# Warm the WordPress cache with Claude

> Warming the WordPress cache with Claude means asking it, in a plain chat, to start the xSpeed preloader on one of your sites through xSpeed Hub and to tell you how much of the site has been warmed.

Page: https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/preload-cache/
Last updated: October 2026

You are in a conversation, not a terminal, and that suits this job. You write something like "warm the cache on the shop site, I just published the sale pages". Claude finds the site handle with list_sites, then calls start_preloader. The plugin on that site reads its sitemap and requests the pages in the background, so the first shoppers get a stored copy instead of waiting for WordPress to build each page.

A few minutes later you come back to the same chat and ask how it went. Claude calls get_preloader_status and answers in plain sentences: whether a run is still active and how far through the URL list it has got. If the crawl is slowing the store at a bad moment, say so and Claude calls stop_preloader. Pages already warmed stay cached, so stopping loses nothing.

Claude can ask for your approval before it uses a connector tool, and the prompt offers Allow once or Always allow. Under Customize > Connectors each tool also has a setting of its own: Always allow, Needs approval or Blocked. The status check is a read and the start and stop calls are writes, so set get_preloader_status to Always allow and keep start_preloader and stop_preloader on Needs approval. On a Team or Enterprise plan an Owner adds the connector for the organisation, and each member then connects with their own account. The connector works only in conversations where you have switched it on from the plus menu. If a crawl is running when you open the chat the next day, ask for the status first and Claude will tell you whether it finished, so you do not start a second run on top of the first.

## Set up Claude once

### 1. Put your sites in xSpeed Hub

Sign in at app.xspeedcache.com with Google or email; the Hub is free and has no site cap. Then connect each WordPress site from its own dashboard: click Connect Hub in the xSpeed Cache top bar, then Connect via xSpeed Hub. Each site needs the free xSpeed Cache plugin.

### 2. Add xSpeed Hub as a custom connector

Go to Customize > Connectors and click Add custom connector. Name it xspeedhub and paste the URL. Under Authentication choose Sign in now, and if Claude asks how it identifies itself, choose Register automatically, which uses dynamic client registration. Click Add. On a Team or Enterprise plan an Owner does this under Organization settings > Connectors, with Add, then Custom, then Web.

```
https://app.xspeedcache.com/xspeed/mcp
```

### 3. Connect and turn it on in a chat

Click Connect on the xspeedhub connector and approve access on the xSpeed Hub page that opens. Then, in a conversation, click + in the message box, choose Connectors and switch xspeedhub on. Claude can use the connector only in conversations where that toggle is on.

```
+  >  Connectors  >  xspeedhub (on)
```

Full setup: https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/

### Before you send a prompt that changes something

Reads change nothing on your sites, though contact_support emails xSpeed support. Writes run once your connection allows them, so your client's approval prompt and a read-only connection (the token's Read-only everywhere switch, or a Viewer sign-in) are the gates that matter. Claude can ask for your approval before it uses a connector tool. Allow once runs that call, and Always allow skips the prompt for that tool from then on. Under Customize > Connectors you can set each tool, or a group of tools, to Always allow, Needs approval or Blocked. xSpeed Hub has no confirmation step of its own, so a write tool you set to Always allow runs as soon as your connection allows writes. Keep purge_cache, update_settings, toggle_cache and the other write tools on Needs approval, block the ones you never want. For read-only access, sign in as a Viewer member of the workspace, or use the connection token with Read-only everywhere on, which needs the Request headers beta. The switch does not apply to a normal OAuth sign-in.

## Prompts

- Use xSpeed Hub to warm the cache on my shop site and tell me in a sentence how far along it is.
- The preloader on blog has been running a while. Check it with xSpeed Hub and stop it if it is not almost done.
- Using xSpeed Hub, which of my sites are not warmed right now? Check each one, but do not start anything yet.

