AI Engine vs Novamira
The same outcome, without handing an agent a shell.
Novamira (by Dynamic.ooo, open source on GitHub) gives an AI agent PHP execution and filesystem access inside WordPress, over MCP. Their own guidance says to use it on development and staging environments only. Which raises a fair question: on a development site, what does that add over an agent that is already sitting in the WordPress folder?
AI Engine: curated power
Around 100 purpose-built tools cover posts, media, users, WooCommerce, translations, and even plugin and theme editing in Pro. Each tool is capability-gated and predictable. An agent can do a lot, and nothing it was not given.
Novamira: raw access
The agent runs PHP inside your site and browses its filesystem, remotely, over MCP. By design that is remote code execution, which is why their own header recommends development and staging environments only.
Side by side
| Criteria | AI Engine | Novamira |
|---|---|---|
| Safety model | Curated, capability-gated tools, no code execution | Arbitrary PHP execution and full filesystem access |
| Meant for production | Yes, on 100,000+ live sites | Development and staging only (their own guidance) |
| MCP tools | Around 100 curated (about 39 free) | Unbounded via PHP eval |
| On the WP.org repository | Yes | No, distributed via GitHub and their site |
| Beyond MCP | Chatbots, forms, RAG and semantic search, image generation | MCP server only |
| Price | Free (MCP included); Pro license | Free; Pro from 49 euro per year |
Verified July 2026. See novamira.ai for their current details.
The development-only puzzle
On a development site, you do not need MCP for PHP and filesystem access. Claude Code (or any coding agent) in your local WordPress folder already has it all: the files, WP-CLI, the database, git, your editor, with no plugin and no HTTP round-trip per command. That is how sites get built anyway: develop locally, then deploy. Faster and more flexible than driving a remote dev box through eval calls.
So remote code execution over MCP sits in an odd spot. For development work, a local agent does the same job better. And on the live site, where remote MCP access genuinely earns its keep, running arbitrary PHP is exactly what you cannot afford.
Way 1 · Remote eval
Novamira, on a remote dev WordPress
The agent stays outside the project. Every step crosses the internet.
The working loop
- describe or write the change
- send it over MCP
- eval on the remote site
- fetch and read the output
- adjust, and go again
Way 2 · Local agent
Claude Code, in your local WordPress folder
The agent works inside the project, like a developer would.
- fileswp-content, themes, plugins
- WP-CLIcommands, cron, db
- MySQLdirect queries
- gitbranches, diffs, history
- browserlocalhost preview
no network in the loop · no plugin to install
The working loop
- edit the actual files
- run WP-CLI and the tests
- see it live on localhost
- commit. done.
Still want the Novamira behavior? It exists.
Some users asked us for exactly what Novamira does. So it exists: AI Engine YOLO, a free companion plugin on GitHub. Activate it next to AI Engine and its MCP server gains raw PHP execution and file read and write tools. Intentionally unrestricted, by design.
We do not recommend it, and it protects you from yourself: it refuses to run unless your site is explicitly declared a non-production environment, and it shows a persistent warning while active. It will never be on WordPress.org, since the plugin directory does not allow arbitrary code execution. That rule is also why Novamira is not there. AI Engine itself stays curated; the risky part is opt-in, separate, and honest about what it is.
A friendly aside: Novamira's own GitHub history makes the same point. Its very first commit is co-authored by Claude, and dozens since carry the same signature, with the launch amplified by social networks and well-known YouTubers. Full vibes, and honestly, we relate. But notice how it was actually built: a coding agent working locally in the repository. Not an MCP connection to a remote dev site.
Where MCP actually matters: your live site
The whole point of connecting Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor to WordPress over MCP is reaching the site you actually run: publishing content, managing media, updating products, moderating comments, from anywhere. That only works if the tools are safe to expose in production. AI Engine's curated, capability-gated tools are built for exactly that, and the headline demo (an agent building a page live) needs no shell. Use Claude Code locally to build your site. Use AI Engine's MCP to run it.
Production-safe agents for real sites.
Curated tools, WordPress roles respected, no code execution. Free on wp.org.
Free on WordPress.org. The MCP server is included, with no monthly caps.