WordPress MCP Lite

A lightweight WordPress plugin that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP), providing AI assistants with standardized access to WordPress data and functionality.

Features

• Lightweight Architecture: ~75% less code than the original WordPress MCP plugin
• Single Transport: STDIO (WordPress-style) using native WP_REST_Response
• No Admin UI: Configuration via constants only - developer-focused
• Full WooCommerce Support: 24 tools for products, orders, categories, tags, and brands
• Automatic Schema Generation: REST alias feature auto-generates tool schemas from WordPress REST API
• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication with configurable expiration

Requirements

• WordPress 6.4+
• PHP 8.0+
• Composer (for dependency installation)

Installation

1. Clone or download this plugin to your WordPress plugins directory:

   cd wp-content/plugins/
   git clone <repository-url> wordpress-mcp-lite
   cd wordpress-mcp-lite
   

2. Install dependencies:

   composer install
   

3. Activate the plugin through WordPress Admin or WP-CLI:

   wp plugin activate wordpress-mcp-lite
   

MCP Tools

WordPress Core Tools (33 tools)

Posts (6 tools)

• wp_posts_search - Search/filter posts with pagination
• wp_get_post - Get post by ID
• wp_add_post - Create new post
• wp_update_post - Update post by ID
• wp_delete_post - Delete post by ID

Pages (5 tools)

• wp_pages_search - Search/filter pages
• wp_get_page - Get page by ID
• wp_add_page - Create new page
• wp_update_page - Update page by ID
• wp_delete_page - Delete page by ID

Categories (4 tools)

• wp_list_categories - List all categories
• wp_add_category - Add new category
• wp_update_category - Update category
• wp_delete_category - Delete category

Tags (4 tools)

• wp_list_tags - List all tags
• wp_add_tag - Add new tag
• wp_update_tag - Update tag
• wp_delete_tag - Delete tag

Users (5 tools)

• wp_users_search - Search/filter users
• wp_get_user - Get user by ID
• wp_add_user - Create new user
• wp_update_user - Update user by ID
• wp_delete_user - Delete user by ID

Media (4 tools)

• wp_media_search - Search media items
• wp_get_media - Get media by ID
• wp_add_media - Upload media file
• wp_delete_media - Delete media by ID

Settings (3 tools)

• wp_get_site_info - Get general site information
• wp_get_settings - Get site settings
• wp_update_settings - Update site settings

WooCommerce Tools (24 tools - when WooCommerce is active)

Products (5 tools)

• wc_products_search - Search products
• wc_get_product - Get product by ID
• wc_add_product - Create product
• wc_update_product - Update product
• wc_delete_product - Delete product

Product Categories (4 tools)

• wc_list_product_categories
• wc_add_product_category
• wc_update_product_category
• wc_delete_product_category

Product Tags (4 tools)

• wc_list_product_tags
• wc_add_product_tag
• wc_update_product_tag
• wc_delete_product_tag

Product Brands (4 tools)

• wc_list_product_brands
• wc_add_product_brand
• wc_update_product_brand
• wc_delete_product_brand

Orders (2 tools)

• wc_orders_search - Search orders
• wc_get_order - Get order by ID

Authentication

Generate JWT Token

curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/jwt-auth/v1/token \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username":"your_username","password":"your_password"}'

Response:

{
  "token": "eyJ...",
  "user_id": 1,
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "expires_at": 1234567890
}

Using the Token

Include the JWT token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer eyJ...

MCP Endpoints

Main MCP Endpoint

POST /wp-json/wp/v2/wpmcp

Example: Initialize MCP

{
  "method": "initialize",
  "params": {
    "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
    "capabilities": {},
    "clientInfo": {
      "name": "test-client",
      "version": "1.0.0"
    }
  }
}

Example: List Tools

{
  "method": "tools/list"
}

Example: Call Tool

{
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "wp_posts_search",
    "arguments": {
      "per_page": 10,
      "page": 1
    }
  }
}

Example: Create Post

{
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "wp_add_post",
    "arguments": {
      "title": "Hello from MCP",
      "content": "This post was created via MCP!",
      "status": "draft"
    }
  }
}

Configuration

Optional Constants (add to wp-config.php)

// Set custom JWT secret key (auto-generated if not set)
define('WPMCP_JWT_SECRET_KEY', 'your-64-character-secret-key');

// Enable debug logging
define('WP_DEBUG', true);

JWT Token Expiration

Default: 1 hour (3600 seconds) Maximum: 30 days (2592000 seconds)

Customize via filter:

add_filter('wpmcp_jwt_max_expiration_time', function($max_expiration) {
    return 604800; // 7 days
});

Project Structure

wordpress-mcp-lite/
├── wordpress-mcp-lite.php         # Main plugin file
├── composer.json                   # Dependencies
├── includes/
│   ├── Core/
│   │   ├── McpServer.php           # Main registry
│   │   ├── McpTransport.php        # STDIO transport
│   │   └── RegisterTool.php        # Tool registration
│   ├── Auth/
│   │   └── JwtAuth.php             # JWT authentication
│   ├── Tools/
│   │   ├── PostsTools.php          # Posts, categories, tags
│   │   ├── PagesTools.php          # Pages
│   │   ├── UsersTools.php          # Users
│   │   ├── MediaTools.php          # Media
│   │   ├── SettingsTools.php       # Settings
│   │   └── WooCommerceTools.php    # WooCommerce
│   └── Utils/
│       └── ErrorHandler.php        # Error logging
└── README.md

Security

• All operations respect WordPress user capabilities
• JWT tokens are stored in a registry and can be revoked
• Tokens expire automatically after the configured time
• Permission callbacks are checked before tool execution

Comparison with WordPress MCP

| Feature | WordPress MCP | WordPress MCP Lite | |---------|---------------|-------------------| | Lines of Code | ~8,983 | ~2,000 | | Files | 43 | 16 | | Transports | 2 (STDIO + Streamable) | 1 (STDIO) | | Admin UI | Full React UI | None | | WooCommerce | Full support | Full support | | Configuration | Database settings | Constants | | Tools | 65+ | 57 |

Development

Adding Custom Tools

Create a new file in includes/Tools/:

<?php
namespace WordpressMcpLite\Tools;

use WordpressMcpLite\Core\RegisterTool;

class MyCustomTools {
    public function __construct() {
        add_action('wordpress_mcp_init', array($this, 'register_tools'));
    }

    public function register_tools(): void {
        new RegisterTool([
            'name'        => 'my_custom_tool',
            'description' => 'My custom tool description',
            'type'        => 'read',
            'rest_alias'  => [
                'route'  => '/wp/v2/my-endpoint',
                'method' => 'GET',
            ],
        ]);
    }
}

Then register it in McpServer::init_default_tools().

License

GPL-2.0-or-later

Credits

Based on the WordPress MCP plugin by Automattic.