Claude can read, build and maintain a WordPress site once it has a connection to it. This guide covers every way to set that connection up, from the recommended two-minute OAuth route to the options for local sites and terminals, with the most common errors and their fixes at the end. It applies to Claude Desktop, Claude.ai and Claude Code.
How do you connect Claude to WordPress?
Claude connects to WordPress through an MCP server for WordPress: you install one on your site, add its URL to Claude as a connector, and authorize the connection from your own WordPress login. With Novamira the recommended route is OAuth: there is no password to generate or paste, and you can revoke access at any time from the WordPress admin.
The connection is direct between Claude and your site. Nothing passes through Novamira’s servers, and an administrator account on the site is required to authorize it.
Which connection method should you choose?
There is more than one way to give Claude access to a WordPress site, and they are not equivalent. This is how they compare:
| Method | Works with | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP with OAuth | Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, Claude Code | Paste one URL, sign in from the browser | Most sites on HTTPS; the default |
| MCP with an Application Password | Claude Desktop (one-click bundle or manual) | Generate a credential in WordPress, paste it once | Hosts that filter cloud AI traffic, clients without OAuth |
| Novamira CLI | Claude Code and other terminal agents | One command per site | Developers working on several sites from the terminal |
| Custom MCP server on the REST API | Any MCP client | You build and host it yourself | Teams with specific needs and time to maintain code |
| SSH and WP-CLI | Claude Code | Shell access to the server | Server work; no structured WordPress tools |
In practice: OAuth is the route to try first, because it stores no secret in your configuration and every authorization is visible and revocable in the WordPress admin. An Application Password is the right choice when your host blocks the OAuth flow or your setup needs a fixed credential. The Novamira CLI is a leaner route than MCP for coding agents in the terminal, with one login per site. Building a custom server on the REST API gives you full control but limits Claude to what the REST API exposes, and the code is yours to maintain. Plain SSH works for server tasks, but Claude then improvises with shell commands instead of calling structured WordPress tools, which costs tokens and retries.
What do you need before you start?
- A WordPress site on HTTPS (OAuth requires it; a local development environment also works).
- The Novamira plugin, free from the download page.
- An administrator account on the site.
- Claude Desktop, a Claude.ai account, or Claude Code in the terminal.
After activating the plugin, open Novamira > Configuration in the WordPress admin: the page is built around your client and shows the routes that work for it, with your real site URL already filled in. The steps below use your-site.com as a placeholder.
How to connect Claude Desktop or Claude.ai
- In Claude, open Settings > Connectors.
- Click Add custom connector and give it a name you will recognize, with “Novamira” in it.
- Paste the server URL and save:
https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira-oauth - Leave the OAuth Client ID and Secret, under Advanced settings, empty.
- Sign in when the browser opens and approve the connection from your WordPress login.
That is the whole setup. Claude discovers the available tools on its own, and you can check or revoke the authorization at any time from Novamira > Manage Connections.
If you prefer a one-click setup for Claude Desktop, the .mcpb bundle on the Connect page configures the connector with an Application Password for you. It requires Claude Desktop 1.24012.1 or later.
How to connect Claude Code
One command in the terminal, then sign in when the browser opens:
claude mcp add novamira-your-site --transport http https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira-oauthIf you work on several sites, the Novamira CLI is the leaner route: it keeps a profile per site, signs in with OAuth once per site, and gives Claude Code the same abilities without an MCP configuration to manage. In a shell over SSH or inside a container, where no browser can open, the CLI signs in with a device code instead: it shows a short code and you approve it from any device where you are signed in to the site. Only approve a code you started yourself.
Watch the setup end to end
This independent walkthrough by Darrel Wilson shows the whole connection in about three minutes:
What about local sites?
Sites running locally connect through the mcp-remote bridge, which runs the browser sign-in on the client’s behalf:
{
"mcpServers": {
"novamira-your-site": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira-oauth"]
}
}
}The exact snippet and file location for your client are on the Novamira > Configuration page. Where an AI agent should work, between local, staging and production, is a choice worth making deliberately; the short version is that building and experimenting belong on a local or staging copy, while Read Mode covers inspection on production sites.
Common errors and how to fix them
The sign-in page never opens, or the connection times out. Some hosts filter traffic from cloud AI providers. The Application Password route usually works there; the connecting guide in the docs covers what to do when your host or a firewall blocks the connection.
“OAuth error” right after saving the connector. Check that the Client ID and Secret fields under Advanced settings are empty: Novamira handles registration automatically, and values pasted there break the flow.
The site runs on plain HTTP. OAuth requires HTTPS. Move the site to HTTPS, or for a local environment use the mcp-remote bridge above.
The one-click bundle does not install. The .mcpb bundle requires Claude Desktop 1.24012.1 or later; update Claude Desktop first.
Claude connects but a tool call is refused. Check which features are enabled under Novamira > Features, and whether Read Mode is on: with Read Mode active, everything that changes content, files and settings is not offered, and refused if something calls it anyway.
What can Claude do once connected?
With the connection in place, Claude can create and edit posts and pages, build layouts that stay editable in Elementor and Bricks, manage plugins and settings, query the database and run code, one visible tool call at a time. The full catalog is on the tools page, and how it works shows the architecture behind it. From here, the practical next step is simple: ask Claude to look around the site and tell you what it finds.