## Example session

```
You: I published the sale pages on shop. Can you use xSpeed Hub to warm the cache so shoppers do not hit slow pages?
  → start_preloader(site: shop) [changes site]: Queued 300 URLs from the sitemap; pages are fetched in the background
Agent: Started. It crawls a few pages at a time so the store stays responsive. Ask me for progress whenever you like.
You: How is it going?
  → get_preloader_status(site: shop) [read-only]: Running, 150 of 300 URLs warmed
Agent: Halfway: 150 of 300 pages are warm. The rest of the sitemap follows.
```

## How it works

1. **Check the cache and the preloader**: get_cache_status tells the agent whether page caching is on, because there is nothing to fill when it is off. get_preloader_status shows whether a crawl is already running, so the agent does not start a second one.
2. **Make sure the preloader is switched on**: The preloader module is off on a fresh install, and the site refuses start_preloader until it is on. The agent can read the module with get_settings and, if you agree, switch it on with update_settings on the preloader module. The Hub tells the agent to briefly confirm intent before an update_settings call, but that is guidance to the agent, not a lock.
3. **Start the crawl**: start_preloader makes the site read its sitemap, follow any nested sitemap indexes, drop URLs that your cache exclusion rules skip, and queue the rest. The call returns once the queue is built; the pages are then fetched in the background, a few per run. For every site at once the agent passes site: "all", and the Hub starts the sites one after another with a one-second pause.
4. **Watch the progress**: get_preloader_status reports whether a crawl is running, how many URLs it has processed out of the total, the last URL it visited and the most recent errors. It works on one site at a time, so for several sites the agent calls it once per site.
5. **Read what failed**: A page that answers 403 or 406 usually means a server firewall is blocking the warmer by its user-agent, not that the page is broken. The status message names the user-agent to allow. A crawl that queues no URLs is reported as an error with the reason, not as a success.
6. **Stop it if the server struggles**: stop_preloader ends a running crawl. It is safe mid-run: pages already warmed stay cached. The agent can stop one site or every site in the workspace.

## Reference

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Start and stop | start_preloader and stop_preloader (write) |
| Progress | get_preloader_status (read): running or not, processed out of total, last URL, recent errors |
| What gets crawled | The sitemap (the WordPress one at /wp-sitemap.xml unless you set another), nested indexes followed, excluded URLs skipped |
| Needs | The preloader module switched on (it is off by default) and page caching on |
| Pages per run | 5 by default, 1 to 50, set in the preloader module |
| Schedule setting | manual, hourly, daily or weekly, set in the preloader module |
| Every site at once | start_preloader and stop_preloader accept site: "all"; get_preloader_status does not |
| Fan-out pacing | Sites start one after another with a 1 second pause, one result per site |
| Warmer user-agent | xSpeed-Warmer/1.0, the string a firewall rule would need to allow |
| Stopping | Safe mid-run; warmed pages stay cached |
| Read-only access | A Viewer member's sign-in, or the connection token with Read-only everywhere on: start_preloader and stop_preloader are refused; get_preloader_status works. An OAuth sign-in by anyone else gets the scopes the client asks for. |
| Confirmation | None on the Hub; your client's prompt is the gate |

## Rules

- Warm after a purge, not instead of one. The Hub tells the agent that starting the preloader after a purge saves the next visitor from paying for the rebuild.
- A crawl requests every page in the sitemap, so it adds load to the origin. Start with one site, and on a small host keep Pages per run low or stop the crawl if the site slows.
- start_preloader and stop_preloader are write tools. The Hub calls the preloader low-risk and only asks the agent to confirm when the target site is unclear or the call covers every site, so your client's approval prompt and read-only access (a Viewer sign-in, or the connection token with Read-only everywhere on) are the gates that matter.
- A fan-out only starts the crawls. Check each site with get_preloader_status afterwards, and treat some sites failing to start as a partial result, not a failure of the whole call.

## Good to know with Claude

Always allow in Claude's permission prompt is remembered for that tool, so choosing it on start_preloader means later chats start crawls without asking you. Pick Allow once, or set the tool to Needs approval under Customize > Connectors, if you want every start to stay visible, and set a tool to Blocked if you never want Claude to call it. Anthropic notes that Research can call connector tools without further approval, so block the two preloader writes before you use Research with this connector. The Hub does not message you when a crawl ends, so ask for the status when you want an update.

## More prompts for this job

They work in any client connected to xSpeed Hub.

- Use xSpeed Hub to start the preloader on shop and tell me how many URLs it queued.
- Using xSpeed Hub, how far through its crawl is blog? Show processed against total and any errors.
- With xSpeed Hub, purge the cache on docs, then warm it again.
- Use xSpeed Hub to start the preloader on every site in my workspace and tell me which ones refused.
- Use xSpeed Hub to stop the preloader on shop. It is slowing the server down.
- The preloader on shop says it is disabled. Use xSpeed Hub to turn the module on, then start the crawl.
- Using xSpeed Hub, which of my sites has no running crawl and a low hit ratio?

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use Claude on my phone to warm my site?

