WordPress Studio MCP  🔗 **Source:** [WordPress Studio MCP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ) > [!note]+ Document Notes > --- > tags: [wordpress-studio, mcp, ai-workflow, wordpress-development, agentic-development, block-themes] > author: Jonathan Bossenger > source: Jonathan Bossenger (YouTube) > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ > date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} > --- > # 🏷️ Title: WordPress Studio MCP > ## 🧭 Table of Contents > - [📝 Summary](#-summary) > - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) > - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) > - [📚 References](#-references) > - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) > - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) > - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) > - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) > - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) > - [❓ Questions](#-questions) > - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) > - [💡 Implications](#-implications) > - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) > - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) > - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) > - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) > - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) > - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) > ### 🔗 References > - [WordPress Studio](https://developer.wordpress.com/studio/) > - [Studio CLI blog post](https://developer.wordpress.com/blog/) > - [WordPress MCP server (npx-installable)](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-mcp) > ## 📝 Summary > - Bossenger live-streams a hands-on walkthrough of the new WordPress Studio MCP server, which connects Studio (Automattic's free local WordPress dev environment) to AI coding tools over the Model Context Protocol. > - Why it matters: it pushes WordPress toward "true agentic development" — an agent can spin up a local site, install plugins from GitHub, scaffold and restyle a full block theme, all while you do something else. > - Key stakeholders: Automattic/WordPress.com (ships Studio + the CLI/MCP), Vladimir (built the integration, watching the stream), Nick (wrote the Studio CLI blog post before leaving), and WordPress developers experimenting with agentic workflows. > - Risks and tradeoffs: clone-the-repo install friction (vs. the npx convenience of the WordPress MCP server), "always allow tools" security exposure, and a UX wrinkle where template-based editing leaves the Pages homepage empty and confuses users. > - Bottom line: he builds a passable full block theme for a fictional coffee shop in under an hour without writing code — proof the workflow is real, with a human still tweaking the output. > ## 📖 Main Content > - The Studio MCP server bridges WordPress Studio with AI tools via MCP. It rides on the recently shipped Studio CLI, which gives "full feature command line completion" for much of the Studio workflow — creating and managing sites, and running WP-CLI through `studio wp ...` (or just `wp` if WP-CLI is already installed). The CLI is framed as an on-ramp to get Studio users into WP-CLI. > - Setup: he configures the MCP server in VS Code (normally per-project, here in the global config). He notes Claude desktop doesn't hot-reload config changes — you must stop and restart it "like it's Windows 95." He also contrasts Claude desktop's opaque "pulsating icon" with Claude Code, where you can click the running process and see what's happening. > - Workflow demo 1 — scaffold: he prompts an agent ("You are an expert WordPress developer... you create custom block theme templates") to build a custom block theme for a fictional client, a small coffee shop selling beans and accessories online. The agent (he notes Vladimir used Opus, which can generate images; he's unsure GPT can) names theme colors after coffee-related things and produces what he calls "a pretty good start" for anyone who's never built a block theme. > - Workflow demo 2 — restyle: he switches to Opus and prompts "you are an expert WordPress theme designer/developer. Help me make the John's coffee theme more modern and exciting. Include bold colors, fonts, and layouts." He stresses he's "not a designer," yet the agent returns "certainly not a horrible looking website," done in about an hour. > - Contested/uncertain points: whether GPT can generate images like Opus (he's unsure); and a WordPress-level UX critique, not an MCP bug — with template-based site editing, editing the front page template works, but the Pages > homepage entry shows "nothing," which he calls confusing for users. > - The friction he wants fixed: having to clone the repository. He'd prefer the npx pattern the WordPress MCP server uses — an npm package you run without cloning. The reveal: install Studio CLI as a package and "MCP would just come with it and it all just works." > ### 🗒️ Notes > #### ⏱️ [00:00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ?t=0) What the Studio MCP server is > - Studio MCP "connects WordPress studio with AI tools via MCP." > - Built on the updated Studio CLI from a blog post Nick posted before leaving Automattic. > - Studio CLI = "full feature command line completion for much of your studio workflow including creating and managing sites running WPCLI." > - Run WP-CLI via `studio wp ...