Resource Vault

Connect Claude Code to Your WordPress Site and Download Everything for a Redesign

Get your API key in 5 minutes. Then let Claude pull down every page, post, and image so you have everything you need to rebuild your site from scratch.

Duration~5 minutesDifficultyBeginner

Watch first

Part A

Get Your API Key

What the WordPress API key is

Most platforms call it an API key. WordPress calls the same thing an Application Password. Same idea, different name. It is a credential that lets outside tools like Claude Code connect to your site without using your main login password.

No plugins needed. It is built into every WordPress site running version 5.6 or later (released in 2020). If your site is reasonably up to date, it is already there.

Read the official WordPress Application Passwords guide if you want more detail.

Log into your WordPress dashboard

Open your browser and go to your WordPress admin panel. Try adding /wp-admin to the end of your website address.

Your dashboard URL

https://yoursite.com/wp-admin

Pro Tip

Most WordPress sites use /wp-admin. If that does not work, check with your hosting provider or look for a login link at the bottom of your site's homepage.

Create your Application Password

Follow these steps inside your WordPress dashboard:

1In the left sidebar, go to Users. Click on your name, or click your profile picture at the top right and choose Profile.
2Scroll all the way down to the section called Application Passwords.
3In the field labeled "New Application Password Name," type: Claude Code
4Click the "Add New Application Password" button.
5Copy the password that appears. It includes spaces. Copy all of it.

Heads Up

WordPress shows this password exactly once. If you close the page or navigate away before copying it, you will need to delete it and create a new one.

Save your credentials

Before moving to Claude Code, save your three pieces of information somewhere safe. A notes app, a text file, anywhere you can find them again.

Save these somewhere safe

Edit before copying

Note

Your username is the name you use to log into WordPress, not your email address. You can find it at the top of the Users profile page after you log in.

Part B

Connect Claude Code

Test your connection

Open Claude Code and paste the prompt below. Fill in your site URL, username, and password from Step 4 before hitting Copy.

Paste into Claude Code

Edit before copying

Download your entire site

Once the connection test works, use this prompt to pull down all your content. This is the main payoff. Claude already has your credentials from the previous step, so no placeholders to fill in here.

Paste into Claude Code

Download all my WordPress content and save it locally:

1. All published pages — title, content, URL, and featured image
2. All published posts — title, content, date, categories, tags, and featured image
3. All media files — download every image to a ~/wordpress-backup/media/ folder
4. Save a summary to ~/wordpress-backup/site-overview.md listing everything

Organize everything inside a ~/wordpress-backup/ folder. Show me what you downloaded when done.

Note

This can take a few minutes on a large site. Claude will show you a summary when it finishes. You can run this again any time to get a fresh copy.

Bonus

Now you can manage your
whole site from Claude.

Once Claude has your credentials, just ask it anything in plain English.

Write a new blog post

Write a 600-word blog post about [your topic] and publish it as a draft on my WordPress site.

Update your About page

Update my About page on WordPress with this new bio: [paste your bio here].

Fix your SEO

Check my 5 most recent WordPress posts for missing SEO titles and meta descriptions. Add them based on what each post is about.