Marketing Studio

Connecting WordPress

Connect a WordPress site to StorytellerOS so you can publish posts and pages, manage images, and (if you run a shop) manage products — all without leaving StorytellerOS.

What is a WordPress connection?

If your books, blog, or shop live on a WordPress website, StorytellerOS can connect to it directly. Once connected, you can write and publish blog posts, update pages, upload images, and manage products — all from inside StorytellerOS, without logging into WordPress separately.

You can connect a different WordPress site for each pen name, or set up one default site that all of your pen names share — see “One site per pen name, plus an account default” below.

Note

You need your own WordPress website to use this feature. If you don’t have one yet, you’ll want to set that up first — any standard WordPress host works.

Before you start

You need:

  1. A WordPress website — self-hosted or with a WordPress-friendly host
  2. The ability to install plugins — you’ll need admin access to your WordPress dashboard
  3. The free StorytellerOS plugin — this is what makes the connection possible

Connecting a site

Go to Settings → WordPress Connectionsin StorytellerOS, then follow these three steps for the site (or pen name) you’re connecting:

  1. Install the free StorytellerOS plugin. Download it from the WordPress Connections page, then in your WordPress dashboard go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the file you downloaded, and click Activate.
  2. Generate a connection key. Once the plugin is active, a new StorytellerOSitem appears in your WordPress sidebar menu. Open it, give the key a name so you’ll recognize it later, leave the default permissions (they’re already set sensibly), and click Generate token. Copy the key right away — WordPress only shows it once.
  3. Paste it into StorytellerOS. Back on the WordPress Connections page, enter your site address (including https://) and paste the connection key — it starts with stos_. Click Test connection to confirm StorytellerOS can reach your site, then click Save.

Copy your key right away

WordPress shows your connection key only once, at the moment you generate it. If you lose it, generate a new one — you can’t retrieve the old one later.

One site per pen name, plus an account default

Many authors run a separate WordPress site for each pen name— StorytellerOS supports that directly. On the WordPress Connections page, you’ll see a slot for each of your pen names, plus one additional slot called Account default.

  • Give a pen name its own connectionand StorytellerOS publishes there whenever you’re working under that identity.
  • Leave a pen name unconnected and StorytellerOS automatically falls back to your Account default site instead — so you always have somewhere to publish, even before you’ve set up a dedicated site for a newer pen name.

You only need to set up the Account default once. Add pen-name-specific sites whenever it makes sense for your business.

Choosing which site you're working with

Because you can have more than one connected site, StorytellerOS shows a small site picker anywhere you’re working with WordPress content — on Posts, Pages, Products (if you sell through WooCommerce or FluentCart), and the WordPress tab in Images. Pick the site you want, and everything on that screen — the list you see, and anything you publish — applies to that site.

If you switch to a pen name that doesn’t have its own site connected, the picker will say so and use your Account default automatically.

Tip

Your site selection carries across the dashboard, so you won’t need to re-pick it every time you move between Posts, Pages, Products, and Images.

If you connected WordPress before

If you connected a site to StorytellerOS in the past using the older sign-in method (an “Application Password”), it will keep working — you don’t need to do anything right away.

When it’s convenient, though, we recommend switching to a connection key instead: it’s simpler to set up, easier to revoke if you ever need to, and it’s where all new features are headed. To switch, open the connection on the WordPress Connections page, click Edit, and paste in a connection key generated from the StorytellerOS item in your WordPress sidebar menu (see “Connecting a site” above). Saving replaces the old sign-in with the new key.

Troubleshooting

Test connection fails

Most WordPress sites connect without any issues. If your test connection fails, a security plugin or firewall on your site is the most common cause:

  • Wordfence — check Wordfence → Firewall → Blocking. Repeated failed test attempts can temporarily block your own computer; unblock yourself there.
  • iThemes Security / Solid Security — open Security → Settings → Login Security and, if you see a Restrict REST API setting, change it to Default Access.
  • All-In-One WP Security — open WP Security → Firewall → Basic Firewall and turn off Disallow access to WordPress REST API.
  • WP Cerber — open WP Cerber → Hardening and turn off Disable REST API.
  • Cloudflare or another firewall in front of your site — you may need a rule that allows StorytellerOS through. If you’re not sure how, ask whoever manages your hosting or firewall.

If the error message doesn’t name a specific plugin, check your security plugin’s own dashboard — it usually shows which rule blocked the request and lets you allow it through.

Connection worked, but I don't see my posts or products

  • Check the site picker — make sure you’re looking at the site you meant to connect
  • Refresh the page — a fresh load can resolve a stale list
  • Confirm the right pen name is active — a pen name without its own site shows your Account default’s content instead

Disconnecting a site

To remove a WordPress connection:

  1. Go to Settings → WordPress Connections
  2. Find the site (or pen name) you want to disconnect
  3. Click Disconnect and confirm

This only removes the link between StorytellerOS and your site — nothing on your WordPress site is changed or deleted. You can reconnect at any time.

Your site, your data

StorytellerOS never stores a copy of your posts, pages, or products. Everything lives on your own WordPress site — consistent with our BYOK approach to every outside service you connect.