Yes, once the connector is added and connected on claude.ai or the desktop app. Switch it on in a mobile conversation from the plus menu, write the request, and Claude calls start_preloader through the Hub. The crawl runs on your site, not on your phone.

### What does Claude need before it can start the preloader?

The site must be in xSpeed Hub, the connection must allow writes, the preloader module must be on for that site, and the connector must be switched on in the conversation. If the module is off, the site refuses the start and Claude tells you so instead of reporting a crawl.

### Why does start_preloader say the preloader is disabled?

The preloader module is off by default on a new install, and the site refuses to start a crawl until it is on. The agent can switch it on with update_settings on the preloader module, or you can turn it on in the xSpeed Cache panel in wp-admin. Page caching also has to be on, because the crawl exists to fill that cache.

### What does the preloader actually warm?

It reads the site's sitemap, which is the WordPress one at /wp-sitemap.xml unless you set a different sitemap URL, follows nested sitemap indexes and skips any URL your cache exclusion rules leave out. If the sitemap cannot be read, the site falls back to a list built from its own content and says so. If nothing at all is queued, the call reports an error with the reason.

### Can I warm every site with one prompt?

Yes. The agent passes site: "all" to start_preloader and the Hub starts the crawl on every site in the workspace one after another, returning a result per site. The Hub tells the agent to confirm that with you once first. The call only starts the crawls, so progress is read afterwards with get_preloader_status, one site at a time.

### Will warming slow my site down?

A crawl fetches your own pages, a few per run, so it adds load while it runs. The Pages per run setting controls how many, from 1 to 50 with a default of 5. If a site struggles, stop_preloader ends the crawl and the pages already warmed stay cached.

### Why do some pages fail with HTTP 403 or 406?

Those codes are what bad-bot firewall rules usually answer with, and they mean the warmer was judged by its user-agent, not that the page is missing. The warmer identifies itself as xSpeed-Warmer/1.0. Allow that user-agent in the server rule, or change it with the xspeed_preloader_user_agent filter, and run the crawl again.

### Can the agent keep my cache warm on a schedule?

The preloader has its own Schedule setting in WordPress: manual, hourly, daily or weekly. An agent can change it with update_settings. The Hub itself has no scheduler for agent prompts, so a prompt only runs when you send it or when your AI client runs it on a timer.

## Warm the cache with other agents

[Claude Code](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude-code/preload-cache/) · [Claude Cowork](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude-cowork/preload-cache/) · [ChatGPT](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/chatgpt/preload-cache/) · [Codex](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/codex/preload-cache/) · [Cursor](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/cursor/preload-cache/) · [GitHub Copilot in VS Code](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/github-copilot/preload-cache/) · [Windsurf](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/windsurf/preload-cache/) · [Gemini CLI](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/gemini-cli/preload-cache/) · [Antigravity](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/antigravity/preload-cache/) · [Zed](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/zed/preload-cache/) · [Kiro](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/kiro/preload-cache/) · [OpenCode](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/opencode/preload-cache/) · [OpenClaw](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/openclaw/preload-cache/) · [Hermes Agent](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/hermes-agent/preload-cache/) · [Grok Build](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/grok-build/preload-cache/) · [ChatGPT dots](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/chatgpt-dots/preload-cache/) · [Grok](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/grok/preload-cache/) · [Grok Bot](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/grok-bot/preload-cache/) · [Muse](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/muse/preload-cache/) · [Manus](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/manus/preload-cache/) · [Kimi Code](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/kimi/preload-cache/) · [Paperclip](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/paperclip/preload-cache/) · [NanoClaw](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/nanoclaw/preload-cache/)

## More with Claude

- [Purge the WordPress cache with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/purge-cache/)
- [Find out why WordPress pages are not cached with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/troubleshoot-cache/)
- [Scan a website for speed problems with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/speed-scan/)
- [Run and track PageSpeed tests with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/pagespeed-tests/)
- [Raise a WordPress site's PageSpeed score with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/optimize-site/)
- [Tune WordPress cache settings with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/cache-settings/)
- [Set up the Redis object cache with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/object-cache/)
- [Manage Cloudflare caching with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/cloudflare/)
- [Manage every WordPress site at once with Claude](https://xspeedcache.com/agent/claude/fleet/)

## Documentation

- How to warm your cache ahead of visitors: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/preloader/
- How to crawl your sitemap: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/crawl-now/
- How to enable Page Cache: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/page-cache/
- Managing your fleet with xSpeed Hub: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/managing-your-fleet-with-xspeed-hub/