wordpress

---

name: wordpress description: Umbrella/index skill for WordPress development. Use when a WordPress task is broad, cross-cutting, or it's unclear which specific WordPress sub-skill applies — this skill maps the task to the right one. Also use for high-level WordPress architecture questions, API-scope lookups (which API lives in which skill), or when you need to coordinate work across multiple sub-skills. When a task clearly fits one sub-skill, defer to it directly. Sub-skills: wordpress-plugin-development, wordpress-blocks, wordpress-block-markup, wordpress-block-themes, wordpress-interactivity, wordpress-core-data, wordpress-dataviews, wordpress-rest-api, wordpress-abilities-api, wordpress-design-system, wordpress-performance, wordpress-phpstan, wordpress-playground, wordpress-blueprint, wordpress-wpcli-ops, wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines, wordpress-project-triage, remote-data-blocks (plugin-only), gutenberg-contributor.

WordPress

Index skill for the WordPress ecosystem. This file routes unclear or cross-cutting work to the right sub-skill, documents the scope map, and anchors the version baseline.

Baseline: WordPress 6.5+; current: 6.9 (released December 2, 2025). Individual sub-skills state their own feature-specific minimums.

⚠ How to use this index

1. Find the sub-skill in the Quick Route table below.
2. STOP. Invoke Skill <sub-skill-name> before editing code, generating schema, or answering API questions. Do not proceed from this index alone.
3. Do not rely on training data for theme.json fields, block.json schema, Interactivity directives, REST routes, core block names, hook signatures, or any API surface. WordPress ships twice yearly; training data is typically 6–18 months stale and commonly wrong on new fields (e.g. settings.border.radiusSizes added WP 6.9 — absent from most training corpora).
4. Before asserting a field/API does not exist, check the live schema / handbook (schemas.wp.org/trunk/theme.json, developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/reference/, make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes/). Never make a negative claim from memory.

If a task clearly fits one sub-skill, skip this index entirely and load the sub-skill directly.

Quick route

Task	Skill
Building or modernizing a plugin (PHP, hooks, CPTs, security, wp.org)	wordpress-plugin-development
Building or extending a custom block (block.json, edit/save, supports, patterns)	wordpress-blocks
Authoring content with core blocks (serialized markup, fixing "invalid content" errors)	wordpress-block-markup
Building a block theme (theme.json, templates/parts/styles, Site Editor)	wordpress-block-themes
Adding frontend interactivity to a block (directives, store, client navigation)	wordpress-interactivity
Editor-side data layer: @wordpress/data stores, core-data entities, block bindings, useEntityRecord, saveEditedEntityRecord, undo/redo, apiFetch middleware	wordpress-core-data
Admin list/table/grid UIs with @wordpress/dataviews	wordpress-dataviews
Reading or writing WordPress data over HTTP (/wp-json/, custom endpoints, headless)	wordpress-rest-api
WordPress Abilities API (wp_register_ability, wp-abilities/v1, @wordpress/abilities) — WP 6.9+	wordpress-abilities-api
Building UI with @wordpress/components / WordPress Design System (tokens, components, patterns)	wordpress-design-system
Performance profiling/optimization (autoload, object cache, queries, wp profile/wp doctor, Server-Timing)	wordpress-performance
PHPStan for plugins/themes (phpstan.neon, baselines, WP-specific typing, third-party stubs)	wordpress-phpstan
Spinning up disposable WP via Playground CLI (@wp-playground/cli, version switching, Xdebug)	wordpress-playground
Authoring Playground Blueprint JSON (declarative env setup, installPlugin, runPHP, wp-cli steps, bundles)	wordpress-blueprint
WP-CLI ops (search-replace, db export/import, multisite, cron, automation, wp-cli.yml)	wordpress-wpcli-ops
Reviewing a plugin against the 18 wp.org Plugin Directory Guidelines (GPL, naming/trademark, trialware)	wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines
Triaging a WP repo — what kind of project, tooling/test/version detection (deterministic JSON report)	wordpress-project-triage
Displaying remote-API data in Gutenberg without writing a custom block	remote-data-blocks
Contributing to the Gutenberg monorepo (core contributor workflow)	gutenberg-contributor

