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AI Tools Web Hosting WordPress

WordPress.com AI Website Builder: How It Works and What to Fix Before You Launch

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Most people who want a website get stuck at the blank page. They know what the site is for, but picking a theme, writing a homepage, and finding images is where the project stalls for weeks.

The WordPress.com AI Website Builder goes after that exact problem. You describe the site you want, answer a few questions, and it builds a first draft with a layout, images, and starter content. Then you finish it in the normal WordPress editor. Here is how it works, what to have ready, and what you still need to do yourself before you hit publish.

What the AI Website Builder does

You describe your site in a chat box, something like “Create a website for my dog grooming business in Portland.” The AI asks follow-up questions about design and content, then shows you a site brief: an overview, the pages it plans to build, your goals, and your contact details. You can add or remove pages at that point. When you approve the brief, it builds the site.

What you get back is a real WordPress site, not a locked-down template. It has a designed layout, suggested images, starter text on each page, and a navigation menu. The site opens in the AI Editor with a live preview next to the chat, so you can keep refining with prompts or switch to editing by hand.

One thing to know up front: building and launching with the AI Website Builder requires a WordPress.com account and a paid plan. You pick the plan before the build starts.

What to have ready before you start

The AI does better work when you give it better input. Spend ten minutes on this list before you open the builder:

  • The site’s purpose. What is it for and who is it for? “A portfolio for a wedding photographer in Austin” beats “a photography site.”
  • The site name. Your business name or the name you want on the header.
  • Your preferred style. Colors you like, the mood you want (clean, bold, warm, minimal), and any sites you admire.
  • Your planned content. The pages you need (Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog) and a rough idea of what goes on each.
  • Optional social links. The builder lets you share links to your social profiles to guide the design and content.

Expect the AI to ask follow-up questions. Answer them with specifics. Vague answers get you a generic site.

How the build works, step by step

  1. Open the AI Website Builder and click Get started. Log in or create a WordPress.com account.
  2. Search for a domain, or skip it for now and use a free WordPress.com address. You can add a custom domain later.
  3. Choose a paid plan and check out.
  4. Describe your site in the chat and send it.
  5. Answer the AI’s follow-up questions about design and content.
  6. Review the site brief. Add or remove pages here, before anything gets built.
  7. Click Create site. The build takes several minutes. You can leave the page and WordPress.com will email you when it is ready.

The work between a generated draft and a finished site

This is the part most AI builder reviews skip. The AI gives you a strong starting point, not a finished site. Plan on spending real time here.

Rewrite the copy

Starter text is written to fill space. Read every page. You can rewrite text directly in the editor or ask the AI to change the tone or length of a section. Be specific in your prompts: name the section and describe what you want, such as “Make the About section shorter and more casual.”

Pay close attention to anything that makes a claim about you. Replace placeholder business descriptions, service lists, and testimonials with real, accurate material. A made-up testimonial on a live business site is a bad look, and it can be a legal problem.

Swap the images

Suggested images are a placeholder for your own photos. You can replace them with uploads, items from your Media Library, AI-generated images, or stock photos. Real photos of your work, your team, or your space almost always beat generic stock.

Adjust pages and navigation

You can add pages with a prompt like “Create a Team page for my business,” pick from the layouts it suggests, and save. The menu works the same way: select it and ask for changes such as “Add a Blog link to the navigation.” You can also add and edit pages and menu items manually.

Fine-tune the design

Ask for color or font changes in plain language, or click a single element and describe the change you want. Every change can be undone, and you can also set colors and fonts by hand in the Site Editor under Styles.

Your pre-launch checklist

New WordPress.com sites start in Coming Soon mode, so nobody sees your site until you click Launch site. Use that time. Before you launch, check:

  • Every button goes where it should. Click each one.
  • Social links point to your real profiles, not placeholders.
  • Contact details (email, phone, address, hours) are correct.
  • No placeholder testimonials, team members, or business descriptions are left.
  • Images are yours or properly licensed, and they fit the page they are on.
  • Each menu item opens the right page.
  • The site reads well on your phone.

What it does not do: online stores

The AI Website Builder does not currently create ecommerce features. It will not set up products, a cart, or checkout. If you need to sell online, build the site first, then install WooCommerce separately on a paid plan. If a store is the main point of your site, start with my comparison of WordPress.com Commerce vs DIY WooCommerce hosting instead.

Who it is a good fit for

  • New bloggers who want a clean, designed site without picking through hundreds of themes.
  • Freelancers and creatives who need a portfolio up quickly and plan to drop in their own work.
  • Service businesses such as contractors, coaches, salons, and consultants that need a few clear pages and a contact form.
  • Anyone launching a simple landing page for an event, product idea, or newsletter.

