WP-CLI Reference Sheet - Blog

A few months ago we posted a guide to wp-cli. This one is more of a quick cheat sheet. We hope that between these two posts you will become more comfortable with this great tool for wordpress.

WP-CLI (WordPress Command Line Interface) is a powerful tool for managing WordPress sites from the terminal. Below is a comprehensive reference sheet compiling all major WP-CLI commands, grouped by top-level category. This includes subcommands, brief descriptions, and usage examples where applicable. Commands follow the general syntax: wp [subcommand] [args] [–flags].

For full details, refer to the official documentation. This sheet is based on a curated cheat sheet for quick reference.

General Commands

These are standalone commands without subcommands.

Command	Description	Example
wp admin	Opens /wp-admin/ in your browser.	wp admin
wp eval	Executes arbitrary PHP code.	wp eval ‘echo get_bloginfo( “name” );’
wp eval-file	Loads and executes a PHP file.	wp eval-file /path/to/script.php
wp export	Exports WordPress content to a WXR file.	wp export –dir=/path/to/export/
wp find	Finds WordPress installations on the filesystem.	wp find –path=/var/www/
wp help	Gets help on WP-CLI or a specific command.	wp help core
wp import	Imports content from a WXR file.	wp import /path/to/export.xml
wp shell	Opens an interactive PHP console.	wp shell
wp server	Launches PHP’s built-in web server.	wp server –host=localhost –port=8080
wp search-replace	Searches and replaces strings in the database.	wp search-replace ‘old-url.com’ ‘new-url.com’

Cache Management (wp cache)

Manages the object cache.

Subcommand	Description	Example
add	Adds a value to the object cache.	wp cache add key value 300
decr	Decrements a value.	wp cache decr key 1
delete	Removes a value.	wp cache delete key
flush	Flushes the entire cache.	wp cache flush
get	Retrieves a value.	wp cache get key
incr	Increments a value.	wp cache incr key 1
replace	Replaces a value if it exists.	wp cache replace key newvalue 300
set	Sets a value.	wp cache set key value 300
type	Detects the cache type.	wp cache type

Capabilities (wp cap)

Manages user role capabilities.

Subcommand	Description	Example
add	Adds capabilities to a role.	wp cap add administrator edit_others_posts
list	Lists capabilities for a role.	wp cap list administrator
remove	Removes capabilities from a role.	wp cap remove editor publish_posts

CLI Management (wp cli)

Manages WP-CLI itself.

Subcommand	Description	Example
alias	Manages aliases for installations.	wp cli alias add local /path/to/site
cache	Manages WP-CLI cache.	wp cli cache clear
check-update	Checks for WP-CLI updates.	wp cli check-update
cmd-dump	Dumps installed commands as JSON.	wp cli cmd-dump
completions	Generates tab completion.	wp cli completions bash
has-command	Checks if a command exists.	wp cli has-command core download
info	Shows WP-CLI environment details.	wp cli info
param-dump	Dumps global parameters.	wp cli param-dump
update	Updates WP-CLI.	wp cli update
version	Shows WP-CLI version.	wp cli version

Comments (wp comment)

Manages comments.

Subcommand	Description	Example
approve	Approves a comment.	wp comment approve 123
count	Counts comments.	wp comment count –post_id=123
create	Creates a new comment.	wp comment create post_id=123 comment_author=John
delete	Deletes a comment.	wp comment delete 123
exists	Checks if a comment exists.	wp comment exists 123
generate	Generates dummy comments.	wp comment generate –count=10 –post_id=123
get	Gets comment data.	wp comment get 123
list	Lists comments.	wp comment list –format=table
meta	Manages comment meta.	wp comment meta add 123 key value
recount	Recounts comments for posts.	wp comment recount 123
spam	Marks as spam.	wp comment spam 123
status	Gets status.	wp comment status 123
trash	Trashes a comment.	wp comment trash 123
unapprove	Unapproves.	wp comment unapprove 123
unspam	Unmarks as spam.	wp comment unspam 123
untrash	Untrashes.	wp comment untrash 123
update	Updates comments.	wp comment update 123 –comment_author=Jane

Config (wp config)

Manages wp-config.php.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Generates wp-config.php.	wp config create –dbname=mydb –dbuser=user
delete	Deletes a constant/variable.	wp config delete DB_NAME
edit	Edits wp-config.php.	wp config edit
get	Gets a value.	wp config get DB_NAME
has	Checks existence.	wp config has DB_HOST
list	Lists constants/variables.	wp config list
path	Gets path to wp-config.php.	wp config path
set	Sets a value.	wp config set WP_DEBUG true
shuffle-salts	Refreshes salts.	wp config shuffle-salts

Core (wp core)

Manages WordPress core.

Subcommand	Description	Example
check-update	Checks for updates.	wp core check-update
download	Downloads core files.	wp core download
install	Installs WordPress.	wp core install –url=example.com –title=My Site
is-installed	Checks if installed.	wp core is-installed
multisite-convert	Converts to multisite.	wp core multisite-convert
multisite-install	Installs multisite.	wp core multisite-install –subdomains –title=Network
update	Updates core.	wp core update
update-db	Updates database.	wp core update-db
verify-checksums	Verifies file checksums.	wp core verify-checksums
version	Shows version.	wp core version

Cron (wp cron)

Manages WP-Cron.

