WordPress Expert: User Guide

What This Skill Is

This skill equips your OpenClaw agent with the necessary instructions and checklists to manage your existing WordPress website. It empowers the AI to perform tasks related to content, settings, media, plugins, themes, and extensions like WooCommerce or Elementor.

The AI typically communicates with your site via secure web interfaces (HTTPS/REST). If configured accordingly, it can also work directly via the terminal (WP-CLI) or at the file level.

Urgent Recommendation: The Companion Plugin

For the AI to work precisely and safely, you should install the companion plugin wordpress-site-tools on the computer/server where your OpenClaw gateway runs: github.com/realM1lF/openclaw-wordpress-tool.

• Why? This plugin provides typed tools (e.g. wordpress_rest_request, wordpress_wp_cli, wordpress_connection_check, optional media and plugin file access).
• Benefit: Clearer, easier to audit, and easier to allowlist than ad-hoc exec/curl. Without it, the skill still documents fallbacks—more manual and error-prone.

Installation Steps (Typical Flow)

On your OpenClaw gateway machine:

1. Install the skill (e.g. ClawHub or skills/wordpress-expert in the workspace).
2. Clone the wordpress-site-tools repo, run npm install, then openclaw plugins install / enable (see plugin README).
3. Grant tools: Add WordPress tools to tools.allow in openclaw.json.
4. Environment variables: Set the three required variables below (host env or skills.entries["wordpress-expert"].env). Optional: WORDPRESS_PATH if you use WP-CLI or wordpress_plugin_files—see {baseDir}/references/CONNECTING.md.
5. openclaw gateway restart after plugin, allowlist, or env changes.

Full detail: {baseDir}/README.md, {baseDir}/references/CONNECTING.md, {baseDir}/references/PRE_INSTALL_AND_TRUST.md.

What You Can Expect from the AI

• Everyday tasks: e.g. “Create a draft post” or “Upload an image” via REST—with wordpress-site-tools, prefer wordpress_rest_request and related tools.
• Advanced tasks: WP-CLI or plugin file edits need WORDPRESS_PATH, narrow allowlists, and explicit configuration—see {baseDir}/references/CONNECTING.md and {baseDir}/references/WPCLI_PRESETS.md.
• Security: The AI is not an omnipotent admin by default; use staging, least-privilege users, and approval for destructive work. The AI should use fresh tool/API data, not guesses.

Required Setup (Environment Variables)

These three are required (see metadata.openclaw.requires):

1. WORDPRESS_SITE_URL — Base URL of the site (HTTPS, no trailing slash), e.g. https://yoursite.com.
2. WORDPRESS_USER — WordPress username for the application password.
3. WORDPRESS_APPLICATION_PASSWORD — From Users → Profile → Application Passwords in WordPress (not the login password). Store in env/config, never in chat or Git.

Optional: WORDPRESS_PATH — Directory on the gateway where wp runs, if you use WP-CLI or plugin file tools. Details: {baseDir}/references/AUTH.md, {baseDir}/references/CONNECTING.md.

Important Rules for People and the AI

• No secrets in chat or Git — see {baseDir}/references/AUTH.md.
• Deeper topics load from {baseDir}/references/ as needed (progressive disclosure).

When the agent should use this skill

Use for WordPress-related work: content, media, plugins, themes, WooCommerce, Elementor, REST, code under wp-content. Do not use for unrelated tasks.

Load {baseDir}/references/ files when the task matches (examples: CONNECTING.md, PLUGIN_DEV_PLAYBOOK.md, DOMAIN.md, WOOCOMMERCE.md, ELEMENTOR.md, BLOCK_EDITOR.md, THEME_AND_TEMPLATES.md, PERFORMANCE_AND_SECURITY.md, SAFETY.md, WORKFLOWS.md). Full index: {baseDir}/references/OVERVIEW.md.

Rules for the assistant (summary)

1. Use fresh data from tools/API before writes; do not invent site state.
2. Never echo secrets; store credentials in host env or openclaw.json skill env—not chat.
3. Prefer wordpress_rest_request / wordpress_wp_cli / wordpress_connection_check (and related plugin tools) when in tools.allow; see {baseDir}/references/NATIVE_VS_PLUGIN.md and {baseDir}/references/TOOLING.md.
4. For new site-specific plugin files, prefer the real wp-content/plugins/… tree or wordpress_plugin_files—not the generic OpenClaw workspace by default; see {baseDir}/references/PLUGIN_DEV_PLAYBOOK.md (“Where OpenClaw should write”).
5. After plugin or tools.allow changes, openclaw gateway restart is usually required—see {baseDir}/references/CONNECTING.md.
6. Do not patch third-party plugins in place—addon approach in {baseDir}/references/PLUGIN_DEV_PLAYBOOK.md and {baseDir}/references/USER_EXPECTATIONS.md.

Where work runs: On the OpenClaw gateway (REST, shell, browser, workspace). Optional MU helper on the WordPress server is documented under {baseDir}/bundled/mu-plugin/README.md and {baseDir}/references/MU_HELPER.md.