Sub-skill guide

wordpress-plugin-development

Plugin-level scaffolding: plugin headers, activation/deactivation, CPTs and taxonomies, Settings API, admin menus, $wpdb, options, transients, post meta, WP-Cron, REST routes, admin-ajax, i18n, Plugin Check, wp.org distribution. Load a specialized skill in addition for deep block-specific work, DataViews UIs, or heavy REST API work — this skill owns the plugin shell around them.

wordpress-blocks

Custom block development: block.json, edit/save, deprecation, block supports, patterns, variations, bindings and hooks declared on blocks, and how blocks consume theme.json.

• Use it for building or extending block types.
• Don't use for content authoring (wordpress-block-markup), for the Interactivity API deep-dive (wordpress-interactivity), or for theme.json itself (wordpress-block-themes).

wordpress-block-markup

Writing the serialized block HTML that goes into post_content: delimiter format, attribute serialization, CSS class patterns, validation-safe whitespace, metadata.bindings for connecting core blocks to data. This skill is for authoring, not building.

wordpress-block-themes

Theme-side work: theme.json v3, templates, parts, styles (including style variations and section styles), four-origin CSS cascade, Font Library, fluid typography, classic-to-block migration. Consumers of block APIs, not builders of them.

wordpress-interactivity

Client-side behavior for blocks: directives (data-wp-*), stores, withSyncEvent, async generators, private stores, client-side navigation via the Interactivity Router. Server-rendered-first; reactivity comes from Preact Signals. Covers async patterns and navigation state-sync (merge vs reset) correctly.

wordpress-core-data

Editor-side data layer: @wordpress/data primitives (createReduxStore, useSelect, useDispatch, thunks, resolvers, createSelector, registry.batch, scoped subscribe), @wordpress/core-data entities and hooks (useEntityRecord, useEntityRecords, useEntityProp, useEntityBlockEditor), Block Bindings (registerBlockBindingsSource / register_block_bindings_source, core/post-meta, core/post-data, core/term-data, pattern overrides), apiFetch + middleware + /batch/v1, block_editor_rest_api_preload_paths, undo/redo on core-data, canUser permissions, sidebar plugins / pre-publish panels, save-lock APIs, async / debounce / Suspense / abort, and migration off withSelect / registerStore / source:'meta' / core/edit-post toggles. Owns the four canonical stores (core / core/editor / core/block-editor / core/preferences).

• Use it for anything that touches editor state, entity reads/writes from JS, or wiring blocks to data via bindings.
• Don't use for HTTP-only consumption outside the editor (wordpress-rest-api), block scaffolding (wordpress-blocks), or frontend interactivity (wordpress-interactivity).

wordpress-dataviews

@wordpress/dataviews components for admin list/table/grid UIs: DataViews, DataForm, DataViewsPicker, field definitions, view state, actions, free composition (10 subcomponents), extensibility API. Works in plugins and standalone React apps.

wordpress-rest-api

The /wp-json/ API surface: core endpoints, authentication (Application Passwords, cookies+nonce, JWT), register_rest_route / register_rest_field, WP_REST_Controller, batch operations, headless patterns, wp-admin automation. Covers both consuming and extending the REST API.

remote-data-blocks

The Automattic/WPVIP Remote Data Blocks plugin: HttpQuery, output/input schemas, 4 integrations (Airtable, Google Sheets, Shopify, GitHub), block registration, patterns, hooks. Plugin-specific (requires WP 6.7+, PHP 8.1+).

gutenberg-contributor

Working inside the Gutenberg monorepo: package boundaries, tests, Storybook Vite app, contribution workflow, experimental-API policy. Not for consuming Gutenberg APIs — use the other skills for that.

