AI 1.5.0, released on October 29, 2026, is the biggest update yet to the official WordPress AI plugin. It adds six new experiments, including text to speech, MCP access and a WebMCP interface for the block editor, and it removes three older Abilities names that some integrations may still call.
This guide walks through what is new, what breaks, and what to check before updating. All details come from the official What’s new in AI 1.5.0 post. The plugin listing shows version 1.5.0 and more than 60,000 active installations.
The Six New Experiments
| Experiment | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text to Speech | Generates an audio version of a post through a configured AI provider that supports speech. Processing runs in the background, the file is saved to the Media Library, and an audio player can be shown on the published post |
| Content Verification | Detects C2PA Content Credentials in uploaded JPEG, PNG and WebP images and keeps the manifest with the attachment. It is read-only and does not yet verify signatures cryptographically |
| MCP Access | Installs and activates the MCP Adapter when permissions allow, and adds a Tools → MCP Access screen to see registered Abilities and choose which ones agents can use |
| WebMCP | Lets compatible AI browsers work in the block editor through the experimental document.modelContext interface: read and update the post, insert and edit blocks, save and publish |
| Revision Change Summary | Writes a plain-language summary of the differences between two revisions. It is read-only |
| Block Container Label Generation | Suggests names for Group, Columns and other container blocks so List View is easier to read |
MCP Access And WebMCP
The two agent-related experiments work at different levels. MCP Access exposes server-side Abilities to outside agents. The screen shows the site’s MCP endpoint and lets you expose or hide individual Abilities, with a way to restore the defaults. WebMCP works inside the browser, so an agent can edit the document through the editor’s existing data stores and changes appear as they happen.
Giving an agent access to a live site is a security decision. Our guide to MCP security for WordPress lists what to weigh first.
Breaking Changes To Abilities
Three general-purpose Abilities were synchronised with the versions coming in WordPress core with 7.2. The request and response structures changed, with new where, fields and pagination inputs for content and user queries. The deprecated aliases from earlier releases are now removed:
| Removed name | Use instead |
|---|---|
core/read-content |
core/content-query |
core/read-users |
core/users-query |
core/read-settings |
core/settings-get |
If an agent, script or plugin calls the old names, update it before upgrading. The post also notes changes to date fields and user lookup behaviour that may need adjustments.
Also Read: WordPress Abilities API for how Abilities are registered and called.
Other Changes
- Embeddings. A background sync keeps embeddings for posts and taxonomy terms up to date using WordPress Cron. It is developer infrastructure, and it only runs when a feature registers a need for it.
- Content Translation. Translation now covers more blocks with rich text and protects blocks that were edited or removed while a request was running.
- Markdown Feeds. Posts requested with
?output_format=markdowninclude approved comments. The old/<post>/feed/markdown/URLs are no longer supported. - Settings and connectors. Features and experiments are separated more clearly, with details on when each runs and what it sends to the provider. Mistral and Vercel AI Gateway join Anthropic, Google and OpenAI on the Connectors screen.
- Abilities Explorer. Rebuilt with DataViews, with three new REST endpoints for retrieving and running Abilities.
- Smaller fixes. A Generate title button in the Rename modal, log deletion by age, and protected post titles and excerpts no longer sent to providers.
Before You Update
- Search your code for the three removed Abilities names.
- Check Markdown consumers that use the old feed URL format.
- Review automatic experiments. Use the new information controls to see which ones send data to your provider.
- Test on staging first, since several experiments change what editors and agents can do.
What This Doesn’t Cover
This guide did not test the plugin, so it makes no claims about speed, cost or output quality. It does not rank the AI plugin against other options. For a wider comparison and the bigger picture, read the guides below.
