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Getting Started

Requirements

What you need before installing: WordPress, PHP, HTTPS, an MCP client, and a license.

BuildPress runs as an MCP server inside your own WordPress site, so the requirements are about your site and your AI client, not an external account. Check these five things before you install: WordPress, PHP, HTTPS, an MCP-compatible AI client, and a BuildPress license.

What you need

  • WordPress 6.5 or newer. BuildPress targets the modern REST and block APIs.
  • PHP 8.1 or newer. Most managed hosts already run this or higher.
  • HTTPS in production. WordPress Application Passwords require HTTPS or a local/dev environment, and BuildPress uses Application Passwords to authenticate your AI client.
  • Any host. BuildPress works on Cloudways, Kinsta, WP Engine, Hostinger, shared hosting, or a local dev environment. There is no special platform requirement.
  • An active subscription to an MCP-compatible AI client. Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, JetBrains, Codex, and more are supported. See Connect your AI client for the full list.
  • A base builder. The BuildPress Builder is the native default and needs no third-party plugin. Elementor is optional and selectable when it is installed and active.
  • A BuildPress license: Solo, Team, or Agency, chosen by how many sites you need to cover. Every plan ships every feature.

WordPress and PHP

BuildPress needs WordPress 6.5 or newer running on PHP 8.1 or newer. To check what you have, open WordPress Admin and go to Tools then Site Health, under the Info tab. The WordPress and Server panels there report both versions. If either is below the minimum, update WordPress from the Updates screen and ask your host to bump PHP before installing.

HTTPS and Application Passwords

Your AI client connects to BuildPress using a standard WordPress Application Password over HTTP Basic Auth, the same mechanism the official WordPress mobile app uses. WordPress only allows Application Passwords over HTTPS or in a local/dev environment, so a production site must serve HTTPS before you can generate one. There is no custom BuildPress token and no external BuildPress account in the loop.

Why HTTPS matters here

The Application Password travels in the request to your site, so WordPress refuses to mint one over plain HTTP in production. If you are testing on localhost or a dev box, Application Passwords are allowed there without HTTPS.

An MCP-compatible AI client

BuildPress provides the tools, your AI provides the brain. You bring your own active subscription to an MCP-compatible client, and BuildPress has no AI of its own in the loop for normal builds. Supported clients include Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, JetBrains, Codex, and more. The Connect your AI client page lists every supported client and walks through generating the connection.

A base builder

Exactly one base builder is active at a time. The BuildPress Builder is the native, block-backed default: it needs no third-party page builder and works the moment the plugin activates. Elementor is optional and becomes selectable when the Elementor plugin is installed and active. You pick your base builder during onboarding and can change it later in Settings. See Builder overview for how the two compare.

Nothing extra to install to start

The BuildPress Builder requires no third-party plugin and works on activation, so you can install BuildPress and start building right away. Add Elementor only if you specifically want to build with it.

A BuildPress license

BuildPress is one paid plugin with one license. Plans are Solo, Team, and Agency, and they differ only by how many sites the license covers. There are no feature gates between plans: every plan ships every feature. You activate the key at WordPress Admin then BuildPress then License. The license gates the AI build tools, so if it is inactive the next AI command is rejected until you reactivate, but your widgets, Project Memory, and project history stay in your own database.

Once everything checks out

With WordPress, PHP, HTTPS, a client, and a license in place, head to Connect your AI client to authenticate your AI, then read the Builder overview to choose how you want to build.

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