2 min read 6 days ago

MCP Server: ChatGPT

Make sure to read the WordPress MCP Server to set up your environment in AI Engine before starting here.

ChatGPT calls these connectors Plugins. Adding your own WordPress site is done in Developer mode, and takes two steps that are easy to miss, so follow the order below.

1. Enable Developer mode

In ChatGPT, go to Settings > Security and login and turn on Developer mode. Without it, ChatGPT offers no way to add a custom MCP server.

2. Create the plugin

  • Go to Settings > Plugins and click Create app.
  • Choose a Name such as WordPress (My Website).
  • As the Server URL, paste your MCP endpoint: https://yoursite.com/wp-json/mcp/v1/http
  • Leave Authentication on OAuth. ChatGPT reads your site’s OAuth settings straight away, and registers itself automatically.
  • Tick the box acknowledging that custom MCP servers carry risk, then click Create.

3. Sign in (ChatGPT will not do this on its own)

Creating the plugin does not connect it. Open it from the plugin list and click Connect, then Sign in with followed by your plugin’s name. That opens the AI Engine authorization page on your site, where you approve the connection. You must be logged in to WordPress as an administrator in that browser.

If ChatGPT briefly shows “There was a problem connecting”, reopen the plugin before trying again: the connection is often already established.

4. Refresh to load the tools

Right after connecting, the plugin will still say No app actions available yet. This is normal. Click Refresh in the Information section of the plugin’s page and all your tools appear at once.

That’s it! ChatGPT can now manage your WordPress site.

PS: Remember that you’ll need to Refresh again if you enable more tools/actions later on.

Connecting without OAuth

If you would rather not use OAuth, set a Bearer Token in the AI Engine MCP settings and use the URL that embeds it, https://yoursite.com/wp-json/mcp/v1/YourBearerToken, with Authentication set to No Auth. Note that ChatGPT has no API key option, so this URL is the only way to connect without OAuth. Everyone using that plugin shares the same access level, whereas OAuth gives each user their own token tied to their WordPress account.