create-wp-plugin

CLI scaffolding tool for production-ready WordPress plugins — with built-in Claude Code support.

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What it does

One command generates a complete, opinionated WordPress plugin structure — the same way wp scaffold plugin does, but with a modern PHP 8.1+ architecture, REST API, PHPUnit tests, and a full Claude Code memory system baked in.

my-awesome-plugin/
├── CLAUDE.md                        ← Claude Code persistent memory
├── .claude/
│   ├── settings.json                ← Permissions & hooks
│   ├── skills/code-review/SKILL.md  ← Auto-invoked WP security review
│   ├── skills/testing/SKILL.md      ← PHPUnit patterns
│   ├── commands/deploy.md           ← /deploy slash command
│   └── agents/security-reviewer.md  ← Pre-release security audit agent
├── my-awesome-plugin.php            ← Plugin header & bootstrap
├── src/
│   ├── includes/
│   │   ├── class-plugin.php         ← Main orchestrator
│   │   ├── class-activator.php      ← DB setup & defaults
│   │   └── class-deactivator.php
│   ├── admin/class-settings.php     ← Settings API page
│   ├── frontend/class-assets.php    ← Enqueue scripts/styles
│   └── api/class-rest-controller.php← REST API (CRUD)
├── assets/css/ & assets/js/
├── languages/
├── tests/
│   ├── bootstrap.php
│   └── unit/Test_Settings.php
├── composer.json                    ← PHPCS + PHPUnit
├── package.json                     ← @wordpress/scripts
└── phpunit.xml

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Requirements

Tool	Version
Node.js	≥ 18.0.0
npm	≥ 9.0.0

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Quick Start

# No install needed — use npx
npx create-wp-plugin

# Or install globally
npm install -g create-wp-plugin
create-wp-plugin

The CLI will interactively ask for:

• Plugin slug, name, description
• Author name & URI
• PHP namespace & hook prefix
• Minimum WordPress / PHP versions
• Features to include (admin page, REST API, tests, Claude Code, DB table, WP-CLI command, Gutenberg block)

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Usage

Interactive (recommended)

npx create-wp-plugin

With a slug argument

npx create-wp-plugin my-awesome-plugin

Non-interactive (CI / scripting)

npx create-wp-plugin my-awesome-plugin \
  --author "Jane Doe" \
  --author-uri "https://janedoe.dev" \
  --namespace "MyAwesomePlugin" \
  --prefix "myawesomeplugin" \
  --min-wp "6.4" \
  --min-php "8.2" \
  --no-claude \
  --no-tests

All flags

Flag	Description	Default
[slug]	Plugin slug (positional)	prompted
--author <name>	Author name	prompted
--author-uri <url>	Author URI	prompted
--plugin-uri <url>	Plugin URI	prompted
--namespace <ns>	PHP root namespace	derived from slug
--prefix <prefix>	Hook/option prefix	derived from slug
--min-wp <version>	Min WordPress version	6.0
--min-php <version>	Min PHP version	8.1
--no-claude	Skip Claude Code files	claude included
--no-tests	Skip PHPUnit scaffold	tests included
--no-rest-api	Skip REST controller	REST included
--no-admin	Skip admin settings page	admin included
--no-git	Skip .gitignore	gitignore included
-V, --version	Print version
-h, --help	Print help

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After Scaffolding

cd my-awesome-plugin

# Install PHP dependencies (PHPCS + PHPUnit)
composer install

# Install JS dependencies (@wordpress/scripts)
npm install

# Start asset watcher
npm run start

# Open in Claude Code
claude

Available commands in your new plugin

# PHP
composer lint          # PHPCS — WordPress Coding Standards
composer lint:fix      # Auto-fix PHPCS errors
composer test          # PHPUnit — all tests
composer test:unit     # Unit tests only (fast, no WP needed)
composer test:coverage # HTML coverage report

# JS
npm run start          # Webpack watch
npm run build          # Production build
npm run lint:js        # ESLint
npm run lint:css       # Stylelint
npm run makepot        # Generate .pot translation file

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Claude Code Integration

When --claude is enabled (default), the scaffold writes a full Claude Code memory system:

File	Purpose
CLAUDE.md	Project memory — stack, architecture, gotchas, workflow rules
.claude/settings.json	Permissions (allow/deny) + PostToolUse lint hook
.claude/skills/code-review/SKILL.md	Auto-invoked WP security checklist
.claude/skills/testing/SKILL.md	PHPUnit + WP_Mock patterns
.claude/commands/deploy.md	/deploy slash command
.claude/agents/security-reviewer.md	Pre-release audit agent

All files are pre-filled with your plugin's namespace, prefix, and text domain — no manual find-and-replace needed.

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Optional Features

WP-CLI Command

Generates src/cli/class-cli-command.php with a wp <prefix> list command wired up.

Gutenberg Block

Generates src/blocks/example-block/ with block.json and index.js using @wordpress/scripts.

Custom DB Table

Generates a CREATE TABLE migration in the Activator with proper dbDelta(), charset collation, and indexed columns.

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Architecture Decisions

• PSR-4 autoloading via Composer — no require chains
• Single entry file bootstrap pattern — plugins_loaded hook, priority 10
• Settings API for all options — never raw $_POST
• WordPress Coding Standards enforced via PHPCS
• WP_Mock for unit tests — no WordPress bootstrap needed for fast tests
• $wpdb->prepare() enforced in all templates — no raw SQL interpolation

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.

# Clone and set up
git clone https://github.com/siddik-web/create-wp-plugin.git
cd create-wp-plugin
npm install

# Run the CLI locally
node bin/create-wp-plugin.js my-test-plugin

# Run tests
npm test

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Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md.

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License

MIT © create-wp-plugin contributors