Setting Up MCP Integration

MCP allows supported AI applications to securely discover and use Next3 Offload tools.

With MCP connected, you can ask an AI assistant to:

Check your Next3 configuration
Search the WordPress Media Library
Inspect the local and cloud status of attachments
Offload media to cloud storage
Restore cloud media locally
Optimize images
Remove verified cloud copies
Delete verified local copies
Monitor background jobs

Prepare Your WordPress Website

Before connecting an application:

Make sure WordPress uses a public HTTPS URL.
Open Settings → Permalinks.
Select any structure other than Plain.
Confirm that a cloud provider is configured in Next3 Offload.
Open Next3 Offload → AI Settings → MCP Integration.

Enable the MCP Server

In the MCP Integration settings:

Enable MCP endpoint.
Enable Allow OAuth client registration.
Leave Additional browser origins empty unless you need to authorize another trusted HTTPS origin.
Click Save Settings.
Click Test connection.

The following checks should display Ready:

MCP endpoint
Storage provider
Public HTTPS
OAuth discovery

MCP Server URL

The MCP server URL normally follows this format:

https://example.com/wp-json/next3-mcp/v1/mcp

Always copy the exact URL displayed in your MCP Integration settings. Do not construct it manually because WordPress may be installed in a subdirectory or use a customized configuration.

Only paste the MCP server URL into ChatGPT, Claude, or another MCP client.

OAuth discovery happens automatically.

OAuth Discovery URLs

The advanced section displays:

Protected resource metadata
Authorization server metadata

These URLs are primarily provided for:

Advanced MCP clients
Manual OAuth configuration
Testing discovery responses
Troubleshooting authorization

You do not normally paste these URLs into ChatGPT or Claude. Standard MCP clients discover them automatically from the MCP server URL.

Connecting ChatGPT

Follow these steps to connect Next3 AI Assistant to ChatGPT and allow access to all available actions:

Open the ChatGPT web or desktop application.
Select Plugins from the left sidebar.
Click the + button beside the plugin search field.
The New Plugin window will open.
Complete the plugin information:
- Icon: Upload a Next3 icon if desired.
- Name: e.g. Next3 AI Assistant.
- Description: Enter Manage WordPress media and Next3 Offload securely through ChatGPT.
- Connection: Select Server URL.
- Server URL: Paste the MCP server URL copied from WordPress.
- Authentication: Select OAuth.
ChatGPT will automatically discover the OAuth configuration from the MCP server URL. You normally do not need to change Advanced OAuth settings.
Review the custom MCP server warning.
Select I understand and want to continue.
Click Create.
When the WordPress authorization window opens, sign in to your WordPress website.
Review the requested Next3 permissions and click Approve.
Wait while ChatGPT discovers the available Next3 tools.

Allow All Next3 Actions

After creating and authorizing the plugin:

Open ChatGPT Settings.
Select Plugins from the left sidebar.
Open the Next3 plugin you just created.
Select Permissions.
Choose Allow all actions.
Review the Elevated Risk warning before enabling this option.
Return to ChatGPT and start a new conversation.
Select the Next3 plugin when it is not enabled automatically.

With Allow all actions enabled, ChatGPT can use Next3 read and write tools without requesting ChatGPT-level approval for every action. This includes:

Finding and inspecting WordPress media
Offloading media to cloud storage
Restoring media locally
Optimizing images
Monitoring background jobs
Preparing destructive operations

Security warning: Enable Allow all actions only when you trust the WordPress website and its Next3 MCP server.

Next3 still requires its own preview and confirmation process before destructive operations, including deleting local files, deleting cloud copies, or overwriting an image.

After authorization, Next3 AI Assistant will appear in your installed plugins. You can now ask ChatGPT to manage your WordPress media using natural language.

Example Prompts

Check whether Next3 Offload, storage, OAuth, and MCP are configured correctly.

Find all media files that have not been offloaded.

Offload attachment 69 to the configured cloud provider.

Optimize attachment 69 as WebP and keep the original file.

Connecting Claude Desktop

To connect Claude Desktop:

Open Claude Desktop.
Open Settings → Connectors.
Select Add custom connector.
Enter Next3 AI Assistant as the connector name.
Paste the MCP server URL shown in WordPress.
Continue to authorization.
Sign in to WordPress.
Review and approve the requested permissions.

After authorization, Claude can discover the Next3 tools automatically.

Using Next3 in a Conversation

You do not need to type exact MCP tool names in your prompts.

Describe what you want in normal language. The connected AI assistant will select the appropriate Next3 tool.

Example prompts:

Check whether Next3 Offload, cloud storage, OAuth, and MCP are configured correctly.

Find all media files that have not been offloaded.

Show the Next3 status of attachment ID 69.

Offload attachments 69, 72, and 75 to the configured cloud provider.

Restore attachment 69 locally but keep its cloud copy.

Optimize attachment 69 as WebP using quality 75 and keep the original file.

Preview unoffloading attachment 69.

Show the status of the last Next3 background job.

Find the image named “homepage-banner” and tell me whether it exists locally and in cloud storage.

The assistant may first search for media when attachment IDs are unknown.

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose	Access
`next3_get_status`	Check Next3 Offload, storage, OAuth, and MCP configuration	Read only
`next3_list_media`	Find attachments and view their local or offloaded state	Read only
`next3_get_media_status`	Return detailed status for selected attachment IDs	Read only
`next3_estimate_operation`	Preview an operation and generate confirmation when required	Read only
`next3_get_job_status`	Check a queued operation using its job ID	Read only
`next3_offload_media`	Copy media to cloud storage while retaining local files	Write
`next3_restore_media`	Restore media locally while retaining cloud copies	Write
`next3_optimize_images`	Create an optimized image variant	Write/confirmation
`next3_unoffload_media`	Restore media locally and delete verified cloud copies	Confirmation
`next3_clean_local_files`	Delete verified local files after confirming cloud copies	Confirmation

The AI client discovers these tools automatically. Their technical names are included here for reference and troubleshooting.

