# Tune WordPress cache settings with Cursor

> Tuning cache settings with Cursor means asking its agent, from the editor, to switch xSpeed page caching on or off or change a module setting on a WordPress site through xSpeed Hub while you work on the code.

Page: https://xspeedcache.com/agent/cursor/cache-settings/
Last updated: October 2026

You are in Cursor with a theme open and a bug that only shows on the live staging site, because a cached copy hides your latest change. You ask the agent chat to turn page caching off on staging while you debug. The agent calls list_sites to match the name, then get_cache_status and list_modules so it knows what is on, and then it tells you what toggle_cache will do before it calls it, because the Hub tells the agent to briefly confirm intent first.

What comes back is a plain statement, caching is off on staging, and a reminder of what that costs: every request now builds its page fresh. Page caching is only ever switched with toggle_cache, because update_settings refuses that key. The same flow handles smaller edits. If you ask for a longer cache expiry, the agent reads the cache module with get_settings, shows the old and new hours, and calls update_settings after your yes. If any key or value is wrong, the whole call is refused and nothing is stored, Pro-only settings are refused without a licence, and credential fields are refused over the Hub.

What differs in Cursor is the Run Mode. Since Cursor 3.6 the recommended default is Auto-review, which runs allowlisted calls at once and sends the rest to a classifier, not to you. Under Settings, then Agents, then Approvals and Execution, switch Run Mode to Allowlist, list the read tools, and leave toggle_cache and update_settings off so Cursor asks, and you can expand the call to see its arguments. Run Everything asks nothing. The Hub has no confirmation of its own, so the Run Mode is the setting that matters.

## Set up Cursor 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 to mcp.json

Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json to have it in every project, or to .cursor/mcp.json inside a project to scope it there. The entry is just a name and a url.

File: `~/.cursor/mcp.json`

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xspeedhub": {
      "url": "https://app.xspeedcache.com/xspeed/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### 3. Enable it and sign in

Open Customize in the sidebar, find xspeedhub and make sure it is switched on. When Cursor starts the OAuth sign-in, approve access on the xSpeed Hub page. There is no token to paste. If the server shows an error, open the Output panel with Cmd+Shift+U and pick MCP Logs.

```
Customize  >  xspeedhub  (on)
```

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

### 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. Cursor decides how to treat an MCP tool call by its Run Mode, and you can expand a call to see its arguments. MCP follows the same Run Modes as terminal commands, set under Settings > Agents > Approvals & Execution. The recommended default, Auto-review, runs allowlisted calls at once and sends the rest to a classifier, not to you. Allowlist runs only what you listed, and with an empty list it asks you every time. Run Everything runs every tool call without asking. xSpeed Hub has no confirmation step of its own, so a tool you allowlist, or any call under Run Everything, writes as soon as your connection allows writes. Auto-review is a model, and Cursor says it is not a security boundary.

## Prompts

- Use xSpeed Hub to turn page caching off on staging while I debug the header, and remind me when we are done to turn it back on.
- Using xSpeed Hub, check whether page caching is on for every site, and list the ones where it is off.
- With xSpeed Hub, change the cache expiry on staging to 6 hours and show me the old value first.

## Example session

```
You: Use xSpeed Hub to turn page caching off on staging, my header change is hidden behind a cached page.
  → get_cache_status(site: staging) [read-only]: page cache on, 88 cached pages
Agent: Page cache is on with 88 stored pages. Turning it off means every request builds fresh, which is slower but shows your change. Switch caching off on staging?
You: Yes, off for now.
  → toggle_cache(site: staging, enabled: false) [changes site]: page cache turned off
Agent: It is off. Tell me when you are done and I will turn it back on and purge so the stored pages are rebuilt.
```

## How it works

1. **List the modules**: list_modules returns every Free and Pro module available on one site, with its settings schema and status. It tells the agent which module slugs exist, such as minify or gzip, and what each setting accepts.
2. **Read the current settings**: get_settings takes a module slug and returns its settings. Credential fields come back masked, so an agent cannot read a stored API token or password back in plain text.
3. **Change them**: update_settings takes the module and a values object of setting keys. The site checks the whole object first. If any key is unknown, any value is outside the schema, or a field is pinned by a constant in wp-config.php, it refuses the write, writes nothing and says which keys and why, sometimes with a "did you mean" hint.
4. **Turn page caching on or off**: Page caching has its own tool, toggle_cache, because it installs or removes the cache drop-in and the WP_CACHE constant. Asking update_settings to set cache_enabled does not work and is refused. If another caching plugin owns the drop-in, the site declines to enable xSpeed and returns blocked: true with the reason.
5. **Check the effect**: The result of a settings write is the stored settings. A module can add a warning when a setting is saved but has no effect on this server, for example Brotli on a server without the module for it, and the agent should pass that on. run_benchmark then times cached against uncached to see whether the change helped.
6. **Apply to many sites only after reading one**: update_settings and toggle_cache accept site: "all" or a list of handles. Each site validates against its own schema and answers in its own row, so a module missing on one site fails that row and the others still apply. Read one site first, then apply.

