The Claude Desktop one-click bundle (.mcpb) is not connecting on the last two Claude Desktop versions. Manual configuration works correctly. Please use manual setup while we look into it.

Connecting Your AI Client

This page explains how to connect any MCP-compatible AI client to your WordPress site running Novamira. You will create an application password for authentication and configure your AI client with the correct MCP server settings.

Step 1: Create an Application Password

Application Passwords are a WordPress feature that lets external applications authenticate without using your main login password. Each application password is a separate credential that can be revoked independently.

  1. In the WordPress admin, go to Novamira > Configuration.
  2. Under Application Passwords, optionally enter a name (defaults to “Novamira”) and click Create New Application Password.
  3. Copy the password immediately. It will not be shown again after you leave the page.

Application Passwords require HTTPS. For local development without HTTPS, add this to your wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE', 'local' );

Fastest for Claude Desktop: the one-click bundle

If you use Claude Desktop, you can skip the config entirely and install Novamira as a bundle.

  1. Create an application password as described in Step 1 above.
  2. On the Novamira > Configuration page, open the Claude Desktop tab and click Download .mcp bundle. The file packages everything Claude Desktop needs to connect to your site.
  3. Open the downloaded file. Claude Desktop takes you to the Novamira install screen. Click Install.
  4. Start a new chat and ask Claude to connect to your site to confirm it works.

Note: your application password lives inside the bundle, so anyone who has the file gets the same full access to your site that you do. Don’t share it, and delete the file from your computer once the setup is done.

Step 2: Paste the setup prompt into your AI client

Open Novamira > Configuration in the WordPress admin. The page generates a setup prompt that contains your connection URL, username, application password, and the rules your AI client needs to write its own config.

Click Copy prompt, then paste it into a new conversation with your AI client (any of the clients listed below, or any other MCP-compatible client). The agent reads the details and writes the MCP server config for you. Restart or reload the MCP session when it asks, then verify it lists Novamira’s tools.

Note: the prompt contains an application password that grants access to your site. Don’t share it with anyone.

Alternative: write the config manually

If your client can’t modify its own config from inside a conversation, expand Need the JSON config for a specific client? on the Connect page to copy a ready-made snippet, then paste it into the client’s config file.

The configuration tells your AI client to run the MCP WordPress Remote proxy via npx. This proxy bridges the MCP protocol to your WordPress REST API.

The general configuration pattern (adapt the field names for your specific client):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "novamira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@automattic/mcp-wordpress-remote@latest"],
      "env": {
        "WP_API_URL": "https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira",
        "WP_API_USERNAME": "your-wordpress-username",
        "WP_API_PASSWORD": "your-application-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the placeholder values with your actual site URL, WordPress username, and the application password you created in Step 1.

Supported clients

The Connect page provides specific instructions and configuration file locations for:

Client Config file
Claude Code Run command in terminal
Claude Desktop One-click .mcp bundle, or claude_desktop_config.json (macOS/Windows)
Codex config.toml (macOS/Linux/Windows)
Antigravity mcp_config.json (macOS/Linux/Windows)
Cursor Global or Project .cursor/mcp.json
VS Code Workspace .vscode/mcp.json or User settings via command palette
GitHub Copilot .github/copilot/mcp.json
Windsurf mcp_config.json (macOS/Linux/Windows)
Cline cline_mcp_settings.json, or via the Cline sidebar (MCP Servers)
Gemini CLI settings.json (Global ~/.gemini or Project .gemini)
Roo Code Project .roo/mcp.json, or via the Roo Code sidebar (MCP Servers)
Amazon Q Global ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json or Project .amazonq/mcp.json
Zed settings.json (macOS/Linux)
Kilo Code Project .kilocode/mcp.json, or via the Kilo Code sidebar (MCP Servers)
OpenCode Project opencode.json or global ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json

Novamira works with any MCP-compatible client, not just the ones listed above. The protocol is standard. If your client supports MCP servers, you can configure it using the general pattern shown above.

Step 3: Verify the connection

After configuring your AI client, start a new session and look for the Novamira tools in your client’s tool list. You should see three tools exposed by the MCP adapter: Discover Abilities, Get Ability Info, and Execute Ability. Through these, your AI client can discover and invoke all Novamira abilities (Execute PHP, Read/Write/Edit/Delete/Disable/Enable File, List Directory, and more).

Try a simple command to verify everything works: ask your AI to “list the plugins installed on this WordPress site.” It should use the Execute PHP tool to run a query and return the list of active plugins.

Alternative: connect without Node.js (direct HTTP)

If your client can’t reach the npx-based config above (Node.js not installed, npx blocked by IT, sandboxed environment), use direct HTTP transport instead. Your client talks straight to the WordPress REST endpoint, no proxy in the middle.

On the Novamira > Configuration page, expand Configs above not working? Try this npx-free alternative. The page generates a ready-to-paste snippet with your URL and a pre-encoded Authorization header. Currently shown for Claude Code and Codex.

Claude Code (project .mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "novamira": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic BASE64_ENCODED_CREDENTIALS"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex (project .codex/config.toml or global ~/.codex/config.toml):

[mcp_servers.novamira]
url = "https://your-site.com/wp-json/mcp/novamira"
http_headers = { Authorization = "Basic BASE64_ENCODED_CREDENTIALS" }

The credentials string is base64(your-wordpress-username:your-application-password). The Connect page handles the encoding for you, so the safest path is to copy the snippet directly from there. If you need to encode it manually, any base64 tool works.

Note: the snippet contains an authorization header that grants access to your site. Treat it like a password.

Local connections via STDIO

If WordPress runs locally on your machine and you have WP-CLI installed, you can connect via STDIO transport without Node.js. See the MCP Adapter documentation for STDIO setup instructions.

Troubleshooting

  • “Application Passwords require HTTPS”: Your site must be served over HTTPS, or you need WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE set to local.
  • Connection refused: Verify that AI abilities are enabled in Novamira > Configuration.
  • Authentication failed: Double-check your WordPress username and application password. The username is case-sensitive.
  • “npx: command not found”: Node.js is not installed or not in your PATH. See Installing Node.js.
  • Tools not showing up: Restart your AI client after adding the MCP configuration. Some clients require a restart to pick up new MCP servers.