It is a weaker fit if you need a store, a membership site, or heavy custom functionality, or if you already have a WordPress site you want to redesign. In those cases you are better served by a full WordPress setup on managed hosting.

My take

I like the way this is set up. You are not locked into what the AI produces, and you are not stuck in a proprietary builder. Under the hood it is a normal WordPress site, so everything you learn in the editor carries over, and you can grow it with plugins and a custom domain later.

The catch is that the first draft is only as good as your input and your editing. Go in with your name, purpose, style, and content ready, and budget an afternoon to replace the placeholder material. Do that and you will have a site that looks designed, reads like you, and is ready to launch.

Ready to try it? Describe your site and let the AI build your first draft. A WordPress.com account and paid plan are required to build and launch.

Try the AI Website Builder

FAQ

Is the WordPress.com AI Website Builder free?

No. You need a WordPress.com account and a paid plan to build and launch a site with it. WordPress.com says the builder is included with all paid plans.

Can the AI Website Builder make an online store?

Not right now. The AI does not build ecommerce features. If you need a store, you can install WooCommerce yourself on a paid plan after the site is created.

Can I edit what the AI builds?

Yes, all of it. You can keep asking the AI for changes or open any page in the WordPress editor and change the text, images, layout, pages, and menu by hand.

Will the AI write my business details for me?

It writes starter copy, but treat it as a placeholder. Replace any business descriptions, testimonials, and contact details with real, accurate information before you launch.

Does the site go live as soon as the AI finishes?

No. A new WordPress.com site starts in Coming Soon mode, so only you can see it. It goes public when you click Launch site.

What kinds of sites is it good for?

Blogs, portfolios, landing pages, and service business sites such as a bakery, a photographer, or a consultant. It is not the right tool for stores or apps with complex integrations.

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AI Tools Pressable Web Hosting WordPress

How I Run This Blog Through Pressable MCP and WP-CLI

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

This blog is hosted on Pressable, and for the last few weeks almost everything I have done to it went through Pressable MCP with Claude: new posts, rewrites of old ones, link fixes, redirects, menu changes, cache purges. Here is how that works in practice and what tripped me up.

The setup

  • Host: Pressable, with Edge Cache on.
  • AI side: Claude, connected to Pressable MCP with OAuth.
  • The key tool: the MCP’s WP-CLI and bash tools. Pressable MCP manages hosting, not content, so anything inside WordPress (posts, menus, options) goes through wp commands.

If you have not connected it yet, here is how to connect Pressable MCP to Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, or Gemini CLI. The server address is https://mcp.pressable.com.

How a new post gets published

  1. I ask Claude for a post and review the outline and facts.
  2. Claude writes the post as WordPress block markup.
  3. It uploads the file to the site’s temporary folder with a bash command, then checks the file’s checksum with wp eval so nothing got mangled on the way.
  4. A short PHP script, run with wp eval-file, creates the post as a draft with the title, excerpt, slug, and categories.
  5. I read the draft in WP Admin and publish it, or ask Claude to.
  6. Claude purges the Edge Cache so the new post shows up right away.

That sounds like a lot of steps, but I only see a request and a link to the draft at the end.

Bulk edits

The real time saver is fixing many posts at once. With a single PHP script run through WP-CLI, Claude has:

  • Rewritten 20 older posts in one batch, keeping the URLs the same.
  • Added an affiliate disclosure and call-to-action box to 30 posts.
  • Found and replaced dead affiliate banners across the whole site.
  • Added “Related” links between new and old posts.

Each change lands as a normal post revision, so the old version is one click away in WP Admin.

The gotchas

  • WP-CLI output is trimmed. Results come back cut to about 500 characters. I have Claude print counts and short summaries instead of whole posts.
  • Bash output goes to the activity log, not back to you. Commands run through the bash tool do not return their output directly, so verification happens with a follow-up wp eval.
  • Some HTML gets stripped. WP-CLI runs without a logged-in user, so WordPress filters out things like <script> tags for FAQ schema. Setting the current user to an admin in the script before saving fixes it.
  • Publishing a draft by script can leave a blank GMT date. After wp_publish_post, I set the post date and GMT date to now, or the published date shows up wrong in feeds and Open Graph tags.
  • The web root is read-only. Work files go in /tmp, never in the uploads folder.
  • Testing redirects with a query string can fail. An exact-match redirect will not fire if you add ?v=1 to bust the cache.