## Reference

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Discover | list_modules (read): Free and Pro modules, settings schema, status, per site |
| Read settings | get_settings (read): argument module; credential fields masked |
| Change settings | update_settings (write): arguments module and values; validated by the site |
| Bad input | The whole write is refused and nothing is written; the error names the keys and reasons |
| Page cache on or off | toggle_cache (write): argument enabled; cache_enabled in update_settings is refused |
| Blocked by another plugin | toggle_cache returns blocked: true with blocked_reason when another plugin owns the cache drop-in |
| Every site at once | update_settings and toggle_cache accept site: "all" or a list of handles, one result per site |
| Pro modules | A Pro module on a site without an active licence cannot be read or written; the site refuses |
| Credential fields | Refused by default over MCP; set them in the xSpeed dashboard, not through the agent |
| Read-only connection | The connection token with Read-only everywhere on, or a Viewer member's sign-in: update_settings and toggle_cache are refused; list_modules and get_settings still work. An OAuth sign-in gets the scopes the client asks for, read and write by default, clamped to the member's role |
| Confirmation | None on the Hub; the Hub tells the agent to briefly confirm intent for these two, and your client's prompt is the gate |

## Rules

- Read before you write. Ask for list_modules and get_settings first, so the agent changes real keys with valid values instead of guessing.
- update_settings and toggle_cache change how a live site behaves. They run as soon as your connection allows writes. The Hub tells the agent to briefly confirm intent first, which is guidance to the agent, so your client's approval prompt and a read-only connection (the connection token with Read-only everywhere on, or a Viewer sign-in) are the gates. The switch does not limit an OAuth sign-in.
- For site: "all", the Hub tells the agent to confirm once with "this will touch all N sites", then make one call. The result is per site, and some sites failing is a partial result to report, not a blanket success or failure.
- Do not ask an agent to set credentials such as a Cloudflare token or Redis password. The site refuses those writes by default, and they belong in the xSpeed dashboard.
- If a settings result says a value is saved but inactive on this server, relay that. Do not tell the user the feature is enabled.

## Good to know with Cursor

Under Run Everything, or with toggle_cache and update_settings on your allowlist, Cursor runs them without a prompt, so they reach the site as soon as the agent decides to call them. Under the default Auto-review, calls not on the allowlist go to a classifier, not to you, and Cursor says that is not a security boundary. Cursor also says Cloud Agents never ask for approval, so give a Cloud Agent a read-only connection, meaning the connection token with Read-only everywhere on. A debug session is easy to forget, and the cache stays off on a live site if you never ask for it back on, so ask the agent to list every site where page caching is off at the end of the day.

## More prompts for this job

They work in any client connected to xSpeed Hub.

- Use xSpeed Hub to list the modules on shop and tell me which ones are off.
- Ask xSpeed Hub for the current minify settings on blog.
- With xSpeed Hub, turn on HTML minification on blog, then benchmark the cache and tell me if it helped.
- Use xSpeed Hub to turn page caching off on staging while I debug, and tell me when it is off.
- Using xSpeed Hub, read the gzip settings on shop first, then enable the same options on every site.
- Use xSpeed Hub to set the page cache lifespan on docs to 30 days, and if the site refuses it, tell me why.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Cursor leave caching off by accident?

Yes, if you ask for it off and never ask for it back on. The Hub does not remember that you wanted it temporary. Ask the agent to check every site with get_cache_status at the end of a debug session and turn caching back on where it is off.

### Does Cursor show the arguments before a settings change?

In Allowlist mode Cursor asks for approval before a tool that is not on your list runs, and you can expand the call to see its arguments. Under the default Auto-review, unlisted calls go to a classifier instead, and under Run Everything or for a tool on your allowlist nothing asks. The Hub applies the write as soon as your connection allows writes, so switch to Allowlist and keep update_settings and toggle_cache off the list.

### How does an agent know which settings exist?

It calls list_modules for the site, which returns every available module with its settings schema and status, then get_settings for the one module it wants to change. The schema says which keys exist and what values each accepts.

### What happens if the agent sends a wrong setting key?

The site refuses the whole update and writes nothing. The error names the keys it rejected and why, such as an unknown key, a value outside the allowed range, or a field fixed by a constant in wp-config.php, and it can suggest the nearest valid key.

### How do I turn page caching on or off with an agent?

Use toggle_cache with enabled set to true or false. It installs or removes the cache drop-in and the WP_CACHE constant. Setting cache_enabled through update_settings does not work. If another caching plugin already owns the drop-in, the site will not enable xSpeed and says why.

### Can one prompt change settings on all of my sites?

Yes. update_settings and toggle_cache accept site: "all", and the Hub runs the sites one after another with a one-second pause and returns a result per site. Each site checks the values against its own schema, so a site that lacks the module fails its own row while the others apply.

### Can the agent change my Cloudflare or Redis credentials?

Not by default. Writing credential fields over MCP is off unless the site owner allows it, and the site refuses the write and names the fields. Set credentials in the xSpeed dashboard. Credential values also come back masked when an agent reads settings.

## Tune cache settings with other agents

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

## More with Cursor

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

## Documentation

- How to enable Page Cache: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/page-cache/
- How to minify CSS and JavaScript: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/minify/
- How to add cache rules and bypasses: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/rules-and-bypass/
- Site MCP tool reference: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/mcp-tool-reference/