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Managing WordPress from the command line with the cPanel WP Toolkit

The WP Toolkit in cPanel includes a command‑line utility (wp-toolkit) that allows you to perform WordPress administrative tasks directly from the terminal. This is especially useful for developers and system administrators who prefer automation or need to manage multiple WordPress sites efficiently.

Why Use the Command Line?

Section titled “Why Use the Command Line?”
  • Faster than navigating through the cPanel interface.
  • Automate repetitive tasks with scripts or cron jobs.
  • Manage multiple WordPress installations at once.
  • Access advanced features not always available in the GUI.

Common Tasks with wp-toolkit

Section titled “Common Tasks with wp-toolkit”

1. View Help

Section titled “1. View Help”

Displays available commands and options.

wp-toolkit --help

2. List WordPress Installations

Section titled “2. List WordPress Installations”
wp-toolkit --list

Shows all WordPress sites managed by WP Toolkit, including paths, versions, and URLs.

3. Display Installation Information

Section titled “3. Display Installation Information”
wp-toolkit --info -instance-id X

Replace X with the installation ID. Outputs details such as:

  • Installation path
  • Website URL
  • WordPress version
  • Admin email
  • Security status
  • Installed plugins and themes

4. Manage Plugins and Themes with Sets

Section titled “4. Manage Plugins and Themes with Sets”

You can group plugins and themes into sets for easier deployment.

  • Add a plugin to the cache:

    wp-toolkit --plugins -operation add -source-url https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/hello-dolly.1.7.2.zip

  • Add a theme to the cache:

    wp-toolkit --themes -operation add -source-url https://downloads.wordpress.org/theme/twentytwenty.1.8.zip

  • Create a set:

wp-toolkit --sets -operation add -name Basic
  • Install a set on a WordPress site:
wp-toolkit --sets -operation install -set-id 7 -instance-id X

5. Configure Smart Updates

Section titled “5. Configure Smart Updates”
wp-toolkit --smart-update -operation enable -instance-id X

Enables Smart Updates, which test updates on a cloned site before applying them live.

6. Back Up and Restore

Section titled “6. Back Up and Restore”
  • Back up:
wp-toolkit --backup -operation backup -instance-id X

Creates a .tar.gz backup file.

  • Restore:
wp-toolkit --backup -operation restore -instance-id X -filename backupfile.tar.gz

7. Reset Administrator Password

Section titled “7. Reset Administrator Password”
wp-toolkit --site-admin-reset-password -admin-login username -instance-id X

Generates a new password for the specified admin account.

8. Automate with Cron Jobs

Section titled “8. Automate with Cron Jobs”

Example: Daily backup at 2:15 AM

15 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/wp-toolkit --backup -operation backup -instance-id X >/dev/null 2>&1