---
title: "GrowthDoc Documentation"
description: "Technical docs for GrowthDoc: how it works, shortcode/admin, REST API, capabilities and AI/MCP abilities."
url: https://growthplugins.com/docs/growthdoc/
date: 2026-09-15
modified: 2026-09-15
author: "GrowthPlugins"
type: page
lang: en
---

# GrowthDoc Documentation

*Technical documentation for **GrowthDoc** — a self-hosted, Notion-style document & knowledge-base editor for WordPress with a block/slash-command editor, nested docs and topics. Covers how it works, the shortcode, the document post type, roles & capabilities, REST API, and the AI / MCP abilities.*

**Version:** 1.0.0  |  **Requires:** WordPress 6.0+, PHP 8.0+  |  **Text domain:** `growthdoc`

## 1. Overview

GrowthDoc adds a rich document editor (TipTap-based, with “/” slash commands) on top of a hierarchical `growthdoc` post type. Documents can be nested into a tree, tagged with **Topics**, and edited in a React single-page app. Content is exposed through the `growthdoc/v1` REST API and the WordPress Abilities API (optionally over MCP), so docs can be created and updated by assistants too.

## 2. Installation & setup

1. Activate the plugin. It registers the `growthdoc` post type and the `growthdoc_topic` taxonomy, and grants capabilities to Administrator, Editor and Author roles.
2. Create a page with the shortcode `[growthdoc]`, or set that page as the app page in Settings for a full-screen takeover.
3. Optionally change the document URL base (default `documents`) in Settings.

## 3. Shortcode

```
[growthdoc]
```

Mounts the editor SPA at `#growthdoc-root`. Requires login and either the `access_growthdoc` or `edit_growthdocs` capability; otherwise a permission notice is shown. When a page is configured as the app page, GrowthDoc also enqueues early and redirects logged-out visitors to the login screen.

Editor features include headings, lists, to-dos, quotes, code blocks, tables, inline formatting, internal doc links, topic mentions, and export to Markdown / print to PDF.

## 4. Document post type & topics

- **Post type `growthdoc`** (label “Documents”) — hierarchical, REST-enabled, supports title, editor, author, revisions, page attributes, excerpt and custom fields. URL base is configurable (default `/documents/`).
- **Taxonomy `growthdoc_topic`** (“Topics”) — groups documents by subject.

Custom post meta: `_growthdoc_tiptap` (editor JSON, not exposed in REST), `_growthdoc_icon`, and `_growthdoc_cover_url`.

## 5. Roles & capabilities

GrowthDoc uses a mapped capability set (via `map_meta_cap`). Key capabilities:

| Capability | Grants | Default roles |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `access_growthdoc` | Open the GrowthDoc app | Administrator, Editor, Author |
| `edit_growthdocs` | Create and edit documents | Administrator, Editor, Author |
| `delete_growthdocs` | Delete documents | Administrator, Editor |

The full mapped set (`edit_others_growthdocs`, `publish_growthdocs`, `read_private_growthdocs`, `delete_others_growthdocs`, etc.) is granted to Administrator and Editor; Authors get edit/publish on their own docs but not delete-others.

## 6. REST API

**Namespace:** `growthdoc/v1`  —  base URL `/wp-json/growthdoc/v1`. Standard WordPress auth (logged-in cookie + `X-WP-Nonce`). The SPA reads its REST root, nonce and capability flags from the localized `GROWTHDOC` object. The controller powers listing the document tree, reading/writing document content (TipTap JSON), managing topics, and moving/reordering docs — the same operations available as abilities below.

## 7. AI abilities & MCP

GrowthDoc registers document and topic tools on the **WordPress Abilities API**:

| Ability | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `growthdoc/list-docs` | List documents |
| `growthdoc/get-doc` | Read a document |
| `growthdoc/get-tree` | Get the nested document tree |
| `growthdoc/create-doc` | Create a document |
| `growthdoc/update-doc` | Update a document |
| `growthdoc/append-doc` | Append content to a document |
| `growthdoc/move-doc` | Move a document in the tree |
| `growthdoc/reorder-docs` | Reorder sibling documents |
| `growthdoc/delete-doc` | Delete a document (destructive) |
| `growthdoc/list-topics` | List topics |
| `growthdoc/create-topic` | Create a topic |

Each ability declares typed JSON schemas and is capability-gated (`edit_growthdocs` / `delete_growthdocs`). Abilities marked MCP-public are exposed as callable **MCP tools** via the WordPress Abilities MCP adapter; `delete-doc` is excluded by default. Capability and MCP visibility are configurable per ability or category in the plugin’s Abilities settings.

---

**Back to** [GrowthDoc product page](https://growthplugins.com/plugin/growthdoc/)  |  [All docs](https://growthplugins.com/docs/)