Requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| WordPress 6.9+ and PHP 8.0+ | PHP needs the sodium and openssl extensions. Most hosts include them. |
| HTTPS | Claude only connects to HTTPS sites, and Visual Browser only takes screenshots of HTTPS sites. |
| Elementor (free) | Needed for the page-building tools. If it's missing, Flow MCP shows an Install & Activate Elementor button. |
| WordPress MCP Adapter v0.6.1+ | The official plugin that connects Claude to WordPress. Flow MCP adds the tools, and the adapter carries them. See step 2. |
| Elementor Pro (optional) | Only for Theme Builder headers and footers and for Elementor Pro widgets. Elementor sells it separately. |
| WooCommerce (optional) | Only for store features. |
1. Install Flow MCP
- Download the plugin ZIP.
- In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the ZIP and click Install Now.
- Click Activate.
2. Install the MCP Adapter
After you activate Flow MCP, WordPress shows a notice: "Flow MCP requires the official WordPress MCP Adapter."
- Click Install & Activate MCP Adapter. Flow MCP downloads the official release from GitHub, then installs and activates it.
- Some hosts block plugin downloads. If the button fails, download
mcp-adapter.zip(v0.6.1 or newer) from github.com/WordPress/mcp-adapter and upload it the same way you uploaded Flow MCP. - If you have an older adapter, the same notice offers Update MCP Adapter.
The top row of the Flow MCP dashboard should now show MCP Adapter: Ready and Elementor: Ready.
3. Activate Pro (optional)
Skip this step if you're using Flow MCP Free. If you have a Pro license:
- Open the Flow MCP dashboard → Plans & License.
- Paste your key (it starts with
FLOW-) and click Activate. - The Plan tile switches to Pro.
4. Connect Claude
- In the Flow MCP dashboard, open the Connect tab. Copy the MCP URL, Client ID and Client Secret.
- In Claude, open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Paste the three values and choose Connect.
- Claude opens your WordPress login and consent screen. Log in as an administrator and approve the connection.
- The dashboard's Claude tile now shows 1 connected.
5. Your first prompt
Check the connection first:
Use Flow MCP to tell me about my WordPress site.
Claude should call site-info and describe your site. Then try a real task:
Build a draft homepage for a neighbourhood bakery: a hero with a call to action, three menu highlights, opening hours and a contact section. Keep it as a draft.
Managing licenses
- See usage. Sign in to My Licenses with your key. It shows your plan, expiry date, active sites and Visual Browser renders used this month.
- Move a license. On the old site, open Flow MCP → Plans & License and deactivate. Then activate the key on the new site. If you can't reach the old site any more, free its seat from My Licenses instead.
- Test and staging sites. Sites on
localhost,*.local,*.testand*.invaliddon't use a seat. - Expiry. Pro keeps working for a short grace period after an annual license expires. After that, the site goes back to Free. Your pages stay on the site.
Troubleshooting
Pro tools don't show up in Claude
Disconnect and reconnect the Flow MCP connector in Claude. Claude loads the tool list when it connects, so you need to reconnect after you activate, renew or deactivate a license.
"All activation slots are occupied"
Your license is active on as many sites as your plan allows. Deactivate it on a site you no longer use, or free that seat from My Licenses.
"This license has used its Visual Browser renders for this month"
All the sites on a license share its monthly renders. The count resets on the 1st of each month (UTC). If you regularly run out, choose a larger plan on the pricing page.
The MCP Adapter won't install
Some hosts block plugin downloads. Install the adapter by hand from its GitHub releases page (see step 2).
Claude can't connect
Make sure the site loads over HTTPS without certificate warnings. Make sure you logged in as an administrator on the consent screen. Then copy the MCP URL, Client ID and Client Secret again from the Connect tab.