FAQ

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title: FAQ description: Frequently asked questions about Inhale: MCP Abilities.

Do I need to write any code to use the Inhale: MCP Abilities plugin?

No. Inhale: MCP Abilities is a settings-only utility. The whole reason it exists is to replace the PHP-filter pattern that WordPress contributor blogs documented in the months after the MCP Adapter shipped. Anything you used to do with a filter on wp_register_ability_args is now a checkbox.

If you have an existing filter in your functions.php or an mu-plugin, Inhale: MCP Abilities will not conflict with it, both control the same visibility surface, but you may end up with two sources of truth. I recommend removing the filter and letting Inhale: MCP Abilities own the choice.

Does Inhale: MCP Abilities work with the WordPress AI plugin?

Yes. They handle different surfaces:

• The WordPress AI plugin powers AI features inside wp-admin (the AI sidebar in the block editor, AI-suggested image alt text, and so on). It runs in the browser-facing editor.
• Inhale: MCP Abilities controls which abilities are exposed outside wp-admin, to external MCP clients like Claude Desktop and Cursor.

You can use both at once. They don't share state and don't conflict.

Is Inhale: MCP Abilities safe to use on production sites?

Inhale: MCP Abilities is conservative by default. No abilities are exposed until you explicitly check them. Destructive abilities require an additional browser confirmation. Inhale: MCP Abilities doesn't change how WordPress abilities behave; it only controls which ones are visible to the default MCP server. Each ability still runs its own permission_callback before execution.

That said, treat the abilities you inhale the same way you'd treat any other API surface: only expose what you're comfortable letting an AI client invoke on your behalf, and audit the list periodically as you install new plugins that register their own abilities.

What's the relationship between Inhale: MCP Abilities and Respira?

Inhale: MCP Abilities is a free utility built and maintained by Respira. Respira's main product is Respira for WordPress, a paid safety layer for AI-driven edits across 12 page builders (Elementor, Bricks, Divi, Breakdance, Oxygen, Beaver Builder, etc.).

The two products are completely separate. You can use the Inhale: MCP Abilities plugin forever without ever using Respira for WordPress, and many users will. Inhale: MCP Abilities is offered to the WordPress community as a small contribution back to the ecosystem.

Will write operations work through MCP?

Yes, if you inhale abilities that perform writes. Whether a particular ability performs writes is determined by the plugin that registered the ability, not by Inhale: MCP Abilities. Inhale: MCP Abilities surfaces annotation metadata (destructive, idempotent) where the registering plugin has provided it, so you can make informed decisions.

If you're not sure whether an ability writes, the calmest path is: don't inhale it until you've read its description and tested it in a staging environment.

Why "Inhale: MCP Abilities"?

The plugin is built by Respira. Respira means breathe in several Romance languages. The product family has a breath theme. Inhale: MCP Abilities is the verb for "make this ability part of what the site exposes." It pairs with exhale, the verb for un-inhaling, which appears in the bulk actions dropdown.

Why does the table call it "destructive" instead of something softer?

destructive is the standard annotation name used by the WordPress Abilities API and the MCP specification. Renaming it inside Inhale: MCP Abilities would create a translation layer that confuses developers reading their own ability definitions. The official name was kept and styled it calmly, a thin warning-color border on a neutral background, so it reads as quiet caution rather than alarm.

Will Inhale: MCP Abilities add features over time?

The intent is to keep Inhale: MCP Abilities small. Everything needed for 0.1.0 was added to replace the PHP-filter workaround in 0.1.0; future work focuses on translations, accessibility refinements, and tracking changes in the Abilities API and MCP Adapter as they evolve. If you have a feature request, open an issue on GitHub.

Where do I report a bug?

Bug reports and feature requests live on the plugin's GitHub repository. For security issues, please email security@respira.press instead of filing a public issue.