Subcommand	Description	Example
event	Manages events.	wp cron event run hookname
schedule	Lists schedules.	wp cron schedule list
test	Tests cron spawning.	wp cron test

Database (wp db)

Basic database operations.

Subcommand	Description	Example
check	Checks database status.	wp db check
clean	Removes prefixed tables.	wp db clean
cli	Opens MySQL console.	wp db cli
columns	Shows table columns.	wp db columns wp_posts
create	Creates database.	wp db create
drop	Drops database.	wp db drop
export	Exports database.	wp db export backup.sql
import	Imports database.	wp db import backup.sql
optimize	Optimizes database.	wp db optimize
prefix	Shows table prefix.	wp db prefix
query	Runs SQL query.	wp db query “SELECT * FROM wp_posts LIMIT 1”
repair	Repairs database.	wp db repair
reset	Resets database (drops tables).	wp db reset
search	Searches database.	wp db search “keyword”
size	Shows database size.	wp db size
tables	Lists tables.	wp db tables

Embeds (wp embed)

Manages embeds.

Subcommand	Description	Example
cache	Manages oEmbed cache.	wp embed cache delete url
fetch	Fetches embed HTML.	wp embed fetch https://example.com/video
handler	Lists handlers.	wp embed handler list
provider	Lists providers.	wp embed provider list

Language (wp language)

Manages language packs.

Subcommand	Description	Example
core	Manages core languages.	wp language core install en_US
plugin	Manages plugin languages.	wp language plugin install akismet en_US
theme	Manages theme languages.	wp language theme install twentytwenty en_US

Maintenance Mode (wp maintenance-mode)

Toggles maintenance mode.

Subcommand	Description	Example
activate	Activates mode.	wp maintenance-mode activate
deactivate	Deactivates mode.	wp maintenance-mode deactivate
is-active	Checks status.	wp maintenance-mode is-active
status	Shows status.	wp maintenance-mode status

Media (wp media)

Manages media files.

Subcommand	Description	Example
fix-orientation	Fixes image orientation.	wp media fix-orientation 123
image-size	Lists image sizes.	wp media image-size list
import	Imports files as attachments.	wp media import /path/to/image.jpg
regenerate	Regenerates thumbnails.	wp media regenerate 123

Menus (wp menu)

Manages navigation menus.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Creates a menu.	wp menu create “Main Menu”
delete	Deletes menus.	wp menu delete main-menu
item	Manages menu items.	wp menu item add-post main-menu 123
list	Lists menus.	wp menu list
location	Manages locations.	wp menu location assign main-menu primary

Network (wp network)

Network-wide operations (multisite).

Subcommand	Description	Example
meta	Manages network meta.	wp network meta get 1 siteurl

(For detailed meta subcommands like add, delete, get, etc., see wp option as they are similar.)

Options (wp option)

Manages site options.

Subcommand	Description	Example
add	Adds an option.	wp option add my_option value
delete	Deletes an option.	wp option delete my_option
get	Gets an option value.	wp option get blogname
list	Lists options.	wp option list –format=table
patch	Updates nested value.	wp option patch my_option –format=json ‘{“key”: “value”}’
pluck	Gets nested value.	wp option pluck my_option key
update	Updates an option.	wp option update blogname “New Site”

Packages (wp package)

Manages WP-CLI packages.

Subcommand	Description	Example
browse	Browses available packages.	wp package browse
install	Installs a package.	wp package install wp-cli/server-command
list	Lists installed packages.	wp package list
path	Gets package path.	wp package path
uninstall	Uninstalls a package.	wp package uninstall wp-cli/server-command
update	Updates packages.	wp package update

Plugins (wp plugin)

Manages plugins.

Subcommand	Description	Example
activate	Activates plugins.	wp plugin activate akismet
auto-updates	Manages auto-updates.	wp plugin auto-updates enable akismet
deactivate	Deactivates plugins.	wp plugin deactivate akismet
delete	Deletes plugin files.	wp plugin delete akismet
get	Gets plugin details.	wp plugin get akismet
install	Installs plugins.	wp plugin install akismet –activate
is-active	Checks if active.	wp plugin is-active akismet
is-installed	Checks if installed.	wp plugin is-installed akismet
list	Lists plugins.	wp plugin list –status=active
path	Gets plugin path.	wp plugin path akismet
search	Searches plugins.	wp plugin search cache
status	Shows status.	wp plugin status akismet
toggle	Toggles activation.	wp plugin toggle akismet
uninstall	Uninstalls plugins.	wp plugin uninstall akismet
update	Updates plugins.	wp plugin update akismet
verify-checksums	Verifies checksums.	wp plugin verify-checksums akismet

Posts (wp post)

Manages posts.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Creates a post.	wp post create –post_title=”Hello” –post_content=”World”
delete	Deletes posts.	wp post delete 123
exists	Checks if post exists.	wp post exists 123
generate	Generates dummy posts.	wp post generate –count=5
get	Gets post data.	wp post get 123
list	Lists posts.	wp post list –post_type=post –format=table
meta	Manages post meta.	wp post meta add 123 key value
term	Manages post terms.	wp post term add 123 category news
update	Updates posts.	wp post update 123 –post_status=publish

Post Types (wp post-type)

Retrieves post type details.

