WordPress REST API Skill (Advanced)#

Purpose#

Provide a production-ready CLI for WordPress REST API automation. This skill focuses on content workflows (posts/pages), taxonomy (categories/tags), user reads, and safe custom requests without external HTTP libraries.

Best fit#

• You want a stable CLI for automation and bot workflows.
• You need JSON-in/JSON-out for pipelines.
• You prefer simple HTTP with no extra dependencies.

Not a fit#

• You must handle OAuth flows or complex browser-based auth.
• You need advanced media uploads (multipart streaming).

Requirements#

• Node.js 18+ (for native fetch).

One-time setup#

1. Enable the WordPress REST API (default in modern WordPress).
2. Create an Application Password for a WordPress user.
3. Confirm the user has the right role (e.g., Editor/Admin).

Install#

bash

cd wordpress
npm install

Run#

bash

node scripts/wp-cli.js help
node scripts/wp-cli.js posts:list --query per_page=5
node scripts/wp-cli.js posts:create '@post.json'

You can also use npm:

bash

npm run wp -- posts:list --query per_page=5

Credentials#

Supported options (first match wins):

• Basic auth token: WP_BASIC_TOKEN (base64 of user:app_password)
• User + app password: WP_USER + WP_APP_PASSWORD
• JWT bearer token: WP_JWT_TOKEN

Required env#

• WP_BASE_URL (e.g., https://example.com)

Input conventions#

• JSON can be inline or loaded from file with @path.
• Query params use --query key=value (repeatable) or --query key1=value1,key2=value2.

Command map (high level)#

Posts:

• posts:list, posts:get, posts:create, posts:update, posts:delete

Pages:

• pages:list, pages:get, pages:create, pages:update, pages:delete

Taxonomy:

• categories:list, categories:create
• tags:list, tags:create

Users:

• users:list, users:get

Advanced:

• request (raw method + path)

Operational guidance#

• Prefer context=view for read-only list calls.
• Use status=draft when staging content.
• Implement retries for 429 and transient 5xx errors in orchestrators.

Expected output#

• JSON to stdout; non-zero exit code on errors.

Security notes#

• Never log or commit tokens or application passwords.
• Use a dedicated low-privilege WordPress account where possible.