wordpress-abilities-api

WP 6.9+ Abilities API: wp_register_ability / wp_register_ability_category, meta.show_in_rest, the /wp-json/wp-abilities/v1/* endpoints, and @wordpress/abilities on the JS side. Use whenever you're declaring agent-facing capabilities or diagnosing "ability not visible to client" issues. Pre-6.9 sites need the Abilities API plugin/package.

wordpress-design-system

WordPress Design System (WPDS) — @wordpress/components, @wordpress/ui, design tokens, color/spacing/typography presets, component patterns. Best paired with the WPDS MCP server for canonical component/token lookup. Use for any UI built within the WP/Gutenberg/WooCommerce/Jetpack ecosystem; skip non-UI concerns (data fetching, i18n) and let the more specific skills handle those.

wordpress-performance

Backend-only performance work: wp doctor check, wp profile stage|hook|eval, autoload bloat, persistent object cache, cron storms, remote HTTP calls, and Server-Timing / Query Monitor (headless via REST headers). Includes the WP 6.9 frontend perf wins (on-demand CSS for classic themes, zero render-blocking CSS for default-style block themes, raised inline-CSS limit) so profiling baselines aren't pre-6.9.

wordpress-phpstan

PHPStan setup for plugin/theme/site repos: phpstan.neon paths/excludes, szepeviktor/phpstan-wordpress or php-stubs/wordpress-stubs, baseline as a migration tool (not a trash bin), WP-specific PHPDoc (WP_REST_Request<...>, hook callback @param types, array shapes for $wpdb results), third-party plugin stubs (woocommerce-stubs, acf-pro-stubs).

wordpress-playground

WordPress Playground via @wp-playground/cli (Node ≥20.18): server (auto-mount plugins/themes), run-blueprint, build-snapshot, --wp=/--php= version pinning, --xdebug for IDE debugging, browser-only fragment/query-param launches. Ephemeral SQLite-backed — never against production data.

wordpress-blueprint

Authoring Playground Blueprint JSON: top-level shape, shorthands (login, plugins, siteOptions, constants), resource types (wordpress.org/plugins, git:directory, literal:directory, bundled, zip), the full step catalog (installPlugin/installTheme with pluginData/themeData not the deprecated zip props, runPHP requiring wp-load.php, wp-cli step with hyphen), bundle layout, and the common-mistake table. Pair with wordpress-playground to actually run blueprints.

wordpress-wpcli-ops

WP-CLI operations on real installs: safe wp search-replace sequence (export → dry-run → real → flush), wp db export/import, plugin/theme/user/content management, cron debugging, multisite (--url= vs --network), automation via wp-cli.yml and CI. Includes the safety guardrails (confirm env, target the right path/url, back up before destructive ops).

wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines

The 18 wp.org Plugin Directory guidelines, GPL compliance tables, naming/trademark rules, trialware/freemium evaluation. Load when reviewing a plugin for wp.org submission, evaluating an upsell flow, checking license headers, validating slugs, or answering "why was this rejected from wp.org". Complements wordpress-plugin-development (which builds the plugin) by enforcing the distribution rules.

wordpress-project-triage

Deterministic JSON detector for any WP repo (plugin/theme/block-theme/core checkout/Gutenberg/full site). Run node ~/.claude/skills/wordpress-project-triage/scripts/detect_wp_project.mjs first to know what you're working with — kind, tooling (Composer, Node, @wordpress/scripts), tests (PHPUnit, Playwright, wp-env), version hints. Most other WP skills reference its output.