Subcommand	Description	Example
list	Lists registered post types.	wp post-type list

Profile (wp profile)

Profiles performance.

Subcommand	Description	Example
stage	Profiles a stage of execution.	wp profile stage wp_loaded

Rewrite (wp rewrite)

Manages permalinks.

Subcommand	Description	Example
flush	Flushes rewrite rules.	wp rewrite flush
list	Lists rules.	wp rewrite list
structure	Sets permalink structure.	wp rewrite structure /%postname%/

Roles (wp role)

Manages roles.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Creates a role.	wp role create editor_custom editor
delete	Deletes a role.	wp role delete editor_custom
list	Lists roles.	wp role list
reset	Resets to defaults.	wp role reset administrator

Scaffolding (wp scaffold)

Generates code scaffolds.

Subcommand	Description	Example
plugin	Scaffolds a plugin.	wp scaffold plugin my-plugin
post-type	Scaffolds a post type.	wp scaffold post-type movie –label=Movies
taxonomy	Scaffolds a taxonomy.	wp scaffold taxonomy genre –post-type=movie
theme	Scaffolds a theme.	wp scaffold child-theme child –theme=parent

Sites (wp site) (Multisite)

Manages sites.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Creates a site.	wp site create –slug=example example.com
delete	Deletes a site.	wp site delete 2
empty	Empties a site.	wp site empty 2
list	Lists sites.	wp site list

Super Admins (wp super-admin)

Manages super admins (multisite).

Subcommand	Description	Example
add	Adds a super admin.	wp super-admin add username
list	Lists super admins.	wp super-admin list
remove	Removes a super admin.	wp super-admin remove username

Taxonomies (wp taxonomy)

Retrieves taxonomy details.

Subcommand	Description	Example
list	Lists registered taxonomies.	wp taxonomy list

Terms (wp term)

Manages terms.

Subcommand	Description	Example
generate	Generates dummy terms.	wp term generate category 10
list	Lists terms.	wp term list category
meta	Manages term meta.	wp term meta add 123 key value
recount	Recounts terms.	wp term recount category

Themes (wp theme)

Manages themes.

Subcommand	Description	Example
activate	Activates a theme.	wp theme activate twentytwenty
auto-updates	Manages auto-updates.	wp theme auto-updates enable twentytwenty
delete	Deletes a theme.	wp theme delete twentytwenty
get	Gets theme details.	wp theme get twentytwenty
install	Installs a theme.	wp theme install twentytwenty –activate
is-active	Checks if active.	wp theme is-active twentytwenty
list	Lists themes.	wp theme list –status=active
path	Gets theme path.	wp theme path twentytwenty
search	Searches themes.	wp theme search responsive
status	Shows status.	wp theme status twentytwenty
toggle	Toggles activation.	wp theme toggle twentytwenty
update	Updates themes.	wp theme update twentytwenty
verify-checksums	Verifies checksums.	wp theme verify-checksums twentytwenty

Transients (wp transient)

Manages transients.

Subcommand	Description	Example
delete	Deletes a transient.	wp transient delete my_transient
get	Gets a transient.	wp transient get my_transient
set	Sets a transient.	wp transient set my_transient value 3600
type	Lists transient types.	wp transient type

Users (wp user)

Manages users.

Subcommand	Description	Example
create	Creates a user.	wp user create john [email protected] –role=author
delete	Deletes users.	wp user delete 123
generate	Generates dummy users.	wp user generate –count=5
get	Gets user data.	wp user get 123
list	Lists users.	wp user list –role=administrator
meta	Manages user meta.	wp user meta add 123 key value
term	Manages user terms (if applicable).	N/A
update	Updates users.	wp user update 123 –display_name=John Doe

Widgets (wp widget)

Manages widgets.

Subcommand	Description	Example
add	Adds a widget.	wp widget add text sidebar-1
list	Lists widgets.	wp widget list sidebar-1
move	Moves a widget.	wp widget move text sidebar-1 sidebar-2
remove	Removes a widget.	wp widget remove text sidebar-1
update	Updates a widget.	wp widget update text sidebar-1 ‘title=My Widget’

Additional Utilities

Flush Cache: wp cache flush
Install & Activate Plugin: wp plugin install plugin-name –activate
Flush Permalinks: wp rewrite flush
Database Backup: wp db export backup.sql
Search/Replace URLs: wp search-replace ‘http://old.com’ ‘http://new.com’

Tips:

Use –help for any command: wp –help.
–format=json or –format=table for output.
–allow-root if running as root.
For multisite, add –network or –url=site.com.

This covers all standard WP-CLI commands as of the latest documentation. For plugins that extend WP-CLI, additional commands may be available.

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