WordPress Setup Connect to a WordPress site and verify working access via WP-CLI or REST API. Produces a verified connection config ready for content management and Elementor editing. Workflow Step 1: Check WP-CLI wp --version If not installed, guide the user:

macOS/Linux

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar chmod +x wp-cli.phar sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp Also ensure the SSH extension is available (needed for remote sites): wp package install wp-cli/ssh-command Step 2: Connect to the Site Option A: WP-CLI over SSH (preferred) wp --ssh = user@hostname/path/to/wordpress option get siteurl Common patterns: Rocket.net: wp --ssh=user@hostname/www/sitename/public option get siteurl cPanel: wp --ssh=user@hostname/public_html option get siteurl Custom: Ask user for SSH user, host, and WordPress path Test with a simple command first: wp --ssh = user@host/path core version Option B: REST API with Application Password If SSH isn't available: Navigate to https://example.com/wp-admin/profile.php (or use browser automation) Scroll to "Application Passwords" section Enter a name (e.g. "Claude Code") and click "Add New Application Password" Copy the generated password (spaces are part of it but optional in auth) Test the connection: curl -s https://example.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts?per_page = 1 \ -u "username:xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx" | jq '.[0].title' Step 3: Store Credentials For WP-CLI SSH — create a wp-cli.yml in the project root: ssh : sitename : cmd : ssh - o StrictHostKeyChecking=no %pseudotty% user@hostname %cmd% url : /path/to/wordpress Then use: wp @sitename option get siteurl For REST API — store in .dev.vars : WP_SITE_URL=https://example.com WP_USERNAME=admin WP_APP_PASSWORD=xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Ensure .dev.vars is in .gitignore . For cross-project use, store in your preferred secrets manager (environment variable, 1Password CLI, Vault MCP, etc.). Step 4: Verify Full Access Run a comprehensive check:

Site info

wp @sitename option get siteurl wp @sitename option get blogname

Content access

wp @sitename post list --post_type = page --posts_per_page = 5 --fields = ID,post_title,post_status

Plugin status (check for Elementor)

wp @sitename plugin status elementor

Theme info

wp @sitename theme status Step 5: Save Site Config Create wordpress.config.json for other skills to reference: { "site" : "example.com" , "siteUrl" : "https://example.com" , "accessMethod" : "ssh" , "sshAlias" : "sitename" , "wpPath" : "/path/to/wordpress" , "hasElementor" : true , "elementorVersion" : "3.x.x" } Critical Patterns SSH Connection Issues Symptom Fix Permission denied (publickey) Check SSH key: ssh -v user@host wp: command not found via SSH WP-CLI not in remote PATH — use full path: /usr/local/bin/wp Error: This does not appear to be a WordPress installation Wrong path — check wp-path argument Timeout on large operations Add --ssh=user@host/path --allow-root or increase SSH timeout WP-CLI Aliases Define aliases in ~/.wp-cli/config.yml for frequently-accessed sites: @client1 : ssh : user@client1.example.com/www/public @client2 : ssh : user@client2.rocketcdn.me/www/client2/public Then: wp @client1 post list REST API Gotchas Application passwords require HTTPS (won't work on HTTP) Some security plugins block REST API — check for 401/403 responses Caching plugins may serve stale REST responses — use ?_=${timestamp} cache buster Custom post types need show_in_rest: true to appear in API Reference Files references/wp-cli-essentials.md — SSH alias patterns, common flags, and troubleshooting