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You can connect ChatGPT to WordPress in three supported ways: use the WordPress.com plugin for conversational site work, install WordPress’s AI plugin and OpenAI connector on a self-hosted site, or connect an MCP-enabled client to WordPress.com’s MCP server. The correct route depends on where your site is hosted, whether ChatGPT must be able to write, and whether you prefer OAuth or an OpenAI API key.

This guide shows the exact setup, permissions, capabilities, security decisions, and troubleshooting steps for each route. The labels and plan requirements described here reflect the documented behavior available on October 15, 2026; check your account screens if WordPress or OpenAI has changed a name or eligibility rule.

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Choose the connection that matches your WordPress site

WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress are different environments. A WordPress.com site is hosted by Automattic and can use the official WordPress.com plugin or the WordPress.com MCP server. A self-hosted site runs on a host you manage; it uses the WordPress AI plugin with an OpenAI connector rather than the WordPress.com account integration.

Route Works with Authentication Typical capabilities Important requirement
WordPress.com plugin WordPress.com sites and ChatGPT WordPress.com authorization with Read only or Full access Draft and publish posts, schedule content, review traffic, moderate comments, manage plugins and settings, audit and update pages Install the WordPress.com plugin in ChatGPT; write tools require Full access
Self-hosted AI plugin Self-hosted WordPress OpenAI API key held by the WordPress site Generate titles, excerpts, summaries, featured images, alt text, and other enabled AI features Install the WordPress AI plugin and the OpenAI connector
WordPress.com MCP WordPress.com and any MCP-enabled client OAuth 2.1 in a browser with expiring access tokens Client-dependent WordPress.com tools, including conversational administration Eligible WordPress.com plan, or Jetpack AI/Jetpack Complete for self-hosted sites

Use Read only first if you are evaluating what the connection can see. Choose Full access only for a workflow that genuinely needs changes, and keep individual tools disabled unless you need them.

What ChatGPT can do after it is connected

A connection does not turn every prompt into an unrestricted site administrator. The available actions are determined by the route, the permission level, and the tools enabled in the account or plugin settings.

Editorial work

  • Draft a launch post or a series of topic ideas.
  • List recent posts and identify gaps or duplicate coverage.
  • Audit pages for outdated copy and propose replacements.
  • Suggest titles, excerpts, summaries, featured images, and alt text.
  • Prepare an update to an approved page while leaving unrelated layout intact.

Administration and audience work

  • Publish or schedule posts when write access is enabled.
  • Review traffic information exposed by the connected WordPress.com tools.
  • Moderate comments when the relevant moderation tool is available and enabled.
  • Manage plugins and change supported settings on WordPress.com when Full access permits those tools.

Always ask for a draft, a proposed change list, or a preview before publication when the content affects branding, legal wording, prices, or customer communications. ChatGPT can follow a narrowly scoped instruction, but it cannot know your editorial policy unless you provide it.

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Route 1: Connect ChatGPT to a WordPress.com site

The WordPress.com plugin is the simplest route for a WordPress.com site. OpenAI describes it as a way to build a new site or manage an existing one through conversation. The authorization choice controls whether the connection can only inspect the site or can also make changes.

Install and authorize the plugin

  1. Open ChatGPT and go to Plugins.
  2. Search for WordPress.com, select the official plugin, and choose Install plugin.
  3. When WordPress.com opens its authorization screen, choose one of the available access choices: Full access, Read only, or Keep existing access.
  4. Click Allow and complete the browser authorization.
  5. Start a new chat, type @WordPress.com, and include one narrowly defined request.

Full access enables read and write tools. Read only disables write tools, so it is appropriate for inventorying posts, reviewing traffic, or drafting content without letting the assistant publish. Keep existing access preserves the account’s current selection. WordPress.com states that this choice changes account-level MCP tool settings and applies to every AI agent connected to that WordPress.com account, not just one conversation.

Use a constrained first prompt

Begin with a task that has a clear output and no irreversible side effect. For example:

  • @WordPress.com List the ten most recent posts with their status and publication date. Do not change anything.
  • @WordPress.com Draft a 700-word launch post from these notes and return it for review. Do not publish.
  • @WordPress.com Audit the About page for outdated claims and show proposed replacements in a table. Do not edit the page.
  • @WordPress.com Show the exact changes you would make to the approved page, preserving all unrelated blocks. Wait for my confirmation before saving.

After you approve a draft or change list, issue a second prompt that names the exact post, page, status, and scheduling time. This two-step pattern prevents an ambiguous request from becoming a public edit.

