As Milo ( and your errors ) point out: you're passing an array where a string is expected. According to [WP_Query tag parameter][1] >Show posts associated with certain tags. >- tag (**string**) - use tag slug. To get around this you just need to pass a comma separated string: function custom_tags( $query ) { $query->set( 'tag', 'custom,general' ); } add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'custom_tags' ); [1]: https://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Tag_Parameters