Keeping it safe

  • Back up first. Take an on-demand backup before any site-wide change. Pressable allows three file and three database on-demand backups per site.
  • Drafts, not live posts. New content goes in as a draft so I review it before readers see it.
  • Check the log. Every MCP action is recorded in the site’s activity log, which you can filter by source.
  • Know the off switch. Revoke All MCP Tokens, under Settings, then MCP Authentication in MyPressable, disconnects every AI tool at once.

Is it worth it?

For me, yes. Work that used to be an evening of copy and paste in the editor is now a request and a review. The trade-off is that you are trusting an AI with shell access to your site, so backups and drafts are not optional. If you are already on Pressable, MCP costs nothing extra to try.

Want the same setup? Pressable MCP comes free with every Pressable plan, along with WP-CLI, SSH, staging, and daily backups.

See Pressable plans

FAQ

Can Pressable MCP create WordPress posts?

Not with a dedicated tool. It can run WP-CLI commands, though, and wp post create or a PHP script run with wp eval-file can create posts.

Why do my FAQ schema scripts disappear when I save posts with WP-CLI?

WordPress strips unfiltered HTML when no user with that capability is logged in. Set the current user to an administrator in your script before inserting or updating the post.

Do I need SSH access to use WP-CLI through Pressable MCP?

No. The MCP runs the commands for you on the site’s host. You do not have to set up SSH keys yourself.

Is it risky to let an AI run commands on my site?

It can be. Take a backup first, work in drafts or on a staging site, review the plan before it runs, and check the activity log afterward.

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AI Tools Business Pressable Web Hosting WordPress

20 Pressable MCP Prompts for Site Maintenance and Agency Work

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Once Pressable MCP is connected, the hard part is knowing what to ask. These are the prompts I use (or would use with more client sites) grouped by job. Each one maps to a real tool on the Pressable MCP server, so none of them depend on the AI guessing.

Swap in your own domains and site names. Start with the read-only ones until you trust the setup.

Health checks (read-only)

  1. “List all my sites with their PHP version, WordPress version, and status.”
  2. “Show me plugin security alerts across all my sites.”
  3. “Show the last 20 PHP errors on example.com and group them by plugin.”
  4. “Which of my sites have had the most web server errors in the last 7 days?”
  5. “Show the performance score history for example.com and flag any drops.”

Remember the log windows: PHP error and web server logs go back 7 days, site activity 30 days.

Before an update or launch

  1. “List the last three database backups for example.com and give me a download link for the newest.”
  2. “Create an on-demand backup of example.com, then update all plugins and tell me which ones changed.”
  3. “Clear all cache for shop.example.com before the sale goes live.”
  4. “Turn on maintenance mode for example.com while I run the update, then turn it off.”

On-demand backups are capped at three file and three database backups per site, so delete old ones when you hit the limit. More on that in my Pressable backups guide.

Staging and deployment

  1. “Create a staging site called client-preview in the Dallas datacenter.”
  2. “Resync the plugin and theme list on staging and copy the production database to it.”
  3. “Clone example.com to a new staging site so I can test PHP 8.3.”

If you are new to staging on Pressable, read how Pressable staging sites work first.

Domains and SSL

  1. “Add www.example.com to the example site and make it the primary domain.”
  2. “Check certificate status across all of Acme’s domains and retry any with errors.”

SSL retries only help once DNS points at Pressable. See adding a domain to Pressable for the DNS side.

Bulk work for agencies

  1. “Update all my sites running PHP 8.2 to PHP 8.3.”
  2. “Run wp plugin update --all across all live client sites and report which succeeded.”
  3. “Add luke@agency.com to all my live sites with wp_access and sftp_access roles.”
  4. “Remove the departing contractor from every site they can access.”
  5. “Tag every site for Acme Co with ‘acme’ and add a note with the renewal date.”
  6. “Show me what actions were taken on example.com in the last 30 days, and by whom.”

The PHP upgrade, plugin update, and collaborator prompts are close to the examples Pressable itself uses, and they are where agencies save the most time. One prompt replaces a login and a dozen clicks per site.

Tips for better results

  • Ask for a plan first on anything that changes sites. “Tell me what you would do, then wait for my OK” catches surprises before they happen.
  • Name sites exactly. Use the domain or site name as it appears in MyPressable.
  • Ask for summaries. WP-CLI output comes back trimmed to about 500 characters, so “count the results” works better than “print everything.”
  • Check the activity log after big jobs. MCP actions are logged like any other change.
  • Use staging for anything risky. A clone costs a minute and saves a restore.

Run lots of WordPress sites? Pressable MCP is included free on every plan, and higher tiers add more sites and storage.

See Pressable plans

FAQ

Can Pressable MCP update plugins on all my sites at once?

