Quick Start
From zero to your first AI-built page: install the plugin, connect your AI client, and start building.
BuildPress runs an MCP server inside your own WordPress site. No external account, no proxy in the middle, no BuildPress API keys. You connect the AI client you already use, and you build by conversation.
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, an open standard from Anthropic for connecting an AI to real tools. BuildPress gives your AI real control of WordPress, not screen-scraping or guessing at HTML. Your AI provides the brain, BuildPress provides the tools, and your server talks to your AI client only, over HTTPS. We are not in the loop.
What you need
WordPress 6.5+ on PHP 8.1+ (any host works), the BuildPress plugin, and your own active MCP client subscription such as Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf. BuildPress provides the tools, your AI provides the brain.
The fast path
- 1
Install and activate the plugin
Download the plugin .zip from your BuildPress account. In wp-admin go to Plugins, Add New, Upload Plugin, choose the .zip, then Activate. Activation starts the MCP server on your own server. Nothing leaves your site to do this.
- 2
Activate your license
Go to BuildPress, License. Enter your key and click activate. The license enables the AI build tools and plugin updates. Solo, Team, and Agency plans all ship every feature and differ only by how many sites the license covers.
- 3
Enable MCP Access
Go to BuildPress, Connection and turn on Enable MCP Access. This master toggle ships off, so while it is off every request is rejected. Set Access Mode to Read + Write so your AI can actually build, not just read.
- 4
Create a connection and generate a password
Click New connection, pick your AI client, name it (for example 'Cursor on my laptop'), then Generate password. This mints a standard WordPress Application Password that is shown once. Save it now, it cannot be shown again.
- 5
Paste the config into your AI client
Copy the per-client config snippet, or click Copy Setup Prompt for an AI-ready instruction that tells your client where the config file lives and asks it to verify the connection. Paste it into your client and you are connected.
Your MCP endpoint
Every connection points at one endpoint on your own site. You rarely paste this raw URL by hand, the generated config drops it into the WP_API_URL environment variable for you, but this is the address:
https://your-site.com/wp-json/buildpress/v1/mcpAuthentication is a standard WordPress Application Password over HTTP Basic Auth, the same way the official WordPress mobile app connects. The config reads three values: your endpoint, your WordPress login, and the App Password you just generated. Each connection shows Created, Last Used, and Last IP, and you can revoke any one of them from wp-admin at any time.
Set up your design system first
Build your design system before you build pages. Tokens for color and typography become the single source of truth, and every page binds to them. Then every session resumes with Project Memory, so you never re-explain your brand, voice, or preferences. Set it up once and your AI carries it forward.
Build your first page
Once connected, you talk in plain English and your AI picks the right procedure. Start by setting up your design system, then describe what you want. Paste a prompt like this into your client:
Set up my design system. It's a SaaS called Lumen for finance teams, clean and modern, primary like Stripe's indigo, Inter for everything, no logo yet. Sites I like: Linear, Vercel, Stripe.With the design system ready, ask for a page. Your AI composes it section by section, creating token-bound widgets and verifying each live render before it reports back:
Build a landing page for Lumen: a hero with headline, subheadline, and a 'Start free trial' button, a 3-up features row, a testimonials strip, a pricing section, and a closing CTA band. Draft placeholder copy.Pages are created as drafts and only published on your explicit confirmation. When you are happy, just say Publish this page.
Where to go next
- Connect your AI client for per-client setup of Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, VS Code, and more.
- Requirements for the exact WordPress, PHP, and client versions you need.
- The build workflow for how the Setup, Design, and Build phases fit together.