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Understand WordPress.com write actions

With Full access and the necessary tools enabled, the plugin can publish or schedule posts, review traffic, moderate comments, manage plugins, and update supported settings. It can also return a draft for your review rather than publishing immediately. If a requested action is unavailable, ask ChatGPT to explain which tool or permission is missing instead of repeatedly retrying a broad instruction.

Route 2: Use the AI plugin on self-hosted WordPress

Self-hosted WordPress uses a provider connection inside WordPress rather than the WordPress.com account plugin. WordPress’s Connectors screen centralizes that connection so other plugins built on the WordPress AI Client can reuse it.

Install the required plugins

  1. Sign in to WordPress admin and open Plugins > Add New Plugin.
  2. Install the plugin titled AI published by the WordPress.org team.
  3. Open Settings > Connectors and install the OpenAI connector.
  4. Add an OpenAI API key using one of the supported credential methods.
  5. Open Settings > AI and turn on Enable AI.
  6. Enable only the features you intend to use, such as alt-text generation, summaries, title suggestions, image generation, or comment moderation.

Store the API key safely

WordPress accepts the key through an environment variable, a PHP constant, or a database setting. Environment variables and PHP constants keep the secret out of the ordinary settings form and are preferable when your host supports them. A key saved in the database is masked in the WordPress interface, but WordPress documents that database-stored keys are not encrypted.

  • Environment variable: configure the variable in your hosting control panel or deployment environment, then map it to the connector as WordPress documents.
  • PHP constant: define the key in the site’s configuration outside the public content editor and restrict access to the configuration file.
  • Database setting: use only when the other methods are unavailable; limit administrator access and plan a key rotation procedure.

Never paste an API key into a post, a public code snippet, a browser-side script, or a ChatGPT conversation. If you suspect exposure, revoke the key in the OpenAI account that issued it and create a replacement.

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Choose features deliberately

The AI plugin does not require every feature to be active. Enable title suggestions if editors need headline alternatives, summaries if you want automatic excerpts, image generation if your workflow needs featured artwork, and alt-text generation if editors need accessibility assistance. Comment moderation can help triage discussion, but keep a human review step for harassment, threats, appeals, or comments that may require legal context.

The connector is a shared provider configuration. Once it is working, compatible plugins that use the WordPress AI Client can reuse the same connection instead of storing separate credentials. That centralization also means a change or revocation affects every feature using the connector, so document who owns the key and when it was last rotated.

Route 3: Connect through WordPress.com MCP

WordPress.com provides an MCP server for clients that support the Model Context Protocol. The documented server endpoint is https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1.

Check eligibility before you configure it

  • Paid WordPress.com plans are eligible under the documented MCP rules.
  • Free WordPress.com sites receive MCP access for the first 30 days.
  • Self-hosted sites need Jetpack AI or Jetpack Complete through Jetpack to use this WordPress.com MCP connection.

Plan eligibility and available tools can change, so confirm the current status in your WordPress.com account before designing an automated workflow around MCP.

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Authorize an MCP client

  1. Enable MCP in your WordPress.com account settings.
  2. Add the server URL https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1 to the MCP-enabled client.
  3. Start the browser authorization flow and sign in to the WordPress.com account that owns the site.
  4. Review the requested permissions and approve the connection.
  5. Return to the client and test with a read-only request before attempting a write.

For Codex, the documented command is:

codex mcp add wpcom-mcp --url https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1

ChatGPT uses the WordPress.com plugin route for this integration. The MCP server uses OAuth 2.1, so authorization occurs in the browser and access tokens expire. The documented flow does not require additional software installation beyond the MCP-enabled client.

Permissions, review, and change control

Treat an AI connection like a new editor account. Start with the smallest permission set that answers your question, then expand it only when the workflow proves safe.

  1. Observe: use Read only or an equivalent read-only tool set to inventory posts, pages, comments, and exposed traffic data.
  2. Propose: ask for drafts, diffs, or a table of intended changes. Include the page URL or post ID and any words that must not change.
  3. Approve: check factual claims, links, tone, metadata, image rights, accessibility text, and formatting in WordPress preview.
  4. Apply: grant or use write access only for the named item, then request publication or scheduling.
  5. Verify: open the public page, confirm the status and schedule, and check that unrelated blocks, menus, and settings are unchanged.

Keep a record of which account authorized the connection, which tools are enabled, and who can revoke access. Remove the connection when a contractor, agency, or temporary project no longer needs it.

