BackWPup abilities, governed through the Bridge

An agent can list configured backup jobs, check whether a backup is currently running, start one on demand, cancel a stuck job, and pull backup log content to diagnose a failure, which is useful for taking a safety backup right before a risky change.

Abilities
66 destructive
Active installs
400K+
Rating
80% (1,321 ratings)
Version
5.7.6
Requires
WP 5.3+, PHP 7.4+
Last updated
2026-09-07 9:53am GMT

What has to be true first

Needs WordPress 6.9 or newer with the Abilities API, BackWPup active, and its bundled MCP adapter enabled (on by default). Listing jobs, checking backup history, and reading the docs overview need the backwpup capability, starting or cancelling a job needs backwpup_jobs_start, and reading backup logs needs backwpup_logs, all custom capabilities BackWPup defines rather than a core WordPress capability.

  • The abilities only register when BackWPup's MCP ServiceProvider loads, which requires the WP\MCP\Core\McpAdapter class to exist (bundled with the plugin) and the backwpup_mcp_server_enabled filter to resolve true (default true, so a site or another plugin can turn it off)

The 6 BackWPup abilities

Grouped by what each one can change. Every one starts off until you enable it.

Destructive 6

  • Destructive

    Documentation Overview

    Returns markdown documentation explaining how the other BackWPup abilities work together.

    Permission
    backwpup
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-docs-overview
  • Destructive

    List Backup Jobs

    Lists all configured backup jobs with their destinations and schedules.

    Permission
    backwpup
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-list-jobs
  • Destructive

    Get Backup History

    Returns recent backup run history and whether a backup is currently running.

    Permission
    backwpup
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-get-backup-history
  • Destructive

    Run Backup Job

    Triggers an immediate backup, either a named job or the default backup-now job.

    Permission
    backwpup_jobs_start
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-run-job
  • Destructive

    Cancel Running Backup Job

    Cancels a currently running backup job.

    Permission
    backwpup_jobs_start
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-cancel-job
  • Destructive

    Get Backup Logs

    Retrieves backup log content by backup ID, filename, or job ID for troubleshooting.

    Permission
    backwpup_logs
    MCP tool
    aafm-bridge-backwpup-get-backup-logs

How to switch these on

Four steps from two active plugins to a governed connection.

  1. Install BackWPup and Agent Abilities for MCP

    Both plugins need to be active on the same WordPress site. BackWPup registers its own abilities; this plugin discovers and governs them.

  2. Open the Other plugins screen

    In Agent Abilities for MCP, open the Bridge tab (labeled "Other plugins" in the admin). Abilities from every registered plugin appear there, grouped by the plugin that registered them.

  3. Enable one ability at a time

    Every ability from BackWPup starts off. Turn on only the ones you want an agent to reach, or enable the whole set in one click.

  4. Connect as a least-privilege user

    Approve the connection as a WordPress account scoped to what you actually want the agent to do. Each call still re-checks that account’s capability before it runs.

Read more in how bridging works or the full documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Does BackWPup work with the Bridge?

Conditionally. BackWPup registers six abilities through wp_register_ability(), but only when its own MCP service provider loads, which needs the bundled mcp-adapter library and a filter that defaults to enabled; the Bridge can wrap them whenever that provider has loaded.

What has to be true for BackWPup's abilities to register?

The abilities only register when BackWPup's MCP ServiceProvider loads, which requires the WP\MCP\Core\McpAdapter class to exist (bundled with the plugin) and the backwpup_mcp_server_enabled filter to resolve true (default true, so a site or another plugin can turn it off).

Does BackWPup need anything special to work with the Bridge?

Needs WordPress 6.9 or newer with the Abilities API, BackWPup active, and its bundled MCP adapter enabled (on by default). Listing jobs, checking backup history, and reading the docs overview need the backwpup capability, starting or cancelling a job needs backwpup_jobs_start, and reading backup logs needs backwpup_logs, all custom capabilities BackWPup defines rather than a core WordPress capability.

More Backup plugins

Jetpack

Conditional

An agent can list and toggle Jetpack feature modules, check and rebuild the XML sitemap, read a post's shortlink and Jetpack-computed related posts, and read or adjust Jetpack Monitor's uptime-notification settings.

Backup3M+ active installs
5 read3 write
View abilities

An agent can list recent backups with their status and size, start a new full-site or database-only backup, and poll a specific backup's progress until it completes.

Backup1M+ active installs
2 read1 destructive
View abilities

An agent can list backup snapshots, backup jobs, destinations, schedules, and queue items, look up a single backup, job, or queue item by id, and read the dashboard summary and system information. None of the ten abilities carry readonly or destructive annotations in the source, so none can be trusted at face value not to write.

Backup200K+ active installs
10 destructive
View abilities

Verified from BackWPup's own free wordpress.org code on 28 September 2026, not from its marketing claims. Not every ability listed here has been run end to end against a live site. Plugin authors change their code, so a name, a capability, or a condition can be different in a later release. This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, WP Media or BackWPup. Back to the full directory.

Back to the plugin directory

Bridge BackWPup, keep the same control.

Every ability starts off, is scoped to the user you connect, and is written to the same audit log as core. Turn on only what you need.

Off by default. Capability checked on every call.