wp_get_pending_comments: list pending comments
The moderation queue. Identical to wp_get_comments with the status fixed to hold.
Arguments
| Argument | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
post_id |
— | Restrict to one post |
page |
1 | Page number |
per_page |
20 | Comments per page, clamped to 1–100 |
Passing status has no effect; it is overridden.
Permissions
mcp:read and wp:content:read, plus moderate_comments.
What it returns
items, each with id, post_id, author, content, status and date. No total.
The queue is the whole point
This is the tool that makes comment moderation over MCP worth doing. Rather than filtering a mixed listing, it returns exactly what awaits a decision.
Start every moderation session here:
List the pending comments with their IDs, authors and content, then stop.
Then read them yourself. On most sites the queue is short enough that you will simply handle it, and the assistant's contribution is having fetched and formatted it.
When the queue is long
For a queue of dozens, let the assistant sort without acting:
Group the pending comments into obvious spam, probably genuine, and unclear. Give me the IDs in each group. Do not approve, spam, trash or delete anything.
Then act on the groups by ID:
Approve 4412, 4415 and 4418. Mark 4420 and 4421 as spam. Leave the rest.
Naming IDs is what keeps the judgement yours. "Approve the genuine ones" does not.
What a long queue usually means
A queue that grows faster than you can read it is a spam filter problem, not a moderation problem. MCP moderation acts on the queue; it does not configure a filter or change who may comment.
If you are triaging hundreds of comments, the fix is upstream — comment settings, a spam service, or closing comments on old posts. Comment-related settings fall under the separate option write gate and mostly are not exposed at all. See What POM AI MCP does not expose.
Pending comments are unpublished
Nothing in the queue is visible to visitors. That makes reading it safe, and it means an approval is the moment content becomes public — the one action here with an immediate outward effect.
Personal data
The queue is where personal data most often appears: someone writing in with an order number, a phone number, or a description of a problem. Reading it sends that to the connected client.
If your comments routinely carry that kind of content, consider whether MCP moderation is the right tool at all, or restrict it to summarisation without content quotation.
Common problems
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
pom_ai_mcp_forbidden |
The acting user lacks moderate_comments |
| An empty queue when the admin shows comments | Those comments are approved, spam or trashed, not pending |
| Fewer than expected | per_page caps at 100 and there is no total |
| The queue refills immediately | A spam filter problem, not a moderation one |