--- title: "Getting Started" url: "https://plugpress.io/docs/getting-started.md" canonical: "https://plugpress.io/docs/getting-started/" published: "2026-07-28" modified: "2026-08-26" author: "Fahim" description: "Install Saddle, finish the two-step setup, and connect Claude, ChatGPT or any AI app to your WordPress site in about five minutes. Beginner guide." tags: - "Saddle" --- # Getting Started **Connecting an AI assistant to your WordPress site takes about five minutes.** Install the plugin, answer two questions, and paste one generated snippet into your AI app. Saddle writes the snippet for you — you never have to assemble a URL or a key by hand. ## How do I install Saddle? 1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to **Plugins → Add New**, search for **Saddle**, or upload the plugin ZIP. 2. Click **Install**, then **Activate**. 3. A **Saddle** item appears in your dashboard menu. Your site should be on **HTTPS**. WordPress disables the sign-in keys Saddle uses on plain HTTP, so connections won’t work without it. ## What happens the first time I open Saddle? A short two-step setup runs before anything else. You can’t miss it — it replaces the whole screen until it’s done. **Step 1** explains what you’re agreeing to: you choose what the AI can do, nothing leaves your website, and deleting always asks first. ![Saddle first-run setup step one listing three promises: you choose what it can do, nothing leaves your website, deleting always asks first](https://plugpress.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/saddle-onboarding-step-1.png) **Step 2** asks how much your AI should help. **Just reading** is selected for you and badged *Recommended to start* — it lets an assistant look at your site but change nothing. You can raise it any time. ![Saddle first-run setup step two asking how much your AI should help, with Just reading selected and badged Recommended to start](https://plugpress.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/saddle-onboarding-access-levels.png) Then pick one of two endings: - **Continue — connect an app** takes you straight into the connect wizard. Choose this if you have your AI app ready. - **Finish without connecting** saves your choice and drops you on the Dashboard. You can connect whenever you like. ## Where does Saddle live in wp-admin? One menu item, with everything inside it. Click **Saddle** in the WordPress sidebar, then use Saddle’s own list on the left: | Section | What it’s for | | --- | --- | | **Dashboard** | What your AI can do right now, what’s connected, and what it has done | | **Permissions** | The access level, and a switch for every individual tool | | **Instructions** | Standing instructions for your AI, and installable Skills | | **Memory** | Facts about your site your AI should carry between sessions | | **Apps** | Connect an app, rotate a key, disconnect, check connection health | | **Integrations** | Extra tools from other plugins, and the Unsplash key | | **Activity** | Every change made through Saddle, and every attempt that was blocked | | **Settings** | The master AI access switch, and sign-in for ChatGPT | ![Saddle Dashboard in WordPress showing connected apps, access level, actions logged, and a recent activity list](https://plugpress.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/saddle-dashboard.png) *The Dashboard answers the three questions people actually ask: what can it do, what’s connected, what has it done.* ## How do I connect an AI app? 1. Go to **Saddle → Apps** and click **Connect an app**. 2. Pick your app. Saddle creates a sign-in key just for it and builds the exact setup that app needs — your site address and key already filled in. 3. Click **Copy setup** and paste it where your app wants it. ![Saddle connect wizard in WordPress showing the Choose app step with Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, VS Code and Any MCP app](https://plugpress.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/saddle-connect-wizard-choose-app.png) Two things worth knowing before you start: - **The key is shown only once.** Saddle keeps its name and last four characters — never the key itself. If you lose it, use **Rotate key** on the app’s row to issue a fresh one. - **Don’t close the wizard before copying.** Backing out revokes the key it just created, so you’d need to start again. Treat the key like a password: anyone holding it can use the connection at whatever access level your site allows. ### Step-by-step for your app Every app’s exact setup lives on one page — [Set up Saddle MCP](/docs/mcp-setup/). Jump straight to yours: | App | Setup | | --- | --- | | [Claude Code](/docs/mcp-setup/#claude-code) | One terminal command | | [Claude](/docs/mcp-setup/#claude) | One config block (needs Node.js) | | [ChatGPT](/docs/mcp-setup/#chatgpt) | OAuth sign-in — no key to paste | | [Codex](/docs/mcp-setup/#codex) | A pasted key in `~/.codex/config.toml` | | [Cursor](/docs/mcp-setup/#cursor) | MCP settings or `.cursor/mcp.json` | | [VS Code](/docs/mcp-setup/#vs-code) | Copilot agent mode via `.vscode/mcp.json` | | [Gemini CLI](/docs/mcp-setup/#gemini-cli) | One terminal command | | [Any other MCP app](/docs/mcp-setup/#any-other-mcp-app) | The standard setup | ## How do I know the connection works? Ask your assistant something simple: ``` What can you see on my WordPress site? ``` It should report your site name, WordPress version, and content counts. The app also appears in **Saddle → Apps** the moment its first call arrives. If nothing happens, open **Saddle → Apps → Connection details & health** and click **Test the endpoint**. That runs a real call against your own site and tells you how many tools answered — which separates “the app is misconfigured” from “the site isn’t reachable”. ## What should I set up next? - **[Raise the access level](/docs/permissions-access-levels/)** when you want the AI to actually change things — it starts read-only. - **[Read how deletions work](/docs/safe-deletions/)** so the confirmation step doesn’t surprise you. - **Add standing instructions** under **Instructions** — things like “always save new posts as drafts for me to review”. - **[Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting/)** if a step failed. The two most common connection errors both have quick fixes. ## FAQ ### Do I need an API key or an AI subscription for Saddle itself? No. Saddle doesn’t call an AI provider — it’s the other end of the connection. You use whatever AI app you already have, and it talks to your site. ### Can I connect more than one app? Yes, as many as you like. Each gets its own key, and you can rotate or disconnect one without disturbing the others. ### Where do the keys actually live? They’re standard WordPress Application Passwords on your own user account. You’ll also see them under **Users → Profile → Application Passwords**, and revoking from either place works. ### Does my site data get sent to PlugPress? No. Saddle runs entirely inside your WordPress install — there is no relay or proxy in between, and no PlugPress server ever sees your content or your AI’s traffic. ### What if my site isn’t on HTTPS? WordPress disables Application Passwords on plain HTTP, so no app can connect. Get a certificate first — most hosts issue one free. ## Related guides - [What is Saddle?](/docs/what-is-saddle/) - [Set up Saddle MCP: connect your AI app](/docs/mcp-setup/) - [Permissions and access levels](/docs/permissions-access-levels/) - [Safe deletions and the approval gate](/docs/safe-deletions/) - [Troubleshooting and FAQ](/docs/troubleshooting/)