WP-CLI Skill

Use this skill for WordPress command-line operations including migrations, bulk updates, database management, user audits, content imports, and site configuration.

Prerequisites Check

Always verify WP-CLI and WordPress installation before proceeding:

wp --version                  # Check WP-CLI is installed
wp core is-installed         # Verify WordPress is present
wp core version              # Check WordPress version

If working in a specific directory, use --path=/path/to/wordpress or cd to the WordPress root first.

Safety Patterns

Always Backup Before Destructive Operations

# Database backup before major changes
wp db export backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).sql

# Full site backup (database + files)
tar -czf site-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz wp-content/ backup-*.sql

Use Dry-Run Flags When Available

wp plugin update --all --dry-run
wp search-replace 'old.com' 'new.com' --dry-run

Dangerous Commands - Require Explicit Confirmation

These commands are destructive and should be used with extreme caution:

wp db reset - Deletes entire database
wp db clean - Removes tables
wp site delete (multisite) - Removes site and content
wp user delete without --reassign - Orphans content
wp post delete $(wp post list --post_type=page --format=ids) - Bulk deletions

Always confirm with the user before running these commands.

Performance Flags

Use these flags to optimize speed and output:

--format=json              # Machine-readable output (faster parsing)
--format=csv              # For spreadsheet imports
--format=ids              # Space-separated IDs (for piping)
--fields=ID,post_title    # Limit returned fields
--skip-plugins            # Bypass plugin loading (faster, but may break dependencies)
--skip-themes             # Bypass theme loading
--quiet                   # Suppress informational output

Core Command Categories

WP-CLI commands are organized by functionality. See references/commands.md for detailed flag documentation.

Database Operations

wp db - export, import, query, optimize, search-replace

Core WordPress

wp core - install, update, verify-checksums, version

Plugins & Themes

wp plugin / wp theme - list, install, activate, update, delete

Users

wp user - create, list, delete, update, generate

Content (Posts, Pages, Comments)

wp post / wp comment - create, list, update, delete, generate

Options & Settings

wp option - get, update, delete, list

Cache & Performance

wp cache / wp transient - flush, delete, set

Cron & Maintenance

wp cron - event, schedule, run

Configuration

wp config - create, get, set, shuffle-salts

Multisite (Basic)

wp site - list, create, delete, empty

Key Workflows

Site Migration (Local → Production)

# 1. Export database from source
wp db export migration.sql

# 2. Search-replace URLs (dry-run first!)
wp search-replace 'http://localhost:8000' 'https://example.com' --dry-run
wp search-replace 'http://localhost:8000' 'https://example.com' --skip-columns=guid

# 3. Transfer files (use rsync, scp, or SFTP)
rsync -avz wp-content/ user@server:/var/www/html/wp-content/

# 4. Import database on destination
wp db import migration.sql

# 5. Flush cache and permalinks
wp cache flush
wp rewrite flush

# 6. Verify
wp option get siteurl
wp option get home

Bulk Plugin Updates

# 1. Check available updates
wp plugin list --update=available

# 2. Backup database
wp db export backup-before-plugin-update.sql

# 3. Update all (or specific plugins)
wp plugin update --all --dry-run
wp plugin update --all

# 4. If issues arise, rollback
wp plugin install plugin-name --version=1.2.3 --force

# 5. Clear cache
wp cache flush

User Audit & Cleanup

# 1. List all users with roles
wp user list --fields=ID,user_login,user_email,roles

# 2. Find inactive users (requires custom query or plugin)
wp user list --format=json | jq '.[] | select(.user_registered < "2023-01-01")'

# 3. Delete user (MUST reassign content!)
wp user delete <ID> --reassign=<new_author_id>

# 4. Generate test users (for dev environments)
wp user generate --count=10 --role=subscriber

Remote Execution

SSH Execution

ssh user@example.com "cd /var/www/html && wp plugin list"

WP-CLI Aliases

Define aliases in ~/.wp-cli/config.yml:

@prod:
  ssh: user@example.com/var/www/html
@staging:
  ssh: user@staging.example.com/var/www/staging

Then use:

wp @prod plugin list
wp @staging db export

Common Errors & Resolution

Error: "The site you have requested is not installed"

Cause: Not running from WordPress root or wp-config.php missing
Fix: cd to WordPress root or use --path=/path/to/wordpress

Error: "MySQL connection failed"

Cause: Database credentials incorrect or MySQL not running
Fix: Check wp-config.php credentials, verify MySQL is running

Error: "Error: Can't select database"

Cause: Database doesn't exist
Fix: Create database first: wp db create

Error: "PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size exhausted"

Cause: Large database operations or heavy plugins
Fix: Increase PHP memory: php -d memory_limit=512M $(which wp) db export

Error: "This does not seem to be a WordPress installation"

Cause: WP-CLI can't find WordPress files
Fix: Verify you're in the correct directory and WordPress is installed

Warning: "The `guid` column is often used in WordPress for storing URLs but should not be updated"

Info: This is expected. Use --skip-columns=guid to suppress the warning
Reason: GUIDs are permanent identifiers and shouldn't be changed

Best Practices

Always test on staging first - Never run untested commands on production
Use version control for config changes - Track wp-config.php changes when safe
Monitor command output - Don't ignore warnings or errors
Document custom workflows - Keep notes on multi-step processes
Use --format=json for scripting - Easier to parse programmatically
Verify after major changes - Check site functionality, test critical paths
Keep WP-CLI updated - wp cli update for latest features and fixes

Additional Resources

Command reference: See references/commands.md for detailed flag documentation
Workflow examples: See references/examples.md for complete workflow scenarios
Official docs: https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/

wp-cli