From conversation to publication: a practical guide to ArchyPress MCP

The hardest part of publishing is often the handoff. An assistant drafts the article, but someone still has to copy it into the CMS, repair the formatting, attach media and check which version went live.

ArchyPress MCP closes that gap. It gives a connected assistant tools to work on real posts and pages in your workspace. You keep editorial judgement; the assistant handles the repetitive publishing operations.

This guide explains the model before the setup. The companion tutorials cover ChatGPT, VS Code and a safe publishing workflow without requiring access to a private repository.

The publishing problem: too many versions of the same draft

Consider a release article written from a product change. The chat contains one draft, the editor holds another, and the CMS gets a third. Each copy is a chance to lose a link, an image caption or the latest correction.

With MCP, the assistant can create the draft in ArchyPress and read that same artifact back. Revisions happen against a post ID, not an informal copy of the article in a conversation.

That is the useful promise: fewer handoffs and a clearer path from intention to an inspectable content artifact. It is not a promise that generated text is automatically accurate or ready to publish.

How MCP fits into the workflow

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. The assistant is a client; ArchyPress exposes tools such as creating a draft, retrieving a post, updating its body, attaching an asset and publishing the approved article.

The server applies credentials and permissions on each request. The assistant does not gain access merely because it knows a tool name, and publication is not a side effect of signing in.

There are two useful connection modes. Hosted Streamable HTTP suits remote clients such as ChatGPT. Local stdio runs the npm server on your computer and is useful for local files or repository context.

A hosted tool cannot read a file path on your laptop. Use local stdio for local asset uploads or a git-workspace summary; use the hosted connection for remote content operations.

Publisher identity: one author, several revocable connections

In Admin → Publishers, a channel defines the identity used for automated content: its name, avatar, default author and workspace permissions. Choose the channel that should own the workflow.

An OAuth app connection is attached to that existing channel. It is not a new publisher and not a static API key. You can disconnect one app without removing the author identity or unrelated connections.

Two permission gates apply to hosted operations. OAuth scopes describe the granted access; the publisher's backend roles limit what that identity may do. Both gates must permit the action.

Reading requires publisher:read. Hosted writes require publisher:write. Direct publication also requires the channel's admin role. Granting a write scope does not turn a draft-only identity into an administrator.

Choose the client around the work

Choose ChatGPT when you want a remote editorial conversation and access to existing content. Its authenticated MCP connection uses OAuth; a custom publisher API key is not a substitute for that flow.

Choose VS Code Copilot or Codex when writing depends on development context. They have separate MCP settings: a Copilot mcp.json file does not configure the Codex extension.

Choose local stdio when the assistant needs files on your computer. Store the publisher key in a secure prompt or secret environment, never in committed configuration.

A concrete workflow: turn a release into a tutorial

Verify the publisher and list one post. Draft a tutorial explaining the release for a new user. Use only verified product facts. Show me the draft and do not publish it.

The first read matters. A successful login or tool-discovery response does not prove that downstream content requests work. Check the intended workspace before creating the post.

Ask for the draft ID and inspect its body, title, excerpt and author. Review claims and links independently. Prefer examples that a reader can reproduce over broad promises about AI capabilities.

Add media that teaches something. A diagram can explain the flow; a feature image can establish the subject. Neither should conceal missing steps or pretend to be a screenshot of a real interface.

Once the draft is ready, approve publication for that exact post ID. Then read it back and open the public page. Confirm the images, links and published status instead of treating a tool acknowledgement as the finish line.

Where the value comes from

For a developer, MCP can connect release context to a real draft. For an editor, it can make repetitive updates faster. For a small team, one controlled conversation can replace several manual CMS handoffs.

The greatest benefit is continuity: the assistant works with the same artifact throughout drafting, review and publication. You spend less time copying and more time checking what the reader will actually see.

Troubleshooting without weakening access

A 401 can mean missing, expired or revoked credentials. If identity succeeds but a content tool fails, investigate the downstream API result before reconnecting or recreating publishers.

A 403 usually points to an authorization boundary: the OAuth scope or publisher role does not allow the action. Fix the intended permission, not the entire workspace's security.

If an app no longer needs access, disconnect its grant in Admin → Publishers. Static keys have separate revoke/rotate controls. Test revocation with a dedicated test connection, not a colleague's active one.

Verification and rollout notes

Checked October 7, 2026: hosted post listing works after the content-routing fix. The local MCP connection also completes composition, draft creation, read-back and publication.

Codex 0.45.0 exposes a separate login problem: omitted resource/scope parameters and loopback callback rewriting. A server compatibility fix is awaiting deployment; a completed ChatGPT app link is not yet claimed.

Continue with the public tutorials

Connect ChatGPT with OAuth

Configure VS Code Copilot and Codex

Publish safely: identity, scopes, verification and revocation