Cross-cutting features — where they live

Feature	Primary skill	Cross-refs
Block Bindings API (register_block_bindings_source, metadata.bindings, core/post-meta / core/post-data / core/term-data / core/pattern-overrides)	wordpress-core-data (references/block-bindings.md)	Block-side declaration in wordpress-blocks; authoring side in wordpress-block-markup; plugin-registration side in wordpress-plugin-development
Editor data stores / state management (@wordpress/data, core-data, custom Redux stores, useSelect/useDispatch/useEntityRecord, undo/redo)	wordpress-core-data	Plugin shell (CPT/meta registration) in wordpress-plugin-development; block-attribute declaration in wordpress-blocks
apiFetch + /batch/v1 + preload paths (editor side)	wordpress-core-data (references/rest-integration.md)	HTTP-only / headless consumption in wordpress-rest-api
Block Hooks (blockHooks, hooked_block_types, ignoredHookedBlocks)	wordpress-blocks	Theme-side usage in wordpress-block-themes; PHP filters in wordpress-plugin-development
REST API routes (custom endpoints, auth)	wordpress-rest-api	Plugin scaffolding in wordpress-plugin-development
Interactivity directives + stores	wordpress-interactivity	Block-side opt-in in wordpress-blocks; server state registration in wordpress-plugin-development
theme.json	wordpress-block-themes	CSS-variable consumer contract for custom blocks in wordpress-blocks/references/theme-json-integration.md
Block patterns	wordpress-blocks (registration); wordpress-block-markup (authoring)	Theme-bundled patterns in wordpress-block-themes
CPTs, taxonomies, post meta	wordpress-plugin-development	Exposing them to blocks via bindings → wordpress-blocks; visibility in editor → wordpress-core-data
Script Modules	wordpress-plugin-development	Module usage from interactive blocks → wordpress-interactivity; viewScriptModule declaration in wordpress-blocks
Plugin Check / build/release pipeline	wordpress-plugin-development (references/distribution.md, tooling.md)	Plugin-Directory policy review → wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines
wp.org Plugin Directory rules (GPL, naming, trademark, trialware, freemium)	wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines	Plugin shell that must comply → wordpress-plugin-development
Abilities API (wp_register_ability, wp-abilities/v1, @wordpress/abilities)	wordpress-abilities-api	PHP registration shell → wordpress-plugin-development; client consumption pattern → wordpress-core-data
WPDS / @wordpress/components (Button, Modal, Notice, ToggleControl, Card, ToolbarButton, design tokens)	wordpress-design-system	Sidebar plugin / pre-publish panel composition → wordpress-core-data; admin list/table UIs → wordpress-dataviews
Performance (wp doctor, wp profile, autoload, object cache, cron storms, N+1, Server-Timing)	wordpress-performance	Run via WP-CLI → wordpress-wpcli-ops; env detection → wordpress-project-triage
PHPStan / static analysis (phpstan.neon, baselines, WP stubs, hook-callback typing, WP_REST_Request<...>)	wordpress-phpstan	Plugin-shell PHP being analyzed → wordpress-plugin-development; REST endpoint typing → wordpress-rest-api
WP-CLI operations (wp search-replace, wp db, wp plugin, wp cron, multisite, wp-cli.yml)	wordpress-wpcli-ops	Profiling commands → wordpress-performance; env detection → wordpress-project-triage
Playground (disposable WP env)	wordpress-playground (CLI) + wordpress-blueprint (JSON declaration)	Env detection (@wp-playground/cli signal) → wordpress-project-triage
Project detection / triage (kind, tooling, tests, version hints, Abilities-API usage, JSON report)	wordpress-project-triage	Run before any other skill in an unfamiliar repo
6.9 frontend perf (on-demand CSS for classic themes, zero render-blocking CSS for default-style block themes, raised inline-CSS limit)	wordpress-block-themes (in-skill section)	Profiling baselines → wordpress-performance

Routing decision tree

Use when the task doesn't map cleanly to a single skill:

1. Is the deliverable PHP code in a plugin directory? → start with wordpress-plugin-development. If the work inside the plugin is heavy REST, block, or interactivity work, also pull the specific skill.
2. Is the deliverable a custom block? → wordpress-blocks. Add wordpress-interactivity if the block needs frontend JS behavior. Add wordpress-block-markup if you're also writing patterns or static content.
3. Is the deliverable serialized block HTML (content, not code)? → wordpress-block-markup.
4. Is the deliverable theme files? → wordpress-block-themes.
5. Is the deliverable an admin screen / list view? → wordpress-dataviews for the component, wordpress-plugin-development for enqueueing and page registration, wordpress-rest-api for the data source.
6. Is the deliverable HTTP consumption of a WordPress site (headless, automation, bulk ops)? → wordpress-rest-api. 6a. Is the deliverable editor-side state management (custom Redux store, useEntityRecord/useEntityProp, sidebar plugin reading/writing meta, fixing useSelect loops or null-forever entity records, wiring a block to post meta via bindings, modernizing off withSelect/source:'meta')? → wordpress-core-data. Pair with wordpress-plugin-development for the PHP register_post_type / register_post_meta side, with wordpress-blocks for the block-attribute declaration.
7. Does the block need to display data from a remote HTTP API and the user has the Remote Data Blocks plugin available? → remote-data-blocks (short-circuits a lot of custom-block and REST work).
8. Is the task "fix a bug in Gutenberg" or "add a feature to the block editor itself"? → gutenberg-contributor. Anything about consuming editor APIs is one of the other skills.
9. Is the deliverable a UI built with @wordpress/components / WPDS tokens? → wordpress-design-system. Pair with wordpress-dataviews for list/table UIs and wordpress-core-data for state.
10. Performance investigation? → wordpress-performance. Pair with wordpress-wpcli-ops if you need to run wp doctor / wp profile and wordpress-project-triage to confirm the env.
11. Setting up PHPStan, fixing PHPStan errors? → wordpress-phpstan.
12. Need a disposable WP env (Playground)? → wordpress-playground for the CLI; wordpress-blueprint for the JSON declaration.
13. WP-CLI operational task (search-replace, db ops, multisite)? → wordpress-wpcli-ops.
14. Reviewing a plugin against wp.org Plugin Directory rules? → wordpress-plugin-directory-guidelines. Load alongside wordpress-plugin-development when prepping for submission.
15. Building or consuming Abilities API surfaces? → wordpress-abilities-api.
16. Unsure what kind of repo you're in? → wordpress-project-triage first.

Version notes

• WordPress current: 6.9 (December 2, 2025). Most features live in 6.5+ baseline.
• New in 6.9: settings.border.radiusSizes preset array (theme.json); core/post-data and core/term-data Block Bindings sources; Interactivity API unique-directive IDs (---name suffix); router asset auto-loading; core/section, core/math, core/accordion, core/terms-query, core/comments-link, core/comments-count, core/time-to-read blocks; Fit Text typography; Block Processor streaming parser; block_bindings_supported_attributes filter.
• Stable in 6.8: menus private by default in REST (rest_menu_read_access filter), speculative loading filters.
• Stable in 6.5: Block Bindings API, Interactivity API, wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection.
• Stable in 6.4: Block Hooks (blockHooks in block.json).
• The gutenberg-contributor skill tracks Gutenberg plugin trunk, not core version.

When to NOT use this index skill

Skip this skill and go straight to a sub-skill when the task unambiguously fits one of them. The table above exists so Claude can confirm routing without loading this index first. This skill is best when: the user is new to the ecosystem, a task spans multiple skills, or a sub-skill's description didn't match cleanly.

Verifying claims against upstream

When a sub-skill reference might be stale (WordPress ships major versions twice yearly), verify against these live sources before making definitive claims:

Surface	Live source
theme.json schema	https://schemas.wp.org/trunk/theme.json
block.json schema	https://schemas.wp.org/trunk/block.json
REST API reference	https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/reference/
Block Editor handbook	https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/
Release dev-notes	https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes/
Per-release dev-notes (e.g. 6.9)	https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/dev-notes+6-9/
Release field guide	https://make.wordpress.org/core/{major}-{minor}-field-guide/
Gutenberg source of truth	https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg (trunk)

Rule: a negative claim ("X isn't in the schema", "Y doesn't support Z") requires a live check. A positive claim from a sub-skill reference is acceptable if the reference is the authoritative location for that surface.