WordPress announced wp-playground, a new AI agent skill designed to be used with the Playground CLI so AI agents can run WordPress for testing and check their work as they write code. The skill helps agents test code quickly while they work.
Playground CLI
Playground is a WordPress sandbox that enables users to run a full WordPress site without setting it all up on a traditional server. It is used for testing plugins, creating and adjusting themes, and experimenting safely without affecting a live site.
The new AI agent skill is for use with Playground CLI, which runs locally and requires knowledge of terminal commands, Node.js, and npm to manage local WordPress environments.
The wp-playground skill starts WordPress automatically and determines where generated code should exist inside the installation. The skill then mounts the code into the correct directory, which allows the agent to move directly from generated code to a running the WordPress site without manual setup.
Once WordPress is running, the agent can test behavior and verify results using common tools. In testing, agents interacted with WordPress through tools like curl and Playwright, checked outcomes, applied fixes, and then re-tested using the same environment. This process creates a repeatable loop where the agent can confirm whether a change works before making further changes.
The skill also includes helper scripts that manage startup and shutdown. These scripts reduce the time it takes for WordPress to become ready for testing from about a minute to only a few seconds. The Playground CLI can also log into WP-Admin automatically, which removes another manual step during testing.
The creator of the AI agent skill, Brandon Payton, is quoted explaining how it works:
“AI agents work better when they have a clear feedback loop. That’s why I made the wp-playground skill. It gives agents an easy way to test WordPress code and makes building and experimenting with WordPress a lot more accessible.”
The WordPress AI agent skill release also introduces a new GitHub repository dedicated to hosting WordPress agent skill. Planned ideas include persistent Playground sites tied to a project directory, running commands against existing Playground instances, and Blueprint generation.
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