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Prompt patterns that reduce mistakes

For content drafting

State the audience, length, source notes, required call to action, prohibited claims, and desired status. Ask for a draft and a short list of assumptions. Example:

@WordPress.com Draft a 900-word tutorial for small-business owners using only the notes below. Include an SEO title, excerpt, and three internal-link suggestions. Return the draft; do not publish.

For page updates

Name the exact page and constrain the edit to a specific block or section:

@WordPress.com On the page titled Pricing, replace only the paragraph under the heading Annual plan with this approved copy. Preserve all other blocks, links, images, and layout. Show the proposed change and wait for confirmation.

For moderation

Define what should be flagged and what must be escalated to a person. Do not ask for blanket deletion:

@WordPress.com List comments that contain spam links or personal threats. Explain the reason for each recommendation and leave all comments unchanged.

For self-hosted metadata

Use the WordPress editor’s AI controls after enabling only the needed feature. Ask for alternatives rather than accepting the first generated title or alt text, and verify that alt text describes the image’s purpose instead of repeating a filename.

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Troubleshooting by symptom

The WordPress.com plugin cannot see the site

  • Confirm that you selected the correct WordPress.com account during browser authorization.
  • Check whether the plugin is using Read only and whether the requested operation requires Full access.
  • Review account-level tool settings; the access choice applies to all AI agents connected to that account.
  • Reconnect the plugin if the site was transferred, the account role changed, or authorization expired.

ChatGPT proposes changes but cannot save them

The connection is probably read-only, or the individual write tool is disabled. Switch to Full access only if you intend to permit writes, then retry a narrowly scoped request. If the action still fails, perform the edit in WordPress and use ChatGPT for the draft or review.

The self-hosted AI feature reports a missing provider

  1. Verify that the plugin titled AI is active.
  2. Return to Settings > Connectors and confirm that the OpenAI connector is installed and has a valid key.
  3. Check that the key is available to PHP when supplied through an environment variable or constant.
  4. Open Settings > AI and confirm Enable AI plus the specific feature switch.
  5. Inspect hosting or PHP logs for blocked outbound requests, then ask the host to allow the connector’s required network access.

The API key works in one feature but not another

Confirm that both features use the shared WordPress AI Client connection and that each feature is enabled separately. A connector can be valid while an individual AI option remains off. Also check usage limits and the key’s status with the account that issued it.

MCP authorization loops or expires

Repeat the browser OAuth flow, make sure you authorize the WordPress.com account that owns the intended site, and reconnect the client after an expired token. Use the exact endpoint https://public-api.wordpress.com/wpcom/v2/mcp/v1; an extra path character or a different server address will not reach the documented service.

Costs, plans, and operational prerequisites

The workflow is account- and software-based; it does not require a special hardware accessory or a generic book. WordPress.com MCP eligibility depends on the site’s plan, with free sites receiving the documented first-30-day access window. Self-hosted MCP use requires Jetpack AI or Jetpack Complete. The self-hosted AI plugin route also requires an OpenAI API key, and any API usage charges, limits, or account requirements are governed by the OpenAI account that issued that key.

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Because plan rules, plugin names, and available tools can change, verify the current terms in WordPress.com, WordPress admin, and the connector screen immediately before deployment. Record the date of that check in your site’s operating notes.

A practical rollout checklist

  • Identify whether the site is WordPress.com or self-hosted.
  • Select the plugin, connector, or MCP route that matches the hosting model.
  • Start with Read only or disabled write tools.
  • Authorize the correct account and document who owns the connection.
  • Test a harmless read request and confirm the returned site, post, or page is the intended one.
  • Define a review step for generated text, images, alt text, comments, and settings.
  • Enable only the AI features needed for the current workflow.
  • Keep self-hosted API credentials server-side and rotate them if exposure is suspected.
  • Require confirmation before publishing, scheduling, deleting, or changing settings.
  • Verify the live result and revoke access when the project ends.

Which route should you use?

Choose the WordPress.com plugin when you want ChatGPT to work directly with a WordPress.com site and you value a quick conversational setup. Choose the self-hosted AI plugin when your site runs on your own WordPress installation and you mainly need editor features such as titles, summaries, images, alt text, or moderation. Choose MCP when you need an MCP-enabled client, OAuth-based authorization, or a reusable WordPress.com connection beyond the ChatGPT plugin. In every case, begin read-only, request previews, and expand permissions only for a task you can verify.

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