Overview
Enables AI tools and automation platforms to interact with ACF data through the WordPress Abilities API.
Description
ACF 6.8 introduces support for the WordPress Abilities API (introduced in WordPress 6.9). This integration exposes ACF’s schema and data through a machine-readable interface, allowing compatible external tools to discover and manipulate ACF field groups, custom post types, taxonomies, and their associated content.
See the ACF 6.8 release post for an overview.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.9 or later
- ACF 6.8 or later
- MCP Adapter plugin or another MCP server implementation
- MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
Setup
Enable the Abilities API
Add this filter to your theme’s functions.php or a custom plugin:
add_filter( 'acf/settings/enable_acf_ai', '__return_true' );
Configure AI Access
Once enabled, a new “ACF AI” settings tab appears in the WordPress admin. From here you can:
- Enable/disable AI access globally
- Configure which item types allow AI access
- Set AI descriptions to help AI understand your content structure
Per-Item AI Access
For existing items (field groups, post types, taxonomies), AI access is disabled by default and requires manual opt-in. New items created after enabling the feature have AI access enabled automatically.
To enable AI access for an existing item:
- Edit the field group, post type, or taxonomy
- Navigate to the “Settings” tab
- Enable “Allow AI Access”
- Optionally add an “AI Description” to provide context
Available Abilities
Field Group Abilities
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| acf/field-groups | List all field groups that allow AI access |
| acf/create-field-group | Create a new field group with fields and location rules |
Custom Post Type Abilities
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| acf/custom-post-types | List all ACF-registered custom post types |
| acf/create-custom-post-type | Create a new custom post type |
| acf/{post-type}s | Query posts of a specific type |
| acf/create-{post-type} | Create a new post |
| acf/view-{post-type} | Retrieve a single post |
| acf/update-{post-type} | Update an existing post |
| acf/delete-{post-type} | Delete a post |
Custom Taxonomy Abilities
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| acf/custom-taxonomies | List all ACF-registered taxonomies |
| acf/create-custom-taxonomy | Create a new taxonomy |
| acf/{taxonomy}s | Query terms |
| acf/create-{taxonomy} | Create a new term |
| acf/view-{taxonomy} | Retrieve a single term |
| acf/update-{taxonomy} | Update an existing term |
| acf/delete-{taxonomy} | Delete a term |
Ability Categories
ACF registers two ability categories:
- acf-field-management: Abilities for managing field groups, post types, and taxonomies
- wordpress-content-discovery: Abilities for discovering content types and structure
Permissions
All abilities respect WordPress user permissions. The executing user must have the ACF capability (default: manage_options) to access abilities.
Example Use Cases
AI-Assisted Content Modeling
AI tools can inspect existing field structures and suggest or create new field groups based on content requirements.
"Create a field group for a Recipe post type with fields for ingredients, cooking time, difficulty level, and instructions."
Programmatic Content Import
Import structured data (CSV, JSON) as WordPress content with proper field validation.
"Import this CSV of products into the Products post type, mapping columns to ACF fields."
Bulk Operations
Update ACF field values across multiple posts while respecting validation rules.
"Update all Events with a past date to set their status field to 'archived'."
Rapid Prototyping
Automatically generate demo sites with realistic content structures.
"Set up a real estate site with property listings, agents, and neighborhood taxonomies."
Notes
- AI access is opt-in per item to ensure sensitive data is not exposed unintentionally
- All operations are logged and respect WordPress audit trails
- The API uses JSON Schema for input/output validation
- Destructive operations (delete) require explicit confirmation annotations
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Related
- Guides: ACF PRO 6.8 Beta 2 – Schema.org JSON-LD Testing Guide
- Features: Automatic Structured Data with Schema.org
- Features: WP REST API Integration
- Integrations: Ability: acf/custom-post-types
- Videos: ACF Unlocks the True Power of WordPress
