Beaver Builder AI’s MCP connection settings control how an outside AI agent, such as Claude or Cursor, reaches your WordPress site. They offer two routes: cloud authorization for a live public site with a valid license, and a manual application-password setup for local or staging sites. “Layout mode” is a different thing. It is not an MCP setting. It is the Display option inside the Box module, which offers Flex, Grid, or Layers. This guide covers both, and explains where each one applies.
Two different settings that often get confused
Beaver Builder’s documentation keeps MCP connection settings and the Box module’s layout display setting separate. The MCP settings decide how an agent gets access to the site. The Display setting decides how the child elements inside one Box are arranged on the page. Choosing a connection method does not change how a Box lays out its contents, and choosing Flex, Grid, or Layers does not change how the agent connects.
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What the MCP connection does
MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is the link between tools that a WordPress site exposes and an AI agent that runs outside WordPress. Beaver Builder’s Knowledge Base documentation puts it this way: “MCP is how an AI agent that lives outside WordPress works on your site.” The source attributes that sentence to the documentation itself, with no named individual speaker.
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Access is limited by one WordPress account. Only administrators can set up a connection, because the Beaver Builder AI settings page requires the manage_options capability. After connection, the agent acts as the WordPress user whose credentials were used, and it can do only what that account is permitted to do. Using an editor or author account to connect will therefore narrow what the agent can change.
Choosing a connection method
There are two routes. Both connect the same kind of agent, but they suit different sites.
| Factor | Cloud authorization | Manual connection |
|---|---|---|
| Intended site | Live site with a public HTTPS URL | Local or staging site |
| Beaver Builder license | Valid license key required | Not required, according to the setup documentation |
| Public URL | Required | Not required, according to the setup documentation |
| Authorization path | Site is authorized through Beaver Builder AI’s cloud service; the administrator then copies the MCP endpoint URL into the agent’s MCP configuration | WordPress application password plus a small Node.js bridge |
| Software needed on the agent’s computer | Not stated as a requirement in the documentation reviewed | Node.js |
| Addresses that work | Public HTTPS addresses only; localhost, .local, and .test addresses cannot be reached by the authorization server |
Local and staging addresses |
Use cloud authorization when the site is live and publicly reachable over HTTPS. Use the manual route when the site runs on your computer or on a staging server that the cloud service cannot reach.
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Check these before you start. They apply whichever route you take:
- The MCP Adapter plugin is installed and active.
- WordPress is version 6.9 or later. The documentation states that the MCP Adapter requires this version.
- Your permalink structure omits
index.php. The documentation gives Post name as an example. - You are logged in as an administrator, because only administrators can open the connection settings.
Minimum versions, supported agent setup interfaces, and the available tools can change. Beaver Builder’s connection documentation, as checked on 7 October 2026, is the place to confirm the current requirements before you set anything up.
Layout modes in the Box module
The Box module’s Display setting arranges its children in one of three ways. The choice affects how elements flow, align, and overlap, so it is worth deciding before you add content.
Flex
Flex arranges children along one axis. Use it when elements should flow, wrap, grow, or shrink in a single row or column. The documented Flex direction options are row, column, reversed row, and reversed column.
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Grid arranges children in two dimensions, with control over rows and columns. Use it when content needs a structured layout that lines up both horizontally and vertically, such as a set of cards or a gallery of equal cells.
Layers
Layers uses CSS Grid to place children in overlapping positions. By default, every child occupies the same grid cell, which makes it suitable for overlay effects, such as text placed over an image.
| Display mode | How children are arranged | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Flex | One axis: row or column, with wrapping and growing or shrinking | Elements that should flow in a line or stack |
| Grid | Two dimensions with control over rows and columns | Structured arrangements that must align in both directions |
| Layers | Overlapping, with children sharing the same grid cell by default | Overlay effects and stacked compositions |
Preconfigured starting arrangements
The Box module also lists presets: Flex Columns, 3×2 Grid, 4×2 Grid, Split Header, and Photo Grid. These are starting arrangements built on the modes above. They are not separate MCP connection modes, and selecting one does not affect how an agent connects to the site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Native modules or generated Custom modules
An MCP-connected agent can build a page in three ways: with native Beaver Builder rows, columns, and modules; with generated Custom modules; or with a mixture, chosen section by section.
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Native modules use the settings panels that Beaver Builder users already know, and they involve no generated code. That makes them easier for a client or editor to maintain in the builder later. Generated Custom modules can express designs or behavior that the fixed native module set cannot. The trade-off is that their markup and code need ongoing ownership by whoever maintains the site.
A simple decision rule
- Use native modules for standard content that a client or editor will update in Beaver Builder.
- Use a generated Custom module when a distinctive design or behavior cannot be built with native modules.
- Combine both on one page when only a few sections need custom work.
Before you choose the Custom route, decide who will maintain the generated code after launch.
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