MakeWPFast Benchmark API#

Answer questions about the real, measured performance impact of WordPress plugins and themes using the bundled mwf-bench CLI. Each plugin/theme has a speed grade plus TTFB, memory, and query deltas measured in three contexts (activation, homepage, wp-admin) against a clean WordPress baseline.

The API is paid and quota-limited. The CLI protects the user's quota with a local cache, name→slug resolution, and batch guards — so always delegate to the CLI; never hand-write curl. Treat the CLI as the only way to touch the API.

Setup (once)#

The CLI needs an API key (subscribe at https://makewpfast.com/api/). It is read from, in order: MWF_API_KEY env var → macOS keychain → ~/.config/makewpfast/key.

• If no key is configured, the CLI prints a subscribe link and exits. Relay that to the user.
• To store a key: scripts/mwf-bench auth (prompts, never echoes), or export MWF_API_KEY=....

Usage#

Run the CLI at scripts/mwf-bench (relative to this skill). Parse its stdout. Add --format json when you need structured data to reason further; the default text output is already human-readable.

GoalCommandOne pluginmwf-bench lookup "WooCommerce"One thememwf-bench lookup astra --themeCompare severalmwf-bench compare wordpress-seo seo-by-rank-mathQuota / tier (free)mwf-bench meJust the slugmwf-bench resolve "Yoast SEO"Audit a local sitemwf-bench audit --path /path/to/wp --top 10

Accepts plain names ("WooCommerce", "Yoast SEO") or exact slugs. The CLI resolves names to WordPress.org slugs for free before spending any paid quota.

Rules (protect the user's quota)#

• Never write raw curl. Every API interaction goes through mwf-bench.
• Prefer compare over multiple lookup calls when the user names several plugins.
• Don't re-query a slug already fetched this session unless the user says the data is stale (add --refresh only then). Cached rows are free and printed as "(cached, N days old)".
• For broad / site-wide asks, run mwf-bench me first to show remaining quota, then use audit (it benchmarks only active, heaviest plugins) rather than looping over everything.
• If the CLI returns "Ambiguous" candidates (exit 3), stop and ask the user which one before spending quota — do not guess the slug from training data.
• A 404 means the slug isn't in the dataset ( not in dataset); benchmarked: false means the slug is known but not yet measured. Report these honestly; don't invent numbers.
• On 401/403/429 the CLI prints the subscribe/upgrade link — relay it, don't retry.

Interpreting results#

• Speed grade A–F (+ numeric 0–100) is computed from activation memory + query deltas. Higher numeric = faster/lighter.
• Deltas are vs a clean WP baseline: TTFB in ms, memory in KB, queries are raw counts. A context can be null/ not measured (e.g. an admin-only plugin has no homepage row) — treat null as "not measured", not "zero impact".
• Suggesting faster alternatives is your job after seeing the numbers — the API has no search endpoint, so propose alternatives, then verify them with another compare.

See references/api.md for the full field/status reference and references/examples.md for worked prompt→command examples.