MemberPress AI Foundation Overview and Setup Guide

MemberPress AI Foundation adds an AI integration layer to MemberPress sites. The plugin exposes MemberPress functionality through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). AI clients such as Claude Desktop and Cursor then manage memberships, members, transactions, and content through natural language.

This guide covers what AI Foundation provides, where it fits in the MemberPress AI Suite, the prerequisites, the installation steps, and a brief MCP Setup Wizard overview.

Terminology note: The plugin is “AI Foundation,” not “MCP.” MCP is one of four capabilities the plugin provides. Documentation refers to the plugin as “AI Foundation” and to the protocol as “MCP.” Future MemberPress AI Suite plugins will share AI Foundation infrastructure without necessarily exposing MCP themselves.

What AI Foundation Provides

AI Foundation ships four customer-visible capabilities plus a supporting infrastructure layer.

Components at a Glance

Component	What it does	Endpoint or location
MCP server	Exposes the MCP tool catalog via JSON-RPC 2.0 — 41 core tools, more with add-ons	/wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/mcp
Public MCP endpoint	Exposes 4 read-only catalog tools without authentication	/wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/public-mcp
AI Credits system	Meters Mastermind-powered generation (not MCP)	WordPress admin bar + dashboard widget
Agent safety layer	Four measures that govern destructive operations	Built into the MCP server
Authentication system	OAuth 2.1 PKCE, Bearer tokens, Application Passwords	/wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/authorize + /token
Shared PHP service layer	Foundation services for plugin developers	mpai() global + MemberPressAI\Foundation facade
Abilities API integration	Tools also expose through the WordPress.org MCP Adapter	Registers on WordPress 6.9+ only
Admin UI	Setup, clients, settings, credits	MemberPress > AI Settings

MCP Server

The MCP server exposes its tool catalog via JSON-RPC 2.0 at /wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/mcp:

• 41 core tools — members, memberships, subscriptions, transactions, rules, coupons, reports, content, webhooks, reminders, imports, system info, AI data analysis;
• 13 add-on conditional tools — register when the corresponding add-on is active: Courses (8), Corporate Accounts (3), Downloads (2);
• 4 public read-only tools — covered by the separate public endpoint below.

The authenticated catalog therefore varies by site: 41 tools on a core-only install, up to 54 with every supported add-on active. A lower count on a given site reflects its add-ons, not a broken installation.

Each tool declares a required scope and a required WordPress capability. The server checks both before dispatching. Write tools default to preview. Destructive writes require a confirmation token. See the MCP Tools Reference for the full inventory.

Public MCP Endpoint

The public endpoint at /wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/public-mcp exposes up to 4 read-only tools without authentication: memberpress_list_memberships e memberpress_get_membership on every install, plus memberpress_list_courses e memberpress_get_course while MemberPress Courses is active.

Key behavior:

• Disabled by default. Site administrators opt in through the AI Settings page;
• Returns 404 when disabled. The /.well-known/mcp.json discovery document also stays hidden;
• Exposes only published memberships and courses the administrator opts in to. Never exposes member data;
• Per-product opt-out available on each membership and course edit screen.

Use case: prospective customers ask an AI client about available membership plans without credentials.

Sistema de créditos de IA

AI Credits meter Mastermind-powered AI generation. Course Copilot consumes credits when generating course content.

MCP tool calls do not consume credits. Every tool on both MCP endpoints runs free regardless of credit balance.

The credits dashboard appears in two places:

• A balance indicator in the WordPress admin bar;
• A widget on the main WordPress dashboard.

Purchases use the same Stripe-powered checkout as Course Copilot.

Agent Safety Layer

Four measures prevent destructive operations from running unchecked.

Medida	Nome	What it does
A	Confirmation tokens	Destructive write tools require a two-call flow: first call returns a preview plus a single-use token; second call must include the token
B	Dry-run defaults	Write tools default to preview. The AI client opts in to execute via execute: true (non-destructive) or the confirmation token flow (destructive)
C	Granular scopes	Connection tokens carry specific scopes (ler, write:members, write:billing, write:imports, write:webhooks, write:content, write:courses) rather than blanket access
D	Kill switch	Administrators pause every destructive write from the Connected Clients admin page. Paused destructive calls return WRITES_PAUSED

Destructive tools requiring Measure A: delete_member, refund_transaction, delete_webhook, reset_course_progress, manage_sub_account, manage_subscription.

Veja o Agent Safety Measures Reference for full coverage of each measure.

Supporting Infrastructure

Surface	Purpose
Autenticação	OAuth 2.1 PKCE (S256) primary; Bearer tokens via wizard; Application Passwords fallback
Service layer	mpai() global and MemberPressAI\Foundation facade for plugin developers
Abilities API integration	Registers on WordPress 6.9+; tools also expose through the WordPress.org MCP Adapter
Admin UI	Four tabs at MemberPress > AI Settings: MCP Setup Wizard, MCP Connected Clients, MCP Settings, AI Credits

MCP Settings

O MCP Settings tab holds the server's configuration controls:

