the MainWP Child plugin they already run, with nothing new to install. |
| TodayCreate and store a key for each site | With MainWP MCPOne Application Password on your MainWP Dashboard covers every site it manages. |
| TodayGive a plugin or a cloud service its own access to each site | With MainWP MCPMainWP MCP runs on your computer and sends your credentials only to your own Dashboard. |
| TodayKeep track of which sites belong to which client | With MainWP MCPYour assistant reads your clients, tags and saved Knowledge from your Dashboard. |
| TodayCheck each update by hand before you run it | With MainWP MCPYour assistant previews the sites and versions, checks each site’s backup when pre-update backups are on, and runs the update after you confirm. |
What does MainWP MCP include?
MainWP MCP turns the abilities in your MainWP Dashboard into tools your assistant can call, and adds its own safeguards on top.
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Over 100 abilities | Sites, updates, plugins and themes, clients, tags, backups and Knowledge, registered with the WordPress Abilities API in your Dashboard. |
| One connection | One server entry in your AI tool reaches every child site in your Dashboard. |
| Previews and confirmation | Updates, deletions and plugin and theme changes show a preview first and run after you confirm. Confirmation is on from the start. |
| Backup check | With the pre-update backup in MainWP Built-In Backups turned on, update runs cover the sites with a recent backup. |
| Safe mode and tool lists | Safe mode blocks destructive tools, and allow and block lists choose exactly which tools your assistant sees. |
| Client context | Clients, tags and Knowledge records tell your assistant whose site it’s working on and what that client expects. |
| Ready-made prompts | Eight prompts, including a network summary, maintenance check, update workflow, security audit and backup status. |
| Claude Code plugin and Claude Desktop bundle | Ten /mainwp: commands for Claude Code, and a Claude Desktop bundle that keeps your password in your system keychain. |
| Add-on abilities | Over 15 MainWP add-ons, including Team Control, Cache Control and Google Search Console, add their own tools, and your assistant finds them automatically. |
| Open source | Free under the GPL, with the code on GitHub and the package on npm as @mainwp/mcp. |
Where does MainWP MCP run, and what goes on your client sites?
MainWP MCP runs on the computer where you use your AI tool, and your AI tool starts it for you. It talks to your MainWP Dashboard over HTTPS, and your Dashboard reaches your child sites through MainWP Child, as it does for everything else.
- Your client sites: MainWP Child 4.0.0 or later, which your sites already run.
- Your MainWP Dashboard: one Application Password, created from the guided setup under AI > MainWP MCP.
- Your computer: Node.js and your AI tool, with your credentials kept in your local configuration.
- Several Dashboards: add one MainWP MCP entry for each Dashboard you run.
How does MainWP MCP keep updates and deletions under your control?
MainWP MCP previews every update, deletion and plugin or theme change before it runs. Your assistant shows you the sites and items the change covers, and the change runs once you confirm.
- A preview of the exact change: the preview is a dry run in your MainWP Dashboard, and your confirmation applies to that same change for five minutes.
- A backup check: with the pre-update backup in MainWP Built-In Backups turned on, update runs cover the sites that have a recent backup, and the preview shows the check for each site.
- Your update rules: updates you’ve ignored and sites you’ve excluded stay as they are.
- Careful by default: MainWP MCP treats a tool as destructive unless its ability marks it as safe, and asks before it runs it.
How do you choose what your AI assistant can change in MainWP?
You decide which MainWP tools your assistant sees and which ones it can run, in your MainWP MCP configuration.
- Safe mode: blocks destructive tools completely while you get comfortable.
- Allow and block lists: limit your assistant to the tools you name, for example a read-only list for reports. The restrict tools guide has a ready-made list.
- A dedicated account: create the Application Password for a separate administrator account, for a cleaner audit trail and one credential to revoke.
How does your AI assistant know which client a MainWP site belongs to?
Your MainWP Dashboard already knows your clients, their sites and your tags, and MainWP MCP gives your assistant the same view. Ask about one client’s sites, every site with a tag, or which clients have updates waiting, and it answers from your Dashboard.
MainWP Knowledge adds what your assistant should know about your agency, each client and each site, such as a client’s update window or a plugin to hold back. MainWP MCP tells your assistant to read it before it plans work. MainWP AI walks through Knowledge and the rest of the AI tools in your Dashboard.
Is MainWP MCP right for your sites?
MainWP MCP suits you if you manage your client sites from your MainWP Dashboard and already work with an MCP-compatible AI tool.
| What you need | Details |
|---|---|
| MainWP Dashboard | MainWP Dashboard 6.3 or later on WordPress 6.9 or later, over HTTPS. Version 6.4 adds the backup check, and 6.4.1 adds previews for plugin and theme changes. |
| Child sites | MainWP Child 4.0.0 or later. |
| Your computer | Node.js 20.19 or later on the computer that runs your AI tool. |
| An AI tool | Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, OpenAI Codex or another MCP-compatible tool. |
| Access | A WordPress Application Password for an administrator account on your Dashboard. |
| Plan | MainWP MCP is free and open source, and the abilities it uses are part of the free MainWP Core. MainWP Pro adds tools from Pro add-ons such as Cache Control and Google Search Console. |
How do you set up MainWP MCP?
- Update your MainWP Dashboard to the latest version, on WordPress 6.9 or later.
- Open AI > MainWP MCP in your Dashboard.
- In Credentials, create an Application Password.
- In Connect, copy the configuration into your AI tool. In Claude Code, you can add the MainWP plugin with
/plugin marketplace add mainwp/mainwp-mcpand/plugin install mainwp@mainwp-mcp. - In Test, restart your AI tool and ask “List all my sites”.
The MainWP MCP quickstart and the client setup guides cover each step.
MainWP MCP FAQ
Is MainWP MCP free?
Yes. MainWP MCP is free and open source under the GPL, and the abilities it uses are part of the free MainWP Core. MainWP Pro adds tools from Pro add-ons such as Cache Control and Google Search Console. See MainWP Free vs Pro.
How is MainWP MCP different from a WordPress MCP plugin?
MainWP MCP connects your AI assistant to your MainWP Dashboard, so one connection covers every site you manage, with your clients, tags and update rules included. Your client sites keep running MainWP Child, and your credentials go only to your own Dashboard.
Do you need to install anything on your client sites?
Your client sites need MainWP Child 4.0.0 or later, which they already run as MainWP child sites. MainWP MCP runs on your computer and talks to your MainWP Dashboard.
Which AI assistants work with MainWP MCP?
Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code Copilot and OpenAI Codex all have setup guides, and other MCP-compatible tools use the same configuration. See the client setup guides.
Can you give your AI assistant read-only access?
Yes. Add an allow list of read-only tools to your MainWP MCP configuration, and your assistant works with that list. The restrict tools guide has one ready to copy.
Where do your MainWP credentials go?
Your Application Password stays in your local MainWP MCP configuration and goes straight from your computer to your MainWP Dashboard. The Claude Desktop bundle keeps it in your system keychain. Use HTTPS for your Dashboard, and revoke the password from your Dashboard at any time.
How do you check that MainWP MCP is connected?
Restart your AI tool and ask “List all my sites”. Your assistant answers with your child sites by name and URL, and the troubleshooting guide covers connection, authentication and configuration questions.
How do you turn MainWP MCP off?
Remove the MainWP entry from your AI tool’s configuration, or revoke its Application Password under API Access > Application Passwords in your MainWP Dashboard.