Fix a broken connection

Sometimes a connection that worked stops working: someone revoked the application password, a Strapi token expired, the site moved to a new address, or a security plugin started blocking requests. Fix connection lets you enter new details for the same site, test them, and carry on, without losing a single post, idea or day of Google data.

This article is about your WordPress or Strapi connection. If the problem is Google (Search Console or Google Analytics), see When Google needs reconnecting instead.

Signs a connection is broken

• Publishing fails with an error about credentials, permissions or a refused request. The post is marked as failed and the reason is shown on its page, in a banner on Home and on the Actions page, with Retry publish.
• A scheduled post didn't go out. You get an email saying publishing failed, with the reason.
• Importing fails on the Sites page ("Import failed").
• "Update live post" or applying a refresh fails with a message from your site.

Fix it

1. Get new details first. For WordPress, create a new application password (Users → Profile → Application Passwords → Add New). For Strapi, create a new API token (Settings → API Tokens). Copy it.
2. Open Fix connection. Go to Settings, open Sites & writing style, and click Fix connection under the site.
3. Update what changed. The form shows the current address and username. Secret fields show that a value is saved without showing it: leave a field empty to keep the current value, or paste the new one.
4. Test and save. Click Test and save. Blog AI tests the new details before it saves anything. If the test fails, nothing changes and the message says why.
5. Retry what failed. Go back to the failed post and click Retry publish (or use the button on Home or the Actions page), or run Import posts and pages again on the Sites page.

What you can change

On webhook sites you can change the webhook URL and blog address, send a test, and create a new signing secret. See Publish anywhere with a webhook.

On WordPress sites, the form also includes the Blog AI Connector download and install steps, in case you've added Yoast SEO or Rank Math since you connected. See Install the Blog AI Connector plugin.

What stays the same

Fixing a connection only replaces the details Blog AI uses to reach your site. Everything else stays exactly as it was:

• your imported posts and pages, drafts, ideas and suggestions
• your voice profile
• your Google connection and all synced data
• each post's link to its live version, so updates still go to the same post on your site

That last point matters. If you delete the site and add it again instead, Blog AI loses track of which live post is which, and your posts' Google history has to be matched up again. Use Fix connection whenever you can.

Common causes, and what to do

The application password was revoked

Someone (or a security plugin) removed it in WordPress. Create a new one and paste it into Fix connection.

The WordPress user lost publishing rights

If the connected user was changed to Contributor, or deleted, publishing fails. Use a user who can publish: an Administrator, Editor or Author. You can change the username in Fix connection.

The site moved to a new address

If you switched to HTTPS, added or removed www., or changed domain, update the site address. Blog AI never follows redirects when it writes, so the old address fails even if it redirects to the new one.

A security plugin or firewall started blocking Blog AI

Plugins such as Wordfence, and some hosts' firewalls, can block the WordPress REST API or application passwords. Allow authenticated requests to /wp-json/, and make sure application passwords are enabled.

The Strapi token expired

Tokens with an expiry stop working on that date. Create a new token with the same permissions (see Connect a Strapi site) and paste it in.

A Strapi schema change

If someone renamed or removed fields in your articles collection, the test may pass but publishing shows warnings about skipped fields. title, slug and body must exist; the rest are optional.

Still failing?

If the test passes but publishing still fails, open the post and read the full error under Last publish attempt failed. It usually names the exact problem. Look the message up in Connection troubleshooting, which lists every message and its fix. If it doesn't, contact us with the site name and the error text.