Configuração	Padrão	Purpose
Access ceiling	Read Only	Caps the scope any new connection can receive. Write scopes are only available when set to Full Access. The setup wizard hides write options while this is Read Only. See the Agent Safety Measures Reference
Token Expiration	Nunca	Lifetime of issued connection tokens. “Never” issues non-expiring tokens
Log Retention	30 dias	How long the MCP activity log retains entries
MCP Access Roles	Administrador	Which WordPress user roles may connect AI clients via MCP. Administrator is always enabled; other roles are opt-in. Per-user overrides are available with the Members plugin
Rate Limiting	Enabled, 120 requests per minute	Limits MCP requests per token per minute on the authenticated endpoint. The limit is configurable, and rate limiting can be disabled entirely
Enable public AI catalog endpoint	Off	Exposes the unauthenticated public catalog (see Public MCP Endpoint above)

The access ceiling is the most consequential control: it is the gate that determines whether a connection can write at all. Changing it does not alter existing connections — a connection's scope is fixed when it is created, so raising the ceiling and granting writes requires issuing a new connection.

The MemberPress AI Suite

AI Foundation is the first plugin in the MemberPress AI Suite — a planned family of AI-powered add-ons covering the full MemberPress content lifecycle.

Plug-in	Status
MemberPress AI Course Generator (Course Copilot)	Shipped Q1 2026 — consumes AI Foundation
MemberPress AI Foundation	Shipped July 2026 (this documentation)
Co-Pilot V2	Scope defined, post-launch development
Content Intelligence	Pitch review
AI Mentor	Pitch review
Content Repurpose	Idea stage

Future AI Suite products will use AI Foundation from day one. For site administrators, installing additional AI Suite plugins later requires:

• No duplicate connections;
• No duplicate credit purchases;
• No duplicate AI client configuration.

Pré-requisitos

Requirement	Minimum	Notas
WordPress	6.5	Abilities API integration requires 6.9+. On older versions the MCP server still works fully, without ability registrations
PHP	8.0	Matches the MemberPress core PHP requirement
MemberPress core	Active install	AI Foundation depends on MemberPress for the data model
HTTPS	Required for production	OAuth 2.1 requires HTTPS. Local development can use HTTP for testing only
Permalinks	Post name or richer	The MCP endpoints use the WordPress REST API, which requires non-default permalinks

Optional add-ons unlock additional tools when active:

Complemento	Tools added
Cursos do MemberPress	8 tools: get_course, list_courses, get_lesson, list_lessons, get_student_progress, list_course_students, complete_lesson, reset_course_progress
MemberPress Contas corporativas	3 tools: get_corporate_account, list_sub_accounts, manage_sub_account
Downloads do MemberPress	2 tools: list_downloads, get_download_stats

The AI Foundation tool registry uses a class_exists() check for each add-on. When an add-on is inactive, the add-on's tools do not appear in the tools/list response.

Instalação

AI Foundation installs through the standard MemberPress add-ons workflow: open MemberPress > Complementos, locate the AI Foundation card, and click Instalar o complemento. For a site that cannot reach the download servers, upload the plugin ZIP from the MemberPress account portal through Plug-ins > Adicionar novo > Fazer upload de plug-in.

The plugin slug is memberpress-ai-foundation. The main plugin file is memberpress-ai-foundation/memberpress-ai-foundation.php.

Após a ativação, MemberPress > AI Settings appears in the admin sidebar with MCP Setup Wizard as its first tab. To confirm the endpoint is live, request the MCP server at https://[site-url]/wp-json/mp-mcp/v1/mcp without authentication; a live endpoint returns a 401 Unauthorized response. If activation fails, see MCP Errors and Troubleshooting for diagnosis steps.

For the full end-user walkthrough with screenshots — installation, access level, and connecting Claude Desktop — see Setting Up Claude Desktop With MemberPress.

MCP Setup Wizard (Brief Overview)

The MCP Setup Wizard at MemberPress > AI Settings > MCP Setup Wizard guides each connection through four steps. The access level is set separately in MCP Settings and governs which scopes the wizard offers.

Step	Purpose	Key actions
1. Welcome	Show existing setup details	Clique em Começar a usar
2. Access	Reflect the access level set in MCP Settings	Read is always granted; write scopes appear only when the access level is Full Access; Click Continuar
3. Connect	Copy the server URL and connect the client	Copy the MCP server URL; complete the connection in the client (Claude Desktop uses its Connectors panel); approve the OAuth authorization
4. Done	Confirm the connection	Review the connection summary; Click Feito

For step-by-step instructions with screenshots, see Setting Up Claude Desktop With MemberPress. Developers configuring Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, or Claude Code follow the Connecting AI Clients to MemberPress developer reference instead.

Where to Go Next

Developer reference documents:

Documento	Coverage
Connecting AI Clients to MemberPress: Developer Reference	OAuth 2.1 PKCE flow, Bearer tokens, Application Password fallback, per-client configuration for each supported client
MCP Tools Reference	Complete tool inventory by Read/Write/Write-destructive type, scopes, capabilities, code examples
Agent Safety Measures Reference	In-depth coverage of the four safety measures, three-gate execution pipeline, Related Capabilities section
MCP Errors and Troubleshooting	Error code reference (WRITES_PAUSED, CAPABILITY_INSUFFICIENT, insufficient_credits, OAuth errors, rate limit errors), launch-week troubleshooting

End-user setup guides:

Documento	Coverage
Setting Up Claude Desktop With MemberPress	Installing AI Foundation, setting the access level, and the full Connectors connection flow with screenshots