January 1, 2026

Install WordPress with WP-CLI (with Interactive Prompts)

Install WordPress from the command line using WP-CLI: download core, generate wp-config.php, and run the install in minutes. Then eliminate flag-fatigue with WP-CLI’s interactive --prompt mode and a simple wp-cli.yml so repeat installs feel like a guided wizard.

The classic WordPress “5‑minute install” works, but it’s repetitive: upload files, create a config, click through the web installer, then repeat the same post‑install steps (permalinks, a theme, plugins…). WP‑CLI collapses that workflow into a handful of commands—fast, consistent, and easy to automate.

Even better: WP‑CLI can prompt you interactively so you don’t have to remember (or mistype) every flag.

What you’ll need

A Linux server with PHP and typical WordPress extensions installed
MySQL/MariaDB
A domain mapped to your server with a working web root (docroot)
SSH access

Tip: For best security and fewer permission headaches, run WP‑CLI as the same user that owns the site files (often a per‑site user, or www-data).

Step 1: Install WP‑CLI

Download the WP‑CLI Phar, verify it runs, and place it on your PATH:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar
php wp-cli.phar --info
chmod +x wp-cli.phar
sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp
wp --info

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar

php wp-cli.phar --info

chmod +x wp-cli.phar

sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

wp --info

Step 2: Go to your site directory

Move into your site’s docroot (examples):

/var/www/example.com/public_html
/var/www/example.com/html

cd /var/www/example.com/public_html

1 2	cd /var/www/example.com/public_html

If your web files are owned by www-data, you can run:

sudo -u www-data -H wp --info

1 2	sudo -u www-data -H wp --info

Step 3: Create a database and DB user

Create a dedicated database + user for this WordPress site.

mysql -u root -p

1 2	mysql -u root -p

Then in the MySQL prompt:

CREATE DATABASE wp_example DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'wp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_example.* TO 'wp_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

CREATE DATABASE wp_example DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

CREATE USER 'wp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE';

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_example.* TO 'wp_user'@'localhost';

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

EXIT;

Step 4: Download WordPress core

wp core download --locale=en_US

1 2	wp core download --locale=en_US

Step 5: Create `wp-config.php`

Generate your config with WP‑CLI:

wp config create \
  --dbname=wp_example \
  --dbuser=wp_user \
  --dbpass='STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE' \
  --dbhost=localhost \
  --dbprefix=wp_

wp config create \

--dbname=wp_example \

--dbuser=wp_user \

--dbpass='STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE' \

--dbhost=localhost \

--dbprefix=wp_

Step 6: Run the WordPress install

This creates the tables and the initial admin user:

wp core install \
  --url="https://example.com" \
  --title="My Site Title" \
  --admin_user="admin" \
  --admin_password="A_DIFFERENT_STRONG_PASSWORD" \
  --admin_email="you@example.com"

wp core install \

--url="https://example.com" \

--title="My Site Title" \

--admin_user="admin" \

--admin_password="A_DIFFERENT_STRONG_PASSWORD" \

--admin_email="you@example.com"

Step 7: Set pretty permalinks (common post‑install step)

wp rewrite structure '/%postname%/' --hard
wp rewrite flush --hard

wp rewrite structure '/%postname%/' --hard

wp rewrite flush --hard

Make it painless: use interactive prompts

The annoying part of WP‑CLI isn’t the commands—it’s remembering and typing the flags precisely.

WP‑CLI has a built‑in fix: --prompt.

Prompt for anything you didn’t specify

wp core install --prompt

1 2	wp core install --prompt

Prompt only for sensitive values (like passwords)

This keeps secrets out of shell history and reduces copy/paste mistakes:

wp config create --dbname=wp_example --dbuser=wp_user --prompt=dbpass

1 2	wp config create --dbname=wp_example --dbuser=wp_user --prompt=dbpass

Bonus: stop retyping flags with `wp-cli.yml`

If you’re always passing things like --path=/var/www/..., set defaults once with a local config file.

Create a wp-cli.yml in your site directory:

path: /var/www/example.com/public_html

1 2	path: /var/www/example.com/public_html

Now you can run WP‑CLI from anywhere without repeatedly specifying --path.

Troubleshooting quick hits

“This does not seem to be a WordPress installation” → you’re in the wrong directory; cd into the docroot where you ran wp core download.
Permission errors → run WP‑CLI as the site owner user, and ensure ownership/permissions are correct.
Missing PHP extensions → install the required modules and restart PHP‑FPM/Apache.

Wrap‑up

With WP‑CLI you can install WordPress in minutes—and with --prompt and wp-cli.yml, you can make it feel like a repeatable, low‑friction “installer wizard” you can use again and again.