Get Backup History is a WordPress ability from BackWPup — usable via Easy MCP AI, which connects Claude, ChatGPT, and any AI assistant to your site.
Install Free Plugin →Get Backup History
Read-onlyReturns recent backup history and whether a backup job is currently running.
Requires the BackWPup plugin on WordPress 6.9+ (each ability is guarded by a function_exists( 'wp_register_ability' ) check, so nothing registers on older cores). Individual abilities also require specific capabilities: 'backwpup' for listing jobs, reading backup history, reading the documentation resource; 'backwpup_jobs_start' for running or cancelling a backup job; and 'backwpup_logs' for reading backup logs.
What it does
This ability reports whether a backup is currently active (including its name, percent progress, and current step) and returns a list of recent backups up to a configurable limit. It prefers querying BackWPup's backup database table for authoritative records (filename, job, destination, size, timestamp, status) and falls back to scanning each destination's file list for legacy installs without database records. The plugin's documentation instructs AI assistants to call this ability before triggering a new backup, to avoid starting a duplicate, and before cancelling a job, to confirm one is actually running.
See it in action
You ask your AI assistant
"Show me my last 10 backups and tell me if a backup is running right now."
Inputs
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| limit | integer | No | Maximum number of recent backups to return (1–50). Defaults to 5. |
Returns
An object with is_running (boolean), current_job (name, progress percent, and step of the active job, if any), and recent_backups (an array of objects with filename, job_id, job_name, destination, size, time, and status).
Permission
The current user must have the 'backwpup' capability; unauthorized calls fire a backwpup_mcp_permission_denied action and are denied.
More BackWPup abilities
BackWPup Documentation Overview
Returns Markdown documentation describing the BackWPup MCP server's tools and recommended workflows.
Cancel Running Backup Job
Aborts a currently running BackWPup backup job.
Get Backup Logs
Retrieves the content of a backup log file for troubleshooting.
List Backup Jobs
Lists all configured BackWPup backup jobs with their destinations and schedules.
Run Backup Job
Triggers an immediate backup, either a specific configured job or the default 'Backup Now'.