WP-CLI and Ops

When to use

Use this skill for WordPress operational work:

• wp search-replace (URL changes, domain migrations)

• DB export/import, resets, inspections (wp db * )

• Plugin/theme install/activate/update

• Cron event listing/running

• Cache/rewrite flushing

• Multisite operations (wp site * , --url , --network )

• Building repeatable scripts (wp-cli.yml , shell scripts)

Inputs required

• Environment (dev/staging/prod) and safety constraints

• Site root path: --path=<wordpress-root>

• Multisite: --url=<site-url> if applicable

• Any restrictions (no writes, no plugin installs, maintenance window)

Procedure

0. Safety guardrails

WP-CLI commands can be destructive. Before any write operation:

• Confirm environment (dev/staging/prod)

• Confirm targeting (path/url)

• Make a backup for risky operations

1. Safe URL/domain migration

Step-by-step:

1. Backup database first

wp db export backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql --path=/path/to/wp

2. Dry run to review impact

wp search-replace 'old-domain.com' 'new-domain.com' --dry-run --path=/path/to/wp

3. Execute the replacement

wp search-replace 'old-domain.com' 'new-domain.com' --path=/path/to/wp

4. Flush caches and rewrites

wp cache flush --path=/path/to/wp wp rewrite flush --path=/path/to/wp

Common flags:

Flag Purpose

--dry-run

Preview changes without applying

--precise

Exact match only

--recurse-objects

Handle serialized data in objects

--all-tables

Include non-WP tables

--skip-columns=guid

Skip GUID column (recommended)

2. Database operations

Export

wp db export backup.sql

Import

wp db import backup.sql

Query

wp db query "SELECT ID, post_title FROM wp_posts LIMIT 5"

Optimize

wp db optimize

Reset (DESTRUCTIVE)

wp db reset --yes

3. Plugin/theme management

List plugins

wp plugin list

Install and activate

wp plugin install query-monitor --activate

Deactivate

wp plugin deactivate plugin-name

Update all

wp plugin update --all

Same for themes

wp theme list wp theme install theme-name --activate

4. Cron management

List scheduled events

wp cron event list

Run a specific event

wp cron event run my_event_hook

Test cron is working

wp cron test

5. Cache operations

Flush object cache

wp cache flush

Flush transients

wp transient delete --all

Flush rewrite rules

wp rewrite flush

6. Multisite operations

List all sites

wp site list

Run command on specific site

wp option get blogname --url=https://subsite.example.com

Run command on all sites

wp site list --field=url | xargs -I {} wp option get blogname --url={}

Network-wide plugin activation

wp plugin activate plugin-name --network

7. Automation with wp-cli.yml

Create wp-cli.yml in site root:

path: /path/to/wordpress url: https://example.com user: admin

Environment-specific

@staging: url: https://staging.example.com

@production: url: https://example.com ssh: user@server/path/to/wordpress

Usage:

wp @staging plugin list wp @production cache flush

Verification

• Confirm intended side effects occurred

• Check URLs are correct after search-replace

• Verify plugins/themes in expected state

• Run health check if available: wp doctor check

Failure modes / debugging

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

• Wrong --path

• Missing wp-config.php

Multisite commands affecting wrong site

• Missing or wrong --url

Search-replace causing serialization issues

• Use --precise flag

• Don't replace with different length strings in serialized data without --recurse-objects

Escalation

• If you cannot confirm environment safety, do not run write operations

• For production changes, always backup first

• Document all commands run for audit trail