`; if WP-CLI is already installed, just `wp`. Framed as a way to get Studio users into WP-CLI. > #### ⏱️ [00:01:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ?t=90) MCP config and tool ergonomics > - Configures MCP in VS Code — usually per-project, here global "just for now." > - Claude desktop "still doesn't refresh when you change the config" — must stop/start "like it's Windows 95." > - Likes Claude Code over Claude desktop: you can click the running process and see what's happening, vs. the desktop's "pulsating icon" with no visibility. > - "Always allow tools from studio. I don't care." Mitigated by a two-machine setup — disposable streaming laptop, separate work workstation. > #### ⏱️ [00:03:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ?t=210) Scaffolding the coffee-shop block theme > - Prompt persona: "You are an expert WordPress developer... designer developer... you create custom block theme templates." > - Use case: a small coffee shop selling coffee beans and accessories online. > - Vladimir used Opus, "which can probably generate images" — unsure GPT can. > - Agent names colors after coffee-related stuff; "a pretty good start" for first-time block-theme builders. > #### ⏱️ [00:05:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ?t=330) Agentic WordPress and the template UX problem > - "a step towards like true agentic WordPress development" — spin up a site, install a plugin from GitHub, give it a theme, get it going while doing something else. > - Template-editing UX critique (a WordPress problem, not MCP): edit the front page template and it changes, but Pages > homepage shows "nothing in the homepage," which confuses users. > - Install friction: dislikes cloning the repo; wants the npx pattern from the WordPress MCP server. Reveal: install Studio CLI as a package and MCP "would just come with it." > #### ⏱️ [00:07:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCS6WExmCYQ?t=450) Restyle with Opus and the verdict > - Switches to Opus: "Help me make the John's coffee theme more modern and exciting. Include bold colors, fonts, and layouts." > - Caveat: "I am not a designer. I'm a guy who writes code for a living or used to." > - "this is the kind of thing you can do while you are making a cup of coffee." > - Result: "certainly not a horrible looking website," done in an hour, "without writing any" code — "full block theme implementation." > - Stance: pro-AI "as long as there is an human element involved." > ## 📚 References > - [WordPress Studio](https://developer.wordpress.com/studio/) > - [Studio CLI announcement (developer.wordpress.com blog)](https://developer.wordpress.com/blog/) > - [Automattic WordPress MCP server (npx pattern)](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-mcp) > - [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) > ## 🗣️ Paraphrase > - The WordPress Studio MCP server wires Studio into AI tools through MCP, building on the recently shipped Studio CLI (announced by Nick before he left) that brings command-line control of Studio sites and WP-CLI. > - After configuring the server in VS Code's global MCP config — and grumbling that Claude desktop needs a full restart to pick up config changes — Bossenger has an agent scaffold a custom block theme for a fictional coffee shop, then switches to Opus to restyle it with bolder color Okay, so WordPress Studio MCB server connects WordPress studio with AI tools via MCP. Yeah, end of last month there was an updated studio CLI blog post which Nick posted before he left. Miss you Nick. And basically it's full feature command line completion for much of your studio workflow including creating and managing sites running WPCLI D and there you go WordPress studio CLI. See, so to run WPCLI commands, it would be studio WP and then blah. If you already have WPCLI installed, which I do, it's just WP and you can run. But it's a cool way to get people using studio into PCL. I always get a little bit stressed when the person who wrote the thing I'm playing with is on the stream. So I usually configure my VS Code MCP on a per project basis, but I'm going to stick it in the global one just for now. And then for VS Code, I need to say servers. Claude still doesn't refresh when you change the config, which is the most annoying thing in the world. So you have to start stop and start Claude again like it's Windows 95. It's so frustrating. Sorry, I was busy I was busy blocking and reporting the chat message. One thing I don't like about Claude desktop that I do like about Claude Code is you can click on the running process and actually see what's happening. Or at least I think you can. I'm pretty sure I was able to when I was doing this earlier today. Whereas Claude, you're just stuck with this pulsating icon. You have no idea what's going on in the background. I just realized that was doing flowers as well. So I must remembered watching the demo and flowers cuz I promise you this wasn't planned. So the user doesn't necessarily