Yes. It can update plugins per site, and it can run a WP-CLI command like a plugin update across many sites in one request.

Will Pressable MCP make changes without asking?

It depends on your AI tool. Pressable marks each operation as read-only or destructive, and clients like Claude use that to decide when to ask for approval. Asking for a plan first is a good habit anyway.

Can I undo something Pressable MCP did?

Only as much as any change can be undone. Take an on-demand backup first, and use the activity log to see exactly what ran.

Do these prompts work with ChatGPT too?

Yes. The prompts map to Pressable tools, so any supported client can run them. Results can vary a bit between AI tools.

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AI Tools Pressable Web Hosting WordPress

Pressable MCP vs WordPress MCP: Which One Do You Need?

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Pressable has two different things with “MCP” in the name, and they are easy to mix up. Both let an AI assistant talk to your stuff. They just talk to different layers.

  • Pressable MCP connects to your hosting account. It manages sites, backups, caching, domains, plugins, logs, and collaborators.
  • WordPress MCP (the MCP Adapter plugin) connects to one WordPress site. It exposes data from inside that site, and right now it is read-only.

Short version: if you want an AI to help run your hosting, you want Pressable MCP. WordPress MCP is an early experiment for developers.

Side by side

Pressable MCPWordPress MCP Adapter
What it talks toYour Pressable accountOne WordPress site
Made byPressableWordPress community (the mcp-adapter plugin)
StatusPublic betaDeveloper preview, early development
Read or writeBothRead-only for now
Addresshttps://mcp.pressable.comyoursite.com/wp-json/mcp/mcp-adapter-default-server
Sign-inOAuth or a MyPressable tokenWordPress application password
Turn it on inTools, then Pressable MCPTools, then WordPress MCP
Supported by PressableYesNo, it is a community plugin
CostIncluded with every planFree

Pressable MCP: the hosting layer

Pressable launched this on March 31, 2026 and expanded it in June. It works across your whole account, so one prompt can touch many sites: “Update all my sites running PHP 8.2 to PHP 8.3” or “Add this collaborator to all my live sites.” It also handles caching, backups, SSL retries, domains, plugin and theme updates, WordPress users, PHP and web server logs, and WP-CLI commands.

Collaborators can use it too, but only on sites the account owner has given them access to.

WordPress MCP: the site layer

Pressable added the WordPress MCP Adapter on February 18, 2026. It builds on the WordPress Abilities API: plugins (and WordPress core) register “abilities,” and the adapter exposes the ones marked as public to MCP clients.

Two things surprised me when I read the docs:

  • Nothing is exposed by default. You have to add a small must-use plugin that marks abilities as MCP-public. Pressable’s example opens up three read-only core abilities: site info, environment info, and user info.
  • It cannot write. Creating posts or managing users is not possible through the adapter yet, and few plugins register abilities so far.

Turning it on is easy. In MyPressable go to Tools, then WordPress MCP, choose existing sites, future sites, or both, and click Update Settings. Pressable installs and activates the plugin for you. To stop it, deactivate the plugin in WP Admin or turn it off in MyPressable.

Which should you turn on?

  • You manage hosting for one or many sites: Pressable MCP. This is where the useful actions are today.
  • You build plugins and want to test the Abilities API: WordPress MCP, on a staging site first.
  • You want an AI to write and publish posts: neither has a built-in tool for this. I publish this blog by running WP-CLI commands through Pressable MCP, which works but is a workaround.

You can run both at the same time. Pressable MCP even includes a tool to switch the WordPress MCP connection on or off per site.

Security notes for both

  • Pressable MCP: keep the token private, limit collaborator access, and use Revoke All MCP Tokens under Settings, then MCP Authentication, if something looks wrong.
  • WordPress MCP: Pressable recommends a dedicated WordPress user with limited capabilities, rotating application passwords, and exposing only the abilities you need. Only enable it on sites where you can watch how it is used.

Pressable includes both options free on every plan, plus staging sites to try them on safely.

See Pressable plans

FAQ

Is WordPress MCP the same as Pressable MCP?

No. Pressable MCP manages your hosting account. WordPress MCP is a community plugin that exposes read-only data from inside a single WordPress site.

Can WordPress MCP create posts?

Not yet. Pressable describes it as read-only with limited data while it is in early development.

Does Pressable support the WordPress MCP Adapter?

Pressable will install it for you, but it is a community plugin, so Pressable does not provide direct support for it.

Do I need both?

Most people only need Pressable MCP. The WordPress MCP Adapter is mainly useful for developers testing the Abilities API.

