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Using the API via MCP

The SyteOps Manage API has two entry points: direct HTTP calls (covered in the Manage API overview) and the MCP path described here. The MCP path lets an AI client — Claude, a custom agent, or any MCP-compatible tool — call the Manage API as ordinary tool invocations, with no HTTP client code required.

Using the Manage API through the MCP​

The SyteWide MCP plugin exposes two tools that map directly onto Manage API endpoints:

  • syteops_manifest calls GET /syteops/v1/manage/manifest and returns the full catalog of resources and actions the running SyteOps instance supports. Use it to discover what is available before committing to an action.
  • syteops_dispatch calls POST /syteops/v1/manage/dispatch to execute a specific { resource, action, params } triplet. Destructive operations additionally require confirm: true in the body. The response is always the same { ok, data, changed, error } envelope, regardless of which action was dispatched.

The recommended pattern in any automated flow is manifest first, dispatch second: pull the manifest to confirm that the target resource and action exist, then dispatch with confidence.

Dispatch body and response​

{
  "resource": "plugins",
  "action": "deactivate",
  "params": {
    "slug": "some-plugin"
  },
  "confirm": true
}
{
  "ok": true,
  "data": { "status": "inactive" },
  "changed": true,
  "error": null
}

Gating — how SyteOps controls MCP access​

SyteOps gates the MCP plugin

The relationship runs in both directions. SyteOps does not just receive calls from the MCP — it also controls whether the MCP is allowed to operate at all.

When the syteops_sytewide_mcp entitlement module is active inside SyteOps, the platform adds the route prefix /wp-json/sytewide-mcp/v1/* to its REST allowlist. Only then can MCP tool calls reach WordPress REST endpoints on that site.

Additionally, the SyteWide MCP plugin is a regulated plugin: its installation folder must not be renamed. SyteOps uses the fixed folder name to identify and manage the plugin internally.

Stack diagram​

  • MCP overview — connecting an MCP client to a WordPress site
  • The SyteOps bridge — the MCP-side view of the two bridge tools and a step-by-step usage example