How to connect your WordPress site to Grok
Want Grok to run your WordPress site, not just talk about it? Install one free plugin on your self-hosted site, add it to Grok as a custom connector, and approve the sign-in. It works on Grok's free plan, with no code, no terminal, and no API key to copy — a few minutes. New to MCP? Start with the WordPress MCP server guide.
What can Grok do on your WordPress site once it's connected?
Once connected, Grok acts on your live WordPress site with real tools — it does the work itself instead of handing back text you paste in. Ask in plain English and it can draft and schedule posts, put a WooCommerce collection on sale, keep plugins updated, or read the error log to explain what broke. Cowboy MCP exposes 203 WordPress tools that Grok calls directly over HTTPS.
How do you connect Grok to WordPress in three steps?
Connecting takes three steps and no code. Install the free Cowboy MCP plugin, click Open Grok on the Connections tab under Settings → Cowboy MCP, and add your site to Grok as a custom connector with one-click sign-in. There's no key to copy or keep safe, and nothing is allowed until you click Approve on your own site.
- 1
Install the free plugin
In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New, search for Cowboy MCP, and click Install then Activate.
- 2
Click Open Grok
Open Settings → Cowboy MCP, pick Grok on the Connections tab, and click Open Grok. One click copies your site link — its /wp-json/cowboy-mcp/v1/endpoint URL — opens grok.com/connectors, and opens a 30-minute window for new connections.
- 3
Add the connector and approve
In Grok, click New Connector, choose Custom, give it a name, and paste the link as the Server URL. Click Add Connector: Grok opens a sign-in page on your site — pick full access, read-only, or a custom list of tools, and click Approve.
Back in Grok the connector shows as Added, and the Connections tab confirms the moment Grok signs in. In a chat, type @ to pick your site. On Business and Enterprise workspaces an admin provisions the connector first.
Why does Grok need a public HTTPS site?
Grok connects from xAI's servers, not from your computer, so it has to be able to reach your site over the internet. Cowboy MCP publishes a Streamable HTTP endpoint as an ordinary WordPress REST route at /wp-json/cowboy-mcp/v1/endpoint, so Grok reaches your site directly over HTTPS — no proxy, no relay, and no third-party service in between. The plugin is itself the MCP server.
Working on a local development site? Use a tool that runs on your own computer instead — Claude Code, Codex, the Gemini CLI, or Cursor all sign in through your browser with no public address. One endpoint serves every client, so only the setup step changes.
Is it safe to let Grok work on your live WordPress site?
Yes, with the same guardrails the plugin applies to every client. Safe mode is on by default, so destructive tools ask before they run. Any write can be previewed as a dry run, every change lands in an undo journal you can roll back, and requests are rate-limited to 120 per minute. Grok gets only the access you approve, and you can revoke it any time — it all runs on your own server. More on security →
Questions, answered.
Which Grok plan do I need?
Any. Custom connectors work on Grok's free plan as well as SuperGrok and X Premium+. On Business and Enterprise workspaces an admin provisions the connector first. Your site must be on public HTTPS, because Grok connects from xAI's servers.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Install the free plugin, click Open Grok on the Connections tab in Settings → Cowboy MCP, paste your site link into Grok, and approve the sign-in on your own site. No code, no terminal, no API key.
Does my content get sent to xAI?
Only what Grok needs to read to do the task you asked. Cowboy MCP adds no cloud, proxy, or tracking of its own — your site talks directly to Grok, and everything runs on your own server.
How do I use my site in a Grok chat?
Type @ in a chat and pick the connector you named after your site, then ask in plain English. Grok calls Cowboy MCP's tools to do the work and reports back what it changed.
The connector says no tools are available — why?
A short list is normal: Cowboy MCP exposes two gateway tools, cowboy_discover and cowboy_run, instead of loading every schema into Grok's context — ask it to “discover tools for WooCommerce”. If even those two are missing, the connection's scope is probably empty: check it under Connected apps on the Connections tab. Still nothing? Ask in the support forum (opens in new tab).
I get a 401 or 403 when connecting — what's wrong?
Run the Connection Doctor on the Connections tab. A 401 with a Basic Auth prompt means server-level password protection answers before WordPress — exclude /wp-json/cowboy-mcp/ and /.well-known/ from it. A 403 or 503 from Cloudflare is a bot challenge; a 403 or 406 mentioning ModSecurity is a firewall blocking JSON POSTs. Still stuck? Paste the report into the support forum (opens in new tab).
Ready to connect Grok to your WordPress site?
Install the free plugin, click Open Grok, add the connector, and approve the sign-in — Grok is working on your site minutes later. It works on any self-hosted WordPress site running version 6.2 or newer on PHP 8.0+. The same site also connects to ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.