| name | testing-wp-runtime |
| description | Guidelines for running wp-now to validate WordPress plugins and themes at runtime |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
When to use me
Use this skill when you need to verify that a WordPress plugin or theme loads correctly at runtime.
Do not use this skill for static linting — use testing-php or testing-js for that.
Step 1: Determine the project mode
wp-now requires a --mode flag based on the project type:
- Plugin project (main PHP file has a
Plugin Name: header): use --mode=plugin
- Theme project (contains
style.css with Theme Name: header): use --mode=theme
Check the project root to determine which mode to use:
head -20 *.php style.css 2>/dev/null
Step 2: Start wp-now
Start wp-now in the background on an available port:
wp-now start --mode=<plugin|theme> --port=8881 &
Wait a few seconds for the server to initialize, then verify it is running:
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:8881/
- HTTP 200 or 302 = server is running and WordPress loaded successfully.
- HTTP 500 = a fatal PHP error occurred — check debug log.
- Connection refused = server failed to start.