# Ghost > Draft, schedule and publish to Ghost with a preview-then-approve gate on every write. [Canonical HTML page](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/ghost) · [server.json](https://top-mcps.com/mcp/ghost.json) · [methodology](https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology) ## Install ### Claude Desktop — `claude_desktop_config.json` Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing. ```json { "mcpServers": { "ghost": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### Claude Code — `CLI or .mcp.json` Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team. ```shell # export GHOST_URL=https://yourblog.com # export GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY=your_integration_id:your_integration_secret # export GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS=/path/to/images claude mcp add ghost -- npx -y ghost-publisher-mcp@latest ``` ### Cursor — `.cursor/mcp.json` Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing. ```json { "mcpServers": { "ghost": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### VS Code — `.vscode/mcp.json` VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers"). ```jsonc { "servers": { "ghost": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### Windsurf — `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure. ```json { "mcpServers": { "ghost": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### Cline — `cline_mcp_settings.json` Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit. ```json { "mcpServers": { "ghost": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### Continue — `~/.continue/config.json` Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block. ```json { "experimental": { "modelContextProtocolServers": [ { "transport": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ], "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } ] } } ``` ### Codex CLI — `~/.codex/config.toml` Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.] subtable. ```shell # ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp_servers.ghost] command = "npx" args = [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest", ] env = { GHOST_URL = "${GHOST_URL}", GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY = "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS = "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } ``` ### Zed — `~/.config/zed/settings.json` Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save. ```jsonc { "context_servers": { "ghost": { "command": { "path": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ghost-publisher-mcp@latest" ] }, "env": { "GHOST_URL": "${GHOST_URL}", "GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY": "${GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY}", "GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS": "${GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS}" } } } } ``` ### ChatGPT — `ChatGPT → Apps directory` Ghost doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build. ```none ``` ## At a glance - **Maintainer:** Community (BlogFactoryHQ) - **Transport:** stdio - **Auth model:** API key - **Required secrets:** GHOST_URL, GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY, GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS - **Supported clients:** Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Any MCP-compatible client, Ghost 5.x+ - **License:** MIT - **Language:** TypeScript - **Latest version:** latest - **Last verified:** 2026-09-17 - **GitHub stars:** 0 (fetched 2026-10-15T10:09:13.507Z) - **Score:** 59/100 (rubric 2026-09 — see https://top-mcps.com/about/methodology) - **Source:** https://github.com/BlogFactoryHQ/ghost-publisher-mcp - **Homepage:** https://ghost.org/docs/admin-api/ ## Tools & permissions Showing 14 of 24 tools the server reported on `tools/list`. The rest exist and are not listed here. | Tool | Description | Args | Side effects | |------|-------------|------|--------------| | `check_connection` | Verify Ghost authentication and report configured features without exposing secrets. | `—` | network | | `list_posts` | List post records with IDs and updated_at values. | `—` | read | | `get_post` | Read one post by ID or slug, including HTML, Lexical content and SEO metadata. | `—` | read | | `audit_content` | Inspect up to 25 posts or pages for missing alt text, metadata, link and card problems. | `—` | read | | `check_site_health` | Check published targets, canonicals and share prerequisites. | `—` | network | | `preview_changes` | Return before-snapshots, field impact and a site-bound preview hash. Writes nothing. | `—` | read | | `apply_change_set` | Apply a previewed batch. Requires the exact preview hash and approval scopes. | `—` | write | | `create_drafts` | Create 1-10 posts as drafts from Markdown or native Ghost blocks. | `—` | write | | `upload_image` | Upload a local image from inside GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS. Rejects remote URLs, SVG and symlink escapes. | `—` | write | | `plan_schedule` | Convert a draft list and local start time into UTC timestamps with an HMAC-bound plan. Never writes. | `—` | read | | `schedule_posts` | Schedule drafts for future publication. Requires the plan hash and user_confirmed=true. | `—` | write | | `publish_posts` | Publish a version-checked batch after user_confirmed=true. Runs the deploy hook once. | `—` | write | | `trigger_deploy` | POST once to the configured deploy hook. The URL cannot be supplied by the caller. | `—` | network | | `check_live_posts` | Fetch the public URLs and verify status, title and rendered SEO metadata. | `—` | network | ## Security & scope - **Access scope:** read-write - **Sandbox:** No sandbox, but the preview-hash and user_confirmed gates mean no write happens without an explicit, change-set-specific approval. - **Gotchas:** - A Ghost Admin API key is site-wide. The server's own gates are what constrain the agent, not the credential. - The deploy-hook URL is configured server-side and cannot be passed by the caller — deliberate, and it means an agent cannot redirect the hook. - Image uploads only work from paths inside `GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS`. An agent trying to attach an image it fetched from the web will fail, by design. ## Quick answer **What it does.** Reads posts, pages, tags and authors; creates drafts from Markdown or native Ghost blocks (`create_drafts`, `create_page_drafts`, capped at 10 per call); previews and applies change sets; publishes, unpublishes, schedules and unschedules in version-checked batches; uploads local images; triggers a configured deploy hook; and verifies the live URL afterwards with `check_live_posts`. **Best for:** - Drafting and scheduling a content series - Preview-then-approve publishing - Content audits (alt text, metadata, links, cards) - Verifying a published post actually renders - Triggering a static-site deploy hook after publish **Not for:** - Teams requiring a vendor-maintained server - Uploading images from remote URLs - Theme or template work — this is content, not design ## Description A community MCP for Ghost, the publishing platform behind a large share of independent newsletters and blogs. Twenty-four tools cover drafting, image upload, scheduling and publication — and every one that changes the site requires an explicit confirmation argument. `preview_changes` returns a before-snapshot plus a site-bound hash, and `apply_change_set` refuses to run without that exact hash. It is the strictest write model in this category. ## Why it matters Most CMS servers hand an agent a publish tool and trust the prompt. This one makes the workflow structural: preview, hash, confirm, apply, then check the live page. The `audit_content` and `check_site_health` tools cover the other half — missing alt text, broken canonicals, unparseable cards — so an agent can find the problems as well as write the posts. ## Key features - 24 tools verified by probe on v0.10.1 - Every write requires `user_confirmed=true` - Preview hash binds an approval to an exact change set - Local-first image upload with symlink and SVG rejection - MIT, Ghost Admin API key auth ## FAQ ### Is there an official Ghost MCP? No. Ghost publishes an Admin API but not an MCP server, so this is community-built. It is the most carefully designed community CMS server in this directory — worth noting given the credential it holds. ### Can it publish without asking me? Not by design. `publish_posts`, `schedule_posts` and `apply_change_set` all require `user_confirmed=true`, and `apply_change_set` additionally requires the exact hash returned by a prior `preview_changes` against the same site. An agent cannot approve its own change set from nothing. ### Why can it only upload local images? The server reads only from paths inside `GHOST_UPLOAD_ROOTS` and rejects remote URLs, SVG files and symlinks that escape the root. That closes the obvious server-side-request and stored-XSS paths an image tool otherwise opens. ## Changelog - **2026-09-17** — Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.