cPanel & WHM 138 adds the Meridian interface and an AI assistant

cPanel released cPanel & WHM version 138 on September 16, 2026, calling it “the first release of cPanel AI”. It brings a redesigned interface called Meridian, an AI Assistant inside cPanel, and new ways to host apps and connect AI tools. cPanel is the panel that hosting customers log into to manage their sites, so this is what they will see once their host switches it on.

What’s in version 138

• Meridian: a new interface that groups tools into six areas: Websites, Email, Files, Databases, Security and Performance. It adds a dashboard with account health indicators and a Cmd/Ctrl + K command search. It is opt-in; the current Jupiter interface stays.
• AI Assistant: answers questions about the account and helps diagnose problems. It only works in Meridian, and the server administrator has to turn it on separately.
• AI App Hosting: deploys Node.js apps from a ZIP file or a Git URL, if the host enables it.
• MCP support: lets approved AI clients work with a hosting account through scoped permissions. User-level MCP needs a WebPros Account; admin-level MCP is sold separately through WebPros Dashboard.
• Nova and Sitejet AI: AI tools that generate websites. cPanel’s July 27 overview said Nova was available only to cPanel Partners.

cPanel says switching between Meridian and Jupiter only changes how cPanel looks. Domains, email, databases and files stay as they are.

Who gets it

Your host decides. Administrators can preview Meridian, turn it on for new accounts, or make it the default for chosen hosting packages. Trade site webhosting.today reports that cPanel announced general availability on September 17 and that version 138 is on the RELEASE update tier, while the STABLE tier remains on version 136. Hosts that follow STABLE don’t have it yet.

Prices

cPanel’s posts list no separate price for Meridian or the AI Assistant. Licence prices themselves rise on December 16, 2026, under cPanel’s 2027 price list.

What to do

If you want the new interface or the AI Assistant, ask your host whether it runs version 138 and has switched them on. If you’d rather keep the panel you know, nothing changes unless your host makes Meridian the default.