wp-cli-mcp

What can Claude do with this?

"Install WooCommerce and activate it"
"Create a new page called About Us with this content..."
"List all plugins and deactivate the ones I'm not using"
"Scaffold a new child theme called my-theme"
"Create a navigation menu with Home, About, Contact links"
"Search and replace old domain with new domain in database"
"Export the database before I make changes"
"Generate a custom Gutenberg block for testimonials"

All powered by WP-CLI under the hood. Works locally or over SSH to remote servers.

Tools (30+)

| Category | Tools | |----------|-------| | Core | wp_core_version, wp_core_check_update | | Plugins | wp_plugin_list, wp_plugin_install, wp_plugin_activate, wp_plugin_deactivate, wp_plugin_delete, wp_plugin_search | | Themes | wp_theme_list, wp_theme_install, wp_theme_activate, wp_theme_delete | | Theme Files | wp_theme_file_list, wp_theme_file_read, wp_theme_file_write, wp_theme_file_delete | | Posts | wp_post_list, wp_post_get, wp_post_create, wp_post_update, wp_post_delete | | Post Meta | wp_post_meta_get, wp_post_meta_update, wp_post_meta_list | | Taxonomies | wp_term_list, wp_term_create | | Users | wp_user_list, wp_user_create | | Options | wp_option_get, wp_option_update | | Menus | wp_menu_list, wp_menu_create, wp_menu_item_add, wp_menu_location_assign | | Widgets | wp_sidebar_list, wp_widget_list | | Media | wp_media_import | | Database | wp_db_query, wp_db_export, wp_search_replace | | Scaffold | wp_scaffold_theme, wp_scaffold_plugin, wp_scaffold_block | | Cache | wp_rewrite_flush, wp_cache_flush | | PHP | wp_eval — execute any PHP in WordPress context | | Site | wp_site_info — full site overview | | Raw | wp_cli_raw — run any WP-CLI command |

Requirements

• WP-CLI installed and in PATH
• WordPress installation (local or accessible via SSH)
• Node.js 18+

Setup

Install

npm install -g wp-cli-mcp

Configure with Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wordpress": {
      "command": "wp-cli-mcp",
      "env": {
        "WP_PATH": "/path/to/your/wordpress"
      }
    }
  }
}

Remote server via SSH

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wordpress": {
      "command": "wp-cli-mcp",
      "env": {
        "WP_SSH": "[email protected]:/var/www/html"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | Example | |----------|-------------|---------| | WP_PATH | Local WordPress path | /var/www/html | | WP_SSH | SSH connection string | user@host:/path/to/wp | | WP_URL | Site URL (multisite) | https://example.com |

Examples

Theme Development Workflow

You: "Scaffold a child theme based on twentytwentyfour"
Claude: Uses wp_scaffold_theme → creates child theme files

You: "Install and activate it"
Claude: Uses wp_theme_activate → theme is live

You: "Create the homepage with a hero section and 3 feature cards"
Claude: Uses wp_post_create → creates page with HTML content

Plugin Management

You: "What plugins do I have installed?"
Claude: Uses wp_plugin_list → shows all plugins with status

You: "Install Contact Form 7 and WooCommerce"
Claude: Uses wp_plugin_install twice → both installed and activated

Database Operations

You: "I'm migrating from staging.example.com to example.com"
Claude: Uses wp_db_export → backup first
       Uses wp_search_replace (dry_run) → preview changes
       Uses wp_search_replace → apply changes
       Uses wp_cache_flush → clear cache

Pairs well with

• Elementor MCP — 97 tools for Elementor page building
• WordPress MCP — Official Automattic REST API tools
• wordpress-claude-stack — CLAUDE.md + Cursor rules for WordPress

Use all three together for complete AI-powered WordPress development.

License

MIT — Mustafa Vatandas