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:

1. Navigate to https://example.com/wp-admin/profile.php (or use browser automation)
2. Scroll to "Application Passwords" section
3. Enter a name (e.g. "Claude Code") and click "Add New Application Password"
4. 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