How to Make a WordPress Site Readable by ChatGPT, Claude and Other AI Assistants

🧩 WordPress · Updated October 2026 · 5 min read · by Jacob Campbell

WordPress runs a large share of the web, and most WordPress sites were set up for Google, not for AI assistants. The good news is that WordPress already has most of the raw material: clean content in the database, a REST API, permalinks and a large plugin ecosystem. Making a WordPress site readable by AI is mostly a matter of not blocking the right bots, exposing that content in cleaner forms, and telling agents where to find it. This guide goes step by step, with plugin and manual options for each.

Key facts

• 6 steps — Access, indexing, schema, llms.txt, Markdown, MCP
• REST API — WordPress already exposes content as JSON at /wp-json/
• 6.0+ — WordPress version the AI Indexing Pack plugin requires
• PHP 8.0+ — PHP version the WordPress edition requires

Step 1: check you are not blocking AI search bots

Open https://yoursite.com/robots.txt. WordPress generates a virtual one, but SEO plugins, security plugins and hosts often add rules. Look for Disallow: / under user agents such as OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User or PerplexityBot. Blocking training crawlers is a reasonable choice; blocking search and user-triggered bots means assistants cannot fetch your pages when someone asks about you. Also check your security plugin and CDN: firewall rules and "block AI bots" toggles can block requests before WordPress sees them. Our robots.txt for AI crawlers guide lists the bots and what each does.

Step 2: make sure you are indexed in Google and Bing

Verify the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and submit the sitemap your SEO plugin generates (often /sitemap_index.xml or WordPress core’s /wp-sitemap.xml). Enable IndexNow with an SEO plugin that supports it or Microsoft’s IndexNow plugin, so Bing hears about new posts immediately. See where to submit your sitemap and the IndexNow guide.

Step 3: get the schema right

Most SEO plugins output Organization or Person, WebSite, WebPage, Article and BreadcrumbList markup. Check three things: that the organization details (name, logo, sameAs profiles) are filled in, that local businesses use a LocalBusiness subtype with address and hours, and that you are not marking up self-serving reviews expecting stars. Details in local business schema for AI search.

Step 4: add llms.txt

Some SEO plugins can now generate an llms.txt, and there are standalone plugins that do. Whichever you use, open the result and read it as a stranger would: does it say what the business is, where, and link to the pages that answer real questions? Automatically generated files often list every post and say nothing about the business. If yours does, edit the summary by hand. The format is explained in what is llms.txt.

Manual option: create a file called llms.txt and upload it to the WordPress root (the folder containing wp-config.php). A physical file is served directly by the web server.

Step 5: serve Markdown versions of posts and pages

This is the step most WordPress sites skip, because there is no core feature for it. The goal is that a request with Accept: text/markdown, or to a .md URL, returns the post content as clean Markdown with the right headers (Vary: Accept, canonical link). Options:

• A plugin that converts post content to Markdown on request and adds the rel=alternate link.
• Custom code: hook template_redirect, check the Accept header, convert the_content with a library such as league/html-to-markdown, and send the headers.

Either way, follow the header rules in Markdown for AI agents, and test through your CDN and caching plugin, which can otherwise serve Markdown to browsers.

Step 6: add an MCP server

An MCP server lets assistants query your site live: search posts, list services or products, check opening hours, send an enquiry. On WordPress the natural data sources are the REST API and WooCommerce. Keep the public tools read-only, rate-limit any write tool, and publish the discovery files so clients can find it. The general guide is adding an MCP server to your website.

The one-plugin route

The AI Indexing Pack for WordPress does steps 4 to 6 and the discovery files as one plugin. Everything is generated from your existing site (llms.txt, Markdown versions, agent cards, the MCP server and the .well-known files), and it includes a built-in endpoint checker so you can see each piece working from the dashboard. It requires WordPress 6.0+ and PHP 8.0+. It does not replace your SEO plugin; it adds the AI layers on top. For a non-WordPress PHP site there is the file-drop AI Indexing Pack.

Check your work

Run WebAgentScan on your home page before and after; it scores AI readiness out of 100 and lists what is missing. Then ask an assistant that can browse: "Read yoursite.com/llms.txt and tell me what this business does." If the answer is right, the basics are working.

Product facts: the AI Indexing Pack

Stated plainly, so it can be checked against the product page:

• What it is: the AI Indexing Pack is a set of files you upload to your own website. It is sold by Built2WinWeb as a one-time purchase, with no subscription.
• What it ships: (1) a working MCP server using the Streamable HTTP transport, with typed output schemas and tool annotations; (2) Markdown content negotiation, so agents can request a clean text version of each page; (3) llms.txt, agents.txt and agent cards; (4) the full /.well-known/ discovery tree; (5) OAuth protected-resource metadata; (6) bot access control that verifies crawler identity; (7) a README with a verification checklist.
• Requirements: PHP 7.4 or newer, Apache or LiteSpeed with .htaccess support, FTP access, and a domain you control. Installation takes about 30 minutes.
• What it is not: it is not a WordPress plugin (that is the separate WordPress edition, which needs WordPress 6.0+ and PHP 8.0+), it does not write content for you, it does not guarantee rankings or citations, and it is not a managed service.
• Free routes in: sites built on AIWebBuilding get the core built in, and a 50-day streak on FreeAIBoost unlocks the pack for one domain. Current prices are on the product pages.

Related reading

• AI Indexing Pack for WordPress — The same kit as a WordPress plugin, generated from your existing content.
• The AI agent-readiness checklist — Every layer in order, with a test for each.
• What is llms.txt? — The format, a working example, and what it can and cannot do.
• Markdown for AI agents — Serving a clean text version of every page with content negotiation.
• robots.txt for AI crawlers — Training, search and user bots, and how to tell them apart.
• AI Indexing Pack vs doing it yourself — An honest build-or-buy breakdown.
• WebAgentScan — Scores a site out of 100 for AI-agent readiness, MCP quality and security. Paid plans from $9 a month.

Frequently asked questions

Can ChatGPT read my WordPress site?

If OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User are not blocked by robots.txt, a security plugin or your CDN, and your content is in the HTML, ChatGPT's browsing and search features can fetch your pages.

How do I add llms.txt to WordPress?

Use an SEO plugin or standalone plugin that generates one, or upload a hand-written llms.txt file to the WordPress root folder, next to wp-config.php.

Does WordPress support Markdown output natively?

No. WordPress core does not serve Markdown versions of posts. You need a plugin or custom code that converts post content and sends the correct headers.

Should I block AI bots on WordPress?

That is your choice for training crawlers. Blocking AI search and user-triggered bots stops assistants fetching your pages when people ask about you, which most businesses do not want.

What does the AI Indexing Pack for WordPress need?

WordPress 6.0 or newer and PHP 8.0 or newer.

Will a plugin get me cited by AI assistants?

No plugin can guarantee that. It removes technical barriers; content quality and authority decide citations.