@wordpress/env (wp-env)

Zero-config, Docker-based local WordPress development environment for plugins, themes, and core.

When to use

• User asks to set up a local WordPress development environment
• Project contains a .wp-env.json file
• User mentions wp-env, @wordpress/env, or Docker-based WordPress development
• User wants to run WP-CLI commands, PHPUnit tests, or debug with Xdebug locally
• Triage detects a plugin or theme project that needs a local WordPress instance

wp-env or wp-playground? For a quick local WordPress, prefer the wp-playground skill by default — it's faster, disposable, and needs no Docker. Use wp-env when the task actually requires it:

• the repo already contains a .wp-env.json
• a real MySQL database is needed (PHPUnit against the DB, wp db commands, data that survives restarts)
• arbitrary commands must run inside the environment (shell access, Composer, full WP-CLI via wp-env run)
• this is a WordPress core or Gutenberg checkout
• the user explicitly asks for wp-env or Docker

wp-env can also run without Docker by using Playground as its runtime (npx @wordpress/env start --runtime=playground, experimental). That is still wp-env, driven by the same .wp-env.json, so treat it as a Docker-free fallback for a project that already carries wp-env config, not as a third option. It swaps MySQL for SQLite and drops wp-env run and the separate tests environment, which are most of the reasons to pick wp-env in the first place. For a quick Docker-free WordPress with no wp-env config, use the wp-playground skill directly.

Inputs required

1. Docker status -- verify Docker is installed and running: docker info
2. Node.js version -- must be >= 18.12.0: node -v
3. Project type -- plugin, theme, or full site (check for .wp-env.json, plugin headers, or style.css theme headers)
4. Existing config -- read .wp-env.json and .wp-env.override.json if present

Procedure

1. Install wp-env

# Global (recommended)
npm -g install @wordpress/env

# Or project-local
npm i @wordpress/env --save-dev
# Then use: npx wp-env start

2. Start the environment

wp-env start

Default credentials:

• URL: http://localhost:8888/wp-admin/
• Username: admin
• Password: password

Common start options:

• wp-env start --update -- pull latest sources and reconfigure
• wp-env start --xdebug -- enable Xdebug (debug mode)
• wp-env start --xdebug=profile,trace -- multiple Xdebug modes
• wp-env start --auto-port -- find available ports when defaults are busy

3. Auto-detection (no config file)

When no .wp-env.json exists, wp-env scans the current directory:

Detected type	How detected	Auto-config
Plugin	Plugin Name: header in a root .php file	{ "plugins": ["."] }
Theme	Theme Name: header in style.css	{ "themes": ["."] }
Core	wp-includes/version.php exists	{ "core": "." }

4. Configure with .wp-env.json

Place at the project root. All fields are optional.

{
  "core": null,
  "phpVersion": "8.1",
  "plugins": [
    ".",
    "https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/akismet.zip",
    "WordPress/classic-editor"
  ],
  "themes": [],
  "port": 8888,
  "multisite": false,
  "phpmyadmin": false,
  "config": {
    "WP_DEBUG": true,
    "SCRIPT_DEBUG": true
  },
  "mappings": {
    "wp-content/mu-plugins": "./mu-plugins"
  },
  "lifecycleScripts": {
    "afterStart": "wp-env run cli wp rewrite structure /%postname%/"
  }
}

Source string formats (for core, plugins, themes, mappings)

Format	Example
Local path	".", "./path", "../path"
GitHub shorthand	"WordPress/classic-editor", "owner/repo#branch"
ZIP URL	"https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/akismet.zip"
Git SSH	"ssh://user@host/repo.git#ref"

GOTCHA: WordPress.org plugin/theme slugs (bare names like "akismet") do NOT work. Use the full ZIP URL.

Local overrides with .wp-env.override.json

Create .wp-env.override.json next to .wp-env.json for personal settings (gitignored). Only config and mappings are merged -- all other fields (including plugins and themes arrays) fully replace the base.

5. Run commands in containers

# WP-CLI commands
wp-env run cli wp user list
wp-env run cli wp plugin list
wp-env run cli wp option update blogname "My Site"
wp-env run cli "wp rewrite structure /%postname%/"

# Run commands in a specific directory
wp-env run cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/my-plugin composer install

# PHPUnit tests
wp-env run cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/my-plugin vendor/bin/phpunit

# Pass flags with -- separator
wp-env run cli php -- --version

# MySQL access
wp-env run mysql mysql -- --user=root --password=password wordpress

Available containers: mysql, wordpress, cli, composer, phpmyadmin.

6. Manage the environment

wp-env stop                    # Stop and free ports
wp-env reset development       # Reset dev database (keeps test)
wp-env reset all               # Reset all databases
wp-env logs                    # Stream PHP/Docker logs
wp-env logs --no-watch         # Print logs and exit
wp-env status                  # Show URLs, ports, config
wp-env status --json           # Machine-readable status
wp-env cleanup                 # Remove containers/volumes (keep images)
wp-env destroy                 # Remove everything including images

7. Xdebug setup

wp-env start --xdebug          # Enable debug mode
wp-env start --xdebug=coverage # For code coverage
wp-env start                   # Disable Xdebug (restart without flag)

Modes: debug, profile, trace, develop, coverage.

IDE listens on port 9003. VS Code launch.json needs:

{
  "type": "php",
  "request": "launch",
  "name": "Listen for Xdebug",
  "port": 9003,
  "pathMappings": {
    "/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/your-plugin": "${workspaceFolder}"
  }
}

8. Multisite

{ "multisite": true, "plugins": ["."] }

Verification

• wp-env status shows running containers with correct ports
• http://localhost:8888/wp-admin/ loads the WordPress admin
• wp-env run cli wp plugin list shows expected plugins
• Plugin/theme under development appears in the WordPress admin
• Database resets work: wp-env reset development

Failure modes / debugging

Symptom	Cause	Fix
"Cannot connect to Docker daemon"	Docker not running	Start Docker Desktop
"Port 8888 already in use"	Port conflict	Use --auto-port or set custom port in .wp-env.json
Plugin not appearing	Missing Plugin Name: header in main PHP file	Add standard plugin header comment
"Could not find a valid source"	Invalid source string in config	Use full ZIP URL for wp.org plugins, not bare slugs
Stale environment after source changes	Cached Docker volumes	wp-env start --update or wp-env destroy && wp-env start
White screen / PHP errors	Corrupted database	wp-env reset all && wp-env start
Override not taking effect	Wrong merge behavior	plugins/themes in override replace base arrays; only config/mappings merge
Tests environment not accessible	Wrong port	Test environment runs on port 8889 by default
Xdebug not connecting	IDE not listening or wrong port	Ensure IDE listens on port 9003 with correct pathMappings
npm global install permission error	Node installed to a system path	Use nvm, or install locally: npm i -D @wordpress/env and run via npx wp-env

Escalation

• Docker issues beyond wp-env scope (networking, disk space, WSL2 backend)
• Custom Docker Compose configurations that conflict with wp-env
• CI/CD pipeline integration requiring non-standard Docker setups
• WordPress Playground runtime (--runtime=playground) is experimental and has limited feature parity

References

• Official documentation
• Getting started guide
• Source code