Understanding Confirmation

A Confirmation action can delete or replace existing data.

Next3 uses a two-step safety process:

The AI assistant previews the requested operation.
Next3 returns a short-lived confirmation token for the exact operation and attachment IDs.

The assistant should explain what will happen and ask for confirmation before continuing.

Examples of operations requiring confirmation include:

Deleting cloud copies during unoffload
Deleting local files after verifying cloud copies
Overwriting an image during optimization

If a confirmation token expires, ask the assistant to preview the operation again.

Do not confirm an operation until you understand which files will be deleted, replaced, or changed.

Image Optimization Through MCP

MCP image optimization supports the following options:

Original format
WebP
AVIF
Quality from 1 to 100
Backup original file
Overwrite existing file

Example:

Optimize attachment 69 as WebP with quality 75, keep the original file, and do not overwrite the source.

The quality value controls encoder quality. It does not guarantee an exact file-size reduction. The final reduction depends on the source image, dimensions, format, and image complexity.

Overwriting an existing image requires preview and confirmation.

Background Jobs

Write operations run as background jobs to prevent long requests from timing out.

When a job is created, Next3 returns a job ID.

You can ask:

Check the status of job JOB-ID-HERE.

A job may have a status such as:

Queued
Running
Completed
Failed

If a job fails, review the returned error message and verify the storage provider, file availability, and WordPress permissions.

Connected Clients and Recent Activity

The MCP Integration page displays:

Connected Clients

This section lists applications that have registered or authorized access to your WordPress website.

Use it to verify that ChatGPT, Claude, or another MCP client completed OAuth authorization.

Recent Activity

This section records recent MCP authorization and tool activity.

It can help you confirm:

Which client connected
Which tool was requested
Whether an operation succeeded
Whether authorization failed

Revoke All Access

Click Revoke all access if:

A connected device is lost
You no longer trust an MCP client
A connection was created by mistake
You want every client to sign in again

Revoking MCP access does not change WordPress passwords, storage credentials, or AI provider API keys.

MCP Permissions and Security

Next3 MCP uses OAuth authorization and permission scopes.

The available permission levels include:

Read — Inspect configuration, media, operation previews, and jobs
Write — Offload, restore, and optimize media
Destructive — Delete verified local or cloud copies
Offline access — Allow supported clients to refresh authorization

Administrators receive permission to authorize MCP clients by default.

For better security:

Keep WordPress, Next3 Offload, and Next3 AI Assistant updated
Use HTTPS for all remote MCP connections
Never paste access tokens into prompts or URLs
Authorize only applications you trust
Leave additional browser origins empty unless required
Review confirmation details before destructive actions
Revoke unused clients
Protect your WordPress administrator account

Storage and AI provider credentials are not exposed through MCP tools.

Troubleshooting

ChatGPT or Claude Cannot Reach the MCP Server

Confirm that:

The WordPress website is publicly available
The website uses HTTPS
The URL is not localhost or a private development address
The MCP endpoint is enabled
The copied URL is the MCP server URL

OAuth Discovery Shows an Error

Open Settings → Permalinks and select any non-Plain permalink structure.

Save the permalink settings, return to MCP Integration, and test the connection again.

Only One or a Few Tools Are Available

If the client only shows media-listing or read-only tools:

Confirm that Enable MCP endpoint is active.
Confirm that Allow OAuth client registration is active.
Save the MCP settings.
Click Test connection.
Revoke or remove the old client connection.
Reconnect the application.
Allow it to scan or refresh the available tools.
Approve the requested write permissions in WordPress.

Some MCP clients cache an older tool list until the connector is recreated or rescanned.

The OAuth Approval Window Does Not Open

Check that:

Pop-ups are allowed
WordPress is reachable over HTTPS
You are signed in to WordPress
Your WordPress account has administrator permission
Dynamic OAuth client registration is enabled

A Confirmation Operation Fails

Confirmation tokens are short-lived and valid only for the exact operation and attachment list used during the preview.

Ask the assistant to preview the operation again, review the new result, and then confirm it.

A Background Job Is Still Pending

Ask the assistant to check the job using its job ID.

If the job remains queued, verify that WordPress scheduled events can run and that the cloud-storage provider is responding.

An Image Was Not Reduced by the Expected Percentage

Image quality and file-size reduction are not the same measurement.

A quality value of 75 does not always mean the file becomes 25% smaller. Compression depends on:

Original image format
Image dimensions
Image complexity
Selected output format
Previous optimization

Try WebP or AVIF and compare the generated file while checking acceptable visual quality.

Summary

Next3 AI Assistant adds AI-powered automation and secure MCP control to Next3 Offload.

You can use it to:

Optimize images during upload
Generate SEO-friendly media metadata
Convert images to WebP or AVIF
Remove image backgrounds
Connect supported AI applications
Find and inspect WordPress media
Offload and restore files
Optimize existing attachments
Monitor background operations
Safely confirm destructive changes

For most users, the recommended setup is:

Connect an AI provider.
Enable image optimization.
Enable automatic metadata.
Select WebP or AVIF.
Configure and test Next3 cloud storage.
Enable MCP and OAuth registration.
Copy the MCP server URL into ChatGPT or Claude.
Complete WordPress authorization.
Manage Next3 using natural-language prompts.