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Categories
AI Tools Pressable Web Hosting WordPress

How to Connect Pressable MCP to Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini CLI

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Pressable MCP connects your hosting account to an AI assistant so you can manage sites by typing requests. Setup is quick, but it differs by tool: some sign in with OAuth, others need an access token pasted into a config file. Here is each one, using the steps from Pressable’s own setup guide.

Before you start

  • An active paid Pressable plan. MCP is included at no extra cost.
  • The server address: https://mcp.pressable.com
  • For token-based tools, a token from MyPressable. Log in, go to Tools, then Pressable MCP, and generate one. Treat it like a password and never commit it to a Git repo.
  • For Claude Desktop and Gemini CLI, Node.js installed on your computer.
AI toolHow it signs inNeeds Node.js?
Claude (web)OAuthNo
Claude CodeOAuthNo
ChatGPT (browser)OAuthNo
Claude DesktopTokenYes
CodexTokenNo
Gemini CLITokenYes

Claude on the web

  1. In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors.
  2. Add a custom connector and paste https://mcp.pressable.com as the URL.
  3. Leave the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret fields blank.
  4. Click Add, then approve the Pressable sign-in when it opens.
  5. Turn the connector on in the conversations where you want to use it.

On Claude Team and Enterprise plans, an Owner has to allow custom connectors first.

Claude Code

Run this in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http pressable https://mcp.pressable.com

Start claude, type /mcp, pick Pressable, and finish the sign-in in your browser. Run claude mcp list to confirm it connected.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop needs the mcp-remote bridge, which runs through npx. Open claude_desktop_config.json (on a Mac it is in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, on Windows in %APPDATA%\Claude\) and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pressable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.pressable.com",
        "--transport",
        "http-only",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Swap in your token, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. Pressable warns that a config using url and headers instead of command and args will throw an error in Desktop, so stick to the format above.

ChatGPT

  1. In ChatGPT, go to Settings, then Apps, then Advanced, and turn on Developer Mode.
  2. Click Create App and enter https://mcp.pressable.com.
  3. Complete the Pressable OAuth prompt.

Pressable notes that MCP may not be available on every ChatGPT account yet. If you do not see Developer Mode, that is likely why.

Codex

Store your token in an environment variable named PRESSABLE_MCP_TOKEN. On a Mac:

launchctl setenv PRESSABLE_MCP_TOKEN "your-access-token"

On Windows use setx PRESSABLE_MCP_TOKEN "your-access-token". Then in the Codex app open Settings, then MCP servers, click Add server, point it at https://mcp.pressable.com, and save.

Gemini CLI

npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
gemini mcp add pressable https://mcp.pressable.com --transport sse

Then open ~/.gemini/settings.json and make sure the Pressable entry has your token:

"mcpServers": {
  "pressable": {
    "url": "https://mcp.pressable.com",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
    }
  }
}

Gemini in the browser does not support MCP, so this only works in the CLI.

Test it with a safe first prompt

Start with something read-only so nothing changes while you check the connection:

  • “List my Pressable sites and their PHP versions.”
  • “Show me the last 10 PHP errors on my main site.”
  • “List the recent backups for my main site.”

If those work, you are connected. For ideas on what to ask next, see my Pressable MCP prompts. Before you let it change anything, it helps to know how Pressable backups work so you know your way back.

Troubleshooting

  • Claude Desktop shows an error on launch: check that you used command and args, that Node.js is installed, and that the JSON is valid.
  • “Unauthorized” with a token tool: generate a new token in MyPressable and paste it again with no extra spaces after Bearer.
  • A collaborator cannot see some sites: MCP only reaches sites that person is allowed to manage. The account owner has to grant the right permissions.
  • You think a token leaked: go to Settings, then MCP Authentication, and click Revoke All MCP Tokens. Every connected app is cut off at once, and you reconnect the ones you want.

Not on Pressable yet? MCP access comes free with every plan, along with staging sites, daily backups, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See Pressable plans

FAQ

Where do I find my Pressable MCP token?

In MyPressable, under Tools, then Pressable MCP. Claude web, Claude Code, and ChatGPT do not need one because they sign in with OAuth.

Do I need Node.js for Pressable MCP?

Only for some clients. Claude Desktop and Gemini CLI need it on your computer. Claude web, Claude Code, and ChatGPT do not.

Does Pressable MCP work with Cursor or other editors?

Pressable’s guide does not cover Cursor. It lists Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, and Gemini CLI as supported, with limited support for Grok, Ollama, and Mistral.

How do I disconnect Pressable MCP?

Remove the connector in your AI tool, or revoke all MCP tokens from Settings, then MCP Authentication in MyPressable.

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