Connect WordPress to any AI app
Which AI apps can manage a WordPress site?
Any app that speaks the Model Context Protocol can, once your site runs an MCP server. Cowboy MCP is one free plugin that connects a self-hosted WordPress site to Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Codex and n8n, each with the same one-click sign-in and the same 203 tools behind it. The table below is the part that differs per app: the plan you need, where the setting lives, how the sign-in works, and whether the app can reach a site that runs on your own computer.
Every row was checked by connecting a real site on the date shown. Vendors move menus and plan gates without notice, so each row links to the full guide, which carries the current screenshots and troubleshooting.
| App | Plan needed | Where to click | Sign-in | Local site? | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude (claude.ai) | Any Claude plan; Free allows one custom connector. Team and Enterprise: an owner adds it first | Connections tab → Add to Claude | One click, approve on your site | No — connects from Anthropic's servers | 2026-10-06 |
| Claude Desktop | Same as claude.ai | Connections tab → Add to Claude, or Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector | One click, approve on your site | Yes — through the small mcp-remote bridge | 2026-10-06 |
| Claude Code | A Claude plan that includes Claude Code (Pro or Max), or API billing | Connections tab → Claude Code panel → run two lines | One command, browser sign-in | Yes | 2026-10-07 |
| ChatGPT | Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu, on the web, with Developer mode on. Business and Enterprise: an admin allows Developer mode first | Connections tab → Open ChatGPT, then Plugins → + → Add custom MCP server | OAuth, approve on your site | No — connects from OpenAI's servers | 2026-10-12 |
| Codex CLI and app | A ChatGPT plan that includes Codex (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu), or an API key | Connections tab → Codex panel → one codex mcp add command | One command, browser sign-in | Yes | 2026-10-07 |
| Perplexity | Pro, Max or Enterprise. Free has no custom connectors. Enterprise: an admin allows member connectors first | Connections tab → Open Perplexity, then Customize → Connectors → + Custom connector | OAuth, approve on your site | No — connects from Perplexity's servers | 2026-10-12 |
| Grok | Any, including the free plan. Business and Enterprise: an admin provisions it | Connections tab → Open Grok, then grok.com/connectors → New Connector → Custom | OAuth, approve on your site | No — connects from xAI's servers | 2026-10-12 |
| Gemini app | A personal Google account in the US, 18+, Gemini in English. No paid plan listed; work and school accounts have no Custom apps yet | Connections tab → Open Gemini, then Settings → Connected Apps → Custom apps | OAuth, approve on your site | No — connects from Google's servers | 2026-10-12 |
| Gemini CLI | A Google account; the free tier works | Connections tab → Gemini CLI panel → one gemini mcp add command, then /mcp auth | One command, browser sign-in | Yes | 2026-10-07 |
| Cursor | Any Cursor plan | Connections tab → Add to Cursor | One click, browser sign-in | Yes | 2026-10-07 |
| VS Code (GitHub Copilot) | Any Copilot plan, including Free. Business and Enterprise: an admin enables the MCP servers policy | Connections tab → Install in VS Code | One click, browser sign-in | Yes | 2026-10-07 |
| n8n | Any n8n Cloud plan, or self-hosted n8n (Community Edition included) | Connections tab → n8n panel; add an MCP Client Tool node | OAuth2 (n8n registers itself) or a Bearer API key | Self-hosted n8n: yes. n8n Cloud: no | 2026-10-10 |
"Verified" is the date the row was last checked end to end on a live connection. "Local site?" means a site on Local, Studio, MAMP, DevKinsta, wp-env or Docker with no public address — see the local WordPress MCP guide for the full picture.
What do all twelve have in common?
The setup differs; the connection does not. Every app reaches the same Streamable HTTP endpoint on your own site, /wp-json/cowboy-mcp/v1/endpoint, signs in through a consent screen that you approve as an administrator, and gets exactly the access you grant — full, read-only, or a custom list of tools. Nothing is granted until you click Approve, there is no API key to copy for any of the one-click paths, and no relay or vendor service sits between the app and your server.
Three things follow from that. First, you can connect several apps to one site at once and see each of them, with when it last connected, on the Connections tab. Second, the safety layer is the same whichever app is talking: safe mode holds destructive tools until the agent confirms, every write can be previewed as a dry run, every change lands in a per-change undo journal, and one-click database checkpoints roll the whole site back. Third, if a connection fails, the Connection Doctor on the same tab tests HTTPS, the REST API, OAuth discovery and the common host blockers and names the fix, whatever the app.
Which app should you pick?
Pick the app you already use; the plugin does not care. If you want to type instructions and have the site change, use a chat app — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or Perplexity; if you build the theme or plugin, use the tool in your editor or terminal — Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code or Codex; if you want work to happen on a schedule without you, use n8n.
Two practical constraints decide the rest. A site that runs on your own computer with no public address can be reached by the terminal and editor tools, by Claude Desktop through its local bridge, and by a self-hosted n8n, but not by the cloud apps, which connect from the vendor's servers and need public HTTPS. And plan gates vary: Grok's free plan works, Claude's Free plan allows one connector, ChatGPT and Perplexity need a paid plan, and the Gemini app is limited by account type rather than price. The guides linked in the table cover each in detail.
What about Windsurf, Cline, Zed and other MCP clients?
They work too. Cowboy MCP is a standard Streamable HTTP MCP server, so any client that can take a URL and an Authorization: Bearer header connects — Windsurf, Cline, Zed, Opencode, LibreChat, Goose, Raycast and your own agent included. Opencode signs in with the same browser flow; the others take an API key generated on the Connections tab, which you can scope to read-only or to a hand-picked list of tools. The plugin readme (opens in new tab) has the one-block config for each editor.
FAQ
Which AI apps can connect to WordPress?
With Cowboy MCP installed, Claude (claude.ai and Claude Desktop), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Perplexity, Grok, the Gemini app and Gemini CLI, Cursor, VS Code with GitHub Copilot and n8n all connect with one-click browser sign-in and no API key to copy. Windsurf, Cline, Zed, Opencode, LibreChat and any other MCP client connect with a scoped API key. All of them use the same endpoint on your own site and the same tools.
Which AI apps work with a WordPress site on localhost?
The ones that run on your computer: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, VS Code and a self-hosted n8n sign in through your browser with no public URL, and Claude Desktop reaches a local site through the small mcp-remote bridge. The cloud apps — claude.ai, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, the Gemini app and n8n Cloud — connect from the vendor's servers and need a public HTTPS address.
Which AI apps connect to WordPress on a free plan?
Grok's free plan supports custom connectors, verified on 12 October 2026. Claude's Free plan allows one custom connector. The Gemini app lists no paid-plan requirement but needs a personal US Google account. Gemini CLI's free tier works, VS Code works on Copilot Free, and self-hosted n8n is free. ChatGPT needs Plus or higher and Perplexity needs Pro or higher; Claude Code and Codex need a plan that includes them or API billing.
Can I connect more than one AI app to the same site?
Yes. Each app gets its own connection with its own scope, and the Connections tab lists every one with when it was created and last used. You can revoke any of them individually, and every app's actions land in the same audit log and undo journal.
Do I need an API key to connect?
Not for the twelve apps in the table: each signs in through a consent page on your own site that you approve as an administrator, and nothing is granted until you click Approve. API keys remain for scripts, CI and clients that have no browser sign-in, such as Windsurf, Cline and Zed, and can be scoped to read-only or a custom list of tools.