Use when developing WordPress plugins: architecture and hooks, activation/deactivation/uninstall, admin UI and Settings API, data storage, cron/tasks, security (nonces/capabilities/sanitization/escaping), and release packaging.
Add this skill
npx mdskills install WordPress/wp-plugin-developmentComprehensive WordPress plugin development guide with strong security focus and clear procedural steps
Teach AI coding assistants how to build WordPress the right way.
Agent Skills are portable bundles of instructions, checklists, and scripts that help AI assistants (Claude, Copilot, Codex, Cursor, etc.) understand WordPress development patterns, avoid common mistakes, and follow best practices.
AI Authorship Disclosure: These skills were generated using GPT-5.2 Codex (High Reasoning) from official Gutenberg and WordPress documentation, then reviewed and edited by WordPress contributors. We tested skills with AI assistants and iterated based on results. This is v1, and skills will improve as the community uses them and contributes fixes. See docs/ai-authorship.md for details. (WordPress AI Guidelines)
AI coding assistants are powerful, but they often:
Agent Skills solve this by giving AI assistants expert-level WordPress knowledge in a format they can actually use.
| Skill | What it teaches |
|---|---|
| wordpress-router | Classifies WordPress repos and routes to the right workflow |
| wp-project-triage | Detects project type, tooling, and versions automatically |
| wp-block-development | Gutenberg blocks: block.json, attributes, rendering, deprecations |
| wp-block-themes | Block themes: theme.json, templates, patterns, style variations |
| wp-plugin-development | Plugin architecture, hooks, settings API, security |
| wp-rest-api | REST API routes/endpoints, schema, auth, and response shaping |
| wp-interactivity-api | Frontend interactivity with data-wp-* directives and stores |
| wp-abilities-api | Capability-based permissions and REST API authentication |
| wp-wpcli-and-ops | WP-CLI commands, automation, multisite, search-replace |
| wp-performance | Profiling, caching, database optimization, Server-Timing |
| wp-phpstan | PHPStan static analysis for WordPress projects (config, baselines, WP-specific typing) |
| wp-playground | WordPress Playground for instant local environments |
| wpds | WordPress Design System |
# Clone agent-skills
git clone https://github.com/WordPress/agent-skills.git
cd agent-skills
# Build the distribution
node shared/scripts/skillpack-build.mjs --clean
# Install all skills globally (available across all projects)
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --global
# Or install specific skills only
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --global --skills=wp-playground,wp-block-development
This installs skills to ~/.claude/skills/ where Claude Code will automatically discover them.
# Clone agent-skills
git clone https://github.com/WordPress/agent-skills.git
cd agent-skills
# Build the distribution
node shared/scripts/skillpack-build.mjs --clean
# Install into your WordPress project
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --dest=../your-wp-project --targets=codex,vscode,claude,cursor
This copies skills into:
.codex/skills/ for OpenAI Codex.github/skills/ for VS Code / GitHub Copilot.claude/skills/ for Claude Code (project-level).cursor/skills/ for Cursor (project-level)node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --targets=cursor-global
This installs skills to ~/.cursor/skills/ where Cursor will discover them.
# List available skills
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --list
# Dry run (preview without installing)
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --global --dry-run
# Install specific skills to a project (e.g. Claude + Cursor)
node shared/scripts/skillpack-install.mjs --dest=../my-repo --targets=claude,cursor --skills=wp-wpcli-and-ops
Copy any skill folder from skills/ into your project's instructions directory for your AI assistant.
Each skill contains:
skills/wp-block-development/
├── SKILL.md # Main instructions (when to use, procedure, verification)
├── references/ # Deep-dive docs on specific topics
│ ├── block-json.md
│ ├── deprecations.md
│ └── ...
└── scripts/ # Deterministic helpers (detection, validation)
└── list_blocks.mjs
When you ask your AI assistant to work on WordPress code, it reads these skills and follows the documented procedures rather than guessing.
We welcome contributions! This project is a great way to share your WordPress expertise—you don't need to be a coding wizard. Most skills are written in Markdown, focusing on clear procedures and best practices.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for details on how to get started.
Quick commands:
# Scaffold a new skill
node shared/scripts/scaffold-skill.mjs ""
# Validate skills
node eval/harness/run.mjs
GPL-2.0-or-later
Best experience: Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add WordPress/wp-plugin-developmentThen /plugin menu → select skill → restart. Use /skill-name:init for first-time setup.
Other platforms
Install via CLI
npx mdskills install WordPress/wp-plugin-developmentWp Plugin Development is a free, open-source AI agent skill. Use when developing WordPress plugins: architecture and hooks, activation/deactivation/uninstall, admin UI and Settings API, data storage, cron/tasks, security (nonces/capabilities/sanitization/escaping), and release packaging.
Install Wp Plugin Development with a single command:
npx mdskills install WordPress/wp-plugin-developmentThis downloads the skill files into your project and your AI agent picks them up automatically.
Wp Plugin Development works with Targets Wordpress 6.9+ (Php 7.2.24+). Filesystem Based Agent With Bash + Node. Some Workflows Require Wp Cli.. Skills use the open SKILL.md format which is compatible with any AI coding agent that reads markdown instructions.