have VS Code installed. They just want to be able to create a site in Studio. Push it up somewhere. Boom. Off you go. I know you should get the agent to do it, but I would do it myself. You are an expert WordPress developer. Let's say designer developer. And now the one thing I'm going to do differently to the bottom here is you create custom block theme templates. I throw out a little bit of a code and team developer creating custom block. Help me create a new custom block theme for my client. My client owns a small coffee shop. selling coffee beans and coffee making accessories online cuz to be honest if I wasn't a developer that's what I would love to do. I would love to own a coffee shop and then sell coffee stuff online. Now, this is where it gets interesting because Vladimir was using Opus, which can probably generate images. I don't know whether GPT can. Not sure it can. So, that might be difficult. Always allow tools from studio. I don't care. If it breaks my computer, then I'll be boot or something. I have two machines. I have my laptop for streaming and video creation and when I travel and I have my workstation where I do most of my actual work. So if my laptop gets fried, I'm okay. I love that it's named the colors after coffee related stuff. That's cool. If you've never if you've never developed a block theme, this is a pretty good start of must. I will say that. Now, this is one of those things that is more, in my opinion, a WordPress problem because now that we're moving towards this template, this the structure where you can edit templates in the editor, how you build your sites. I like the idea of it all sitting in the templates cuz then you can just go in, you can edit the templates and if I want to edit the front page, I edit the front page and then it changes. But then it gets confusing because then when I go to pages and I go to the homepage, there's nothing in the homepage. So as a user that makes confusing, but that's more of a WordPress problem. I definitely think this is a step towards like true agentic WordPress development. And so being able to spin up a site from my agent, spin up a new site, install this plug-in from GitHub that I'm busy working on, give it a theme, give it a whatever, spin it up and get it going while I'm doing something else. I am I am liking this kind of automation between my development environment and my local local development installation, my local WordPress installation. The fact that I have to clone the repository, it would be cool to be able to use that whole npx situation like you can with the WordPress MCB server where it's a a npm package that I can just run without having to clone the code. Oh, interesting. Okay, so you would basically install studio CLI as a package and then MCP would just come with it and it all just works. That would that would be pretty awesome. So it's done exactly what I wanted to do. That's well done agentbot thing along with studio CLI and MCP. I like it. Okay, let's switch to So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to switch to Opus and I'm going to close this and I'm going to say you are an expert WordPress theme designer/developer. Help me make the John's coffee theme more modern and exciting. Include bold colors, fonts, and layouts. Now, obviously, if I did things like creating co-pilot instructions or an agent MD or whatever, I could be able to be able to give the agent more context. Now, I will preface this by saying I am not a designer. I'm a guy who writes code for a living or used to. Now, ironically, this is the kind of thing you can do while you are making a cup of coffee. I do feel like this is where things are heading. I do feel like we're heading towards a world where you'll use an agent to create like a first version of something and then you will manually come along and tweak it and style it and fix it and change it and customize it. I have actually blogged about what I think the future of development looks like or web development looks like. I'll then use it to help me check any merge requests. So, it'll automate a lot of the boring manual stuff. This music is very jumpy. From my perspective, this is certainly not a horrible looking website. So, I did this in an hour now. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to share this on my social media and you are welcome to comment up and tell me what you think except Vladimir who created this. Anybody else watching on YouTube or wherever, I'm going to share the preview on social media. And if you like it or dislike it or hate it or think it's terrible, comment on social media and tell me this. Say I created this previous site on WordPress.com with WordPress studio and under an hour without writing any got full block theme implementation. It does mean that the way we do things is changing. Whether you're on board with this AI stuff, I'm not here to argue with you about that. I'm pro it, but as long as there is an human element involved, and I've said this publicly, but this is really cool. So, I love the fact that now there's AI stuff happening. So, well done everybody. Good job. Seriously., WordPress Studio MCP, Jonathan Bossenger, 01kw2mfan92a8tdgkz5zwzwtgq.