Royal MCP Documentation

Getting Started

Royal MCP enables AI platforms like Claude, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini to securely interact with your WordPress content through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This allows AI assistants to read your posts, create content, manage media, and understand your site structure.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard developed by Anthropic for connecting AI assistants to external data sources. It provides a secure, standardized way for AI platforms to read and interact with your applications.

Requirements

• WordPress 5.8 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• HTTPS enabled (required for Claude Desktop integration)

Installation

From WordPress.org (Recommended)

Manual Installation

Configuration

Basic Setup

The main Royal MCP settings page showing API key and endpoint configuration

Adding and configuring AI platforms with API keys and model selection

Claude Desktop Integration

Royal MCP includes a native OAuth connector for Claude Desktop. When you add your site as a connector, Claude handles the entire authentication flow automatically — no API keys or config files needed.

Setup Steps

1. Enable Royal MCP

In your WordPress admin, go to Royal MCP → Settings and toggle "Enable Royal MCP Integration" on. This activates the MCP endpoint and OAuth server that Claude needs to connect.

2. Copy your Remote MCP Server URL

Scroll down to "Claude Connector Settings" and copy the Remote MCP Server URL. It will look like: https://yoursite.com/wp-json/royal-mcp/v1/mcp

3. Add the connector in Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop, go to Settings → Connectors, click "Add custom connector", enter a name (e.g., "My WordPress Site"), paste the URL, and click "Add".

4. Authorize in your browser

Claude Desktop will open your browser to your WordPress site. Log in with your WordPress credentials if prompted, then you'll see an authorization screen asking to allow Claude to connect. Click "Authorize".

The OAuth consent screen — click "Authorize" to grant Claude access to your WordPress site

5. Return to Claude Desktop

After authorizing, your browser will prompt you to open Claude Desktop. Click "Open Claude" (or similar) to return to the app. Claude will complete the connection automatically and your site's 37+ MCP tools will be available immediately.

Claude Desktop showing Royal MCP connector with all 37 WordPress tools and permission controls

Alternative: Connect via Config File

If the Connectors method doesn't work, you can connect Claude Desktop directly using the config file with your API key. This bypasses OAuth entirely and connects immediately.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-wordpress-site": {
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/wp-json/royal-mcp/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-Royal-MCP-API-Key": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example Commands

Once connected, try asking Claude:

• "Summarize my last 10 blog posts"
• "List all draft posts on my site"
• "Create a new post about [topic]"
• "What categories do I have?"

Real proof of Royal MCP working with Claude - successful site info retrieval

Supported AI Platforms

Royal MCP supports multiple AI platforms. Each can be configured independently.

Platform Resources & Documentation

Official documentation and developer resources for each supported AI platform:

MCP Protocol Resources

Learn more about the Model Context Protocol standard:

Managing API Keys

WordPress API Key

This key authenticates requests to your WordPress site from AI platforms.

• Auto-generated when plugin is activated
• Click "Regenerate" to create a new key (invalidates the old one)
• Keep this key secure - anyone with it can access your site via API

Platform API Keys

These keys authenticate requests from your site to AI services.

• Obtain from each platform's developer console
• Enter in the corresponding platform card in settings
• Keys are stored securely in your WordPress database

MCP Tools Reference

Royal MCP exposes 37 tools to AI platforms, organized by category.

Posts

Pages

Media

Taxonomies

Site & System

API Reference

Endpoints

Authentication

All API requests require authentication via the WordPress API key:

Activity Log

Royal MCP logs all API interactions for security and debugging purposes.

Accessing the Log

Navigate to Royal MCP > Activity Log in your WordPress admin.

Log Information

• Timestamp - When the request occurred
• MCP Server - Which AI platform made the request
• Action - The MCP tool that was called
• Status - Success or error
• Request/Response - Detailed data (expandable)

Activity log showing all AI interactions with timestamps, actions, and status

Troubleshooting

Claude Desktop won't connect

OAuth flow fails after "Open Claude" prompt

If the browser authentication completes but Claude Desktop reports "Authorization with the MCP server failed" (often with an ofid_ reference code), the most common cause is Cloudflare blocking Anthropic's backend requests.

How to check (two quick methods)

Method 1 — Fastest: In your Cloudflare dashboard, go to AI Crawl Control → Crawlers. If you see crawlers listed as blocked, Cloudflare is blocking AI traffic including Anthropic's MCP requests. Cloudflare will walk you through how to turn it off from there.

Method 2 — Verify Anthropic specifically: Go to AI Crawl Control and look for the Anthropic card. Click on it and check how many requests have been allowed vs blocked. If you see 0 (or nearly 0) allowed out of dozens or hundreds of total requests, that confirms the issue.

How to fix

1. Log into your Cloudflare dashboard
2. Go to Security → Settings
3. Turn off "Block AI Bots" completely
4. Retry the connector in Claude Desktop (delete the old one first and add it fresh)

Important: You must turn off "Block AI Bots" entirely. Allowing Anthropic individually in AI Crawl Control is not enough — the master toggle catches Anthropic's MCP backend requests separately from the per-crawler settings. This is a Cloudflare limitation.

This also applies to other WAFs and security plugins (Sucuri, Wordfence, etc.) that may block bot-like traffic from reaching your REST API endpoints. If you use SiteGround, WP Engine, or another host that bundles Cloudflare, check their security panel for similar AI bot blocking settings.

See our WordPress.org forum post for more details and community discussion on this issue. For a deeper dive, read our blog post: How Cloudflare's "Block AI Bots" Breaks MCP Connections.

Alternative: Config file method (bypasses Cloudflare entirely)

If you can't turn off "Block AI Bots" (e.g., company policy), use the config file method instead. This connects directly from your machine and never goes through Anthropic's proxy, so Cloudflare doesn't interfere:

1. Open your config file: Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json / Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add your server with the MCP URL and API key from Royal MCP settings (see the config file setup guide above)
3. Restart Claude Desktop

API key not working

• Ensure you're using the WordPress API key, not a platform key
• Check that the key hasn't been regenerated
• Verify the plugin is activated and integration is enabled

Connection test fails

• Verify the platform API key is correct
• Check that your server can make outbound HTTPS requests
• Some hosts block external API calls - contact your host if needed

Tools not appearing in Claude

• Disconnect and reconnect the MCP connector in Claude Desktop
• Ensure your site's SSL certificate is valid
• Check the Activity Log for any error messages

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my data secure?

Yes. All API endpoints require authentication via API key. Activity logging tracks every request. No data is sent to external services without your explicit configuration. HTTPS is required for production use.

Can AI assistants modify my content?

Yes, with proper authentication. The plugin provides tools for creating, updating, and deleting content. All write operations require valid API credentials and are logged.

Does this slow down my site?

No. Royal MCP only activates when an AI platform makes an API request. It does not affect front-end performance or page load times for regular visitors.

Can I use multiple AI platforms?

Yes. You can add and configure as many AI platforms as needed. Each has independent settings and can be enabled/disabled individually.

What happens if I deactivate the plugin?

Your settings are preserved when you deactivate. AI platforms will no longer be able to access your site until you reactivate. Uninstalling completely removes all settings and logs.