Installation

Last updated:
June 3, 2026

This guide walks you through installing Maxi AI Core and its required dependencies. Before you begin, make sure your environment meets the Requirements.

After purchasing a plan on maxicore.ai, you will receive an email containing:

  • A download link for the latest Maxi AI Core .zip file
  • A download link for required plugin MCP Adapter
  • A download link for Abilities API plugin required for WordPress <7.0
  • Your MAXI-* license key

You can download all .zip files and retrieve your license key at any time from your account dashboard at https://maxicore.ai/my-account/.

Step 2 — Install the Required Companion Plugins

Maxi AI Core requires the MCP Adapter plugin (and the Abilities API plugin on WordPress versions prior to 7.0). Install these first.

MCP Adapter

  1. Download the MCP Adapter plugin from the download link provided in our email or from your account dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the dowloaded .zip
  4. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Abilities API (only on WordPress < 6.9)

If you are on WordPress 6.9 or later, skip this step — the Abilities API is bundled with WordPress core.

  1. Download the Abilities API plugin from the download link provided in our email or from your account dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the .zip
  4. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Step 3 — Install Maxi AI Core

  1. Download the Maxi AI Core plugin from the download link provided in our email or from your account dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the maxi-ai-core.zip file from your purchase email.
  4. Click Install Now, then Activate.

On activation, Maxi AI Core silently:

  • Creates its custom database tables (jobs, audit log, notes, ability rules, playbooks)
  • Seeds default ability rules and starter playbooks
  • Schedules its background batch-processing cron event

There is no setup wizard or forced redirect — activation completes in the background.

Step 4 — Activate Your License

Until your license is activated, only the session_system and licensing abilities are available. All AI, content, and operational abilities are blocked.

To activate your Maxi license:

  1. In wp-admin, go to Settings → Maxi AI License.
  2. Paste your license key into the input field.
  3. Click Activate License.

Once activated, the page will display your license status, expiration date, and the number of remaining site activations available on your plan.

All Maxi AI Core licenses unlock the full set of abilities. Plans differ only by the number of sites you can activate the license on.

Grace period: if your license expires, Maxi AI Core continues to work for 7 days while showing a warning notice. After that, gated abilities stop responding until the license is renewed.

Offline resilience: if the licensing server is temporarily unreachable, the cached license status remains valid for up to 24 hours.

Step 5 — Verify the Install

A quick smoke test to confirm everything is in place:

  1. Go to Plugins and confirm the following are Active:
    • MCP Adapter
    • Abilities API (only if you installed it manually)
    • Maxi AI Core
  2. Go to Settings → Maxi AI License and confirm the status shows Active.

If all three are active and your license shows as active, the installation is complete.

What’s Not in the wp-admin UI

Maxi AI Core is ability-first. Most configuration — including AI provider API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Replicate, BFL) — is performed through MCP abilities, not through a settings page. You will configure these in the next step when you connect your first agent.

The only built-in wp-admin screen is Settings → Maxi AI License.

Next Step

With the plugin installed and licensed, proceed to Connect your AI to wire up an external AI agent and load your provider API keys.

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