Connect Claude to WordPress: WordPress.com or self-hosted
Claude reaches WordPress through a connector. Which one fits depends on where your site runs. This guide helps you choose, then shows how to connect a self-hosted site with AlphaBridge.
What you need.
- A self-hosted WordPress site. WordPress 6.5 and PHP 8.0 or newer, on hosting where you can install plugins.
- An administrator account. Approving a connection and switching on write access both need an administrator.
- Claude. The directory entry works in claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Claude on iOS.
In 5 steps.
Install the plugin
In your WordPress dashboard, add AlphaBridge MCP like any plugin and activate it. The free plugin needs no account and no licence key.
Find AlphaBridge in Claude
In Claude, open Connectors and find “AlphaBridge MCP for WordPress” in the directory. Click Connect and enter your site's address.
Approve on your site
Your site asks you to sign in as always. On its consent page, you choose the access level and allow. It preselects full access. With read-only access, Claude gets no tools that write.
Ask a first question
Claude now reads your site. Ask, for example, which posts are still drafts. Changes wait until write access is on.
Switch on write access for changes
An administrator switches on “Write access for AI assistants” at the top of Settings → AlphaBridge MCP. Changes then take effect immediately and can be destructive. This is at your own risk, so keep a current backup.
Which connector fits your site?
Start from where your WordPress runs.
Claude's directory also lists a WordPress.com connector, from WordPress.com. Its listing says: “Available on all paid WordPress.com plans and any Jetpack AI or Complete-connected site.”
- Your site is on a paid WordPress.com plan. Use the WordPress.com connector and follow WordPress.com's own guide.
- Your self-hosted site has a Jetpack AI or Jetpack Complete plan. WordPress.com's developer docs describe the setup for such sites. AlphaBridge works there too.
- Your site runs on your own hosting, with or without Jetpack. Install AlphaBridge. The plugin makes the site itself an MCP server, with nothing extra to host.
AlphaBridge needs no account with us. The free plugin has 40 tools. The Claude connector page describes the product.
Three ways to connect a self-hosted site
Each way ends with your approval on your own site.
- Directory entry. “AlphaBridge MCP for WordPress” runs through the free hub at connect.alphabridge-mcp.com. It brings up to 10 sites into one chat.
- Hub address by hand. Add a custom connector with
https://connect.alphabridge-mcp.com/mcp. Then enter your site's address and approve on your site. - Direct, without the hub. In Claude, go to Customize → Connectors → Add → Add custom connector. Paste your endpoint, such as
https://your-site.tld/wp-json/alphabridge/v1/mcp, and connect.
The plugin's settings page shows your endpoint, ready to copy. A direct connection reaches that one site, and nothing passes through our servers.
What to say once Claude is connected
Plain words are enough. Claude picks the right tool.
- Which posts are still drafts, and when were they last changed?
- Summarise the comments that wait for approval.
- Which plugins and themes have updates waiting?
- Read the SEO title and description of the About page.
- Write a post from these notes and save it as a draft.
The last one writes, so it needs write access. The others only read.
What to know before you start
- Out of the box AlphaBridge only reads. Writing waits until an administrator switches on write access.
- The switch holds for every connection on that site: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and all others.
- Claude can only do what the approving WordPress account may do.
- Tools that read code, files or the database also wait for write access.
- Undo comes with Pro. Pro keeps undo points for page and file edits, 7 days by default.
Questions and answers.
Does the WordPress.com connector work with a self-hosted site?
Yes, if it is connected through Jetpack with a Jetpack AI or Jetpack Complete plan, says WordPress.com. AlphaBridge takes another route: a plugin makes your own site the MCP server.
Do I need an account or a token?
You need no account with us. Through Claude's directory you copy no token either. You sign in on your own WordPress site and approve there.
What does it cost?
The free plugin costs $0 and has 40 tools. The hub is free in every edition. Pro costs $9 a month or $49 a year, with a 7-day trial without a card. Agency costs $299 a year or $49 a month.
Is AlphaBridge listed in Claude's directory?
Yes, as a community entry named “AlphaBridge MCP for WordPress”. It runs through the free hub, which keeps your site's access key encrypted in the EU.
Who decides what Claude may change?
You do. Out of the box AlphaBridge only reads. An administrator switches on write access, at the owner's own risk. Changes then take effect immediately and can be destructive.
Read on.
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