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Help Center›Troubleshooting›My WordPress connection failed

My WordPress connection failed

Last updated: July 4, 2026Troubleshooting
Quick answer

Most WordPress connection failures come from a revoked or mistyped application password, or a security plugin blocking the REST API. Create a fresh application password, allow Citably through your security layer, and reconnect.

1

Create a fresh application password. In WordPress, go to Users, open your profile, and under Application Passwords revoke the old Citably entry and create a new one. Copy it exactly; it is shown only once, and a stray space at either end is the classic typo.

2

Check the username. The connection needs the WordPress username of the account that owns the application password, not the display name and not an email alias, unless your login is the email.

3

Check your security layer. Security plugins and host-level firewalls (Wordfence, bot-protection systems, and similar) sometimes block REST API requests from automated clients, which is exactly what a publishing integration looks like. Allow or whitelist Citably’s access in the plugin, or ask your host to permit REST API traffic for your site.

4

Confirm the REST API responds: loading yourdomain.com/wp-json/ in a browser should return data, not an error page. If it errors, your host or a plugin is intercepting it.

5

Check permalinks are set to Post name under Settings, then Permalinks; the plain setting can break REST routes on some hosts.

6

Reconnect in Citably with the fresh credentials.

Host-level firewalls deserve emphasis: on some managed hosts the security layer silently challenges automated requests, so everything looks configured correctly and still fails. If steps 1 through 5 all check out, that conversation with your host is nearly always the answer. Once connected, deployments flow as drafts exactly as designed.

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