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Creating WP-CLI Script To Automate Task Insertion

Published on May 28, 2025

Last updated on June 30, 2025

To speed up my workflow, I created a small shell script that runs from the terminal inside my local WordPress dev folder. It uses WP-CLI to instantly create new posts with just a title and excerpt, using a default featured image.

Here’s the full script:

#!/bin/bash

read -p "Title: " TITLE
read -p "Summary: " SUMMARY

FEATURED_IMAGE_ID=263

wp post create \
  --post_type=post \
  --post_title="$TITLE" \
  --post_content="$SUMMARY" \
  --post_excerpt="$SUMMARY" \
  --post_status=publish \
  --post_author=1 \
  --meta_input="{\"_thumbnail_id\":$FEATURED_IMAGE_ID}"

🧠 Why I Use It

This script lets me:

  • Quickly generate task placeholders on the site
  • Add a title and summary in seconds
  • Automatically include a default thumbnail

Once the task is completed, I simply convert the post into a chapter using this command:

wp post update 331 --post_type=chapter

(where 331 is the post ID)

🏠 Home Page Logic

My homepage logic uses both post_type and category to determine what gets shown:

  • Posts marked as tasks appear in a planning section.
  • When converted to chapter and edited with full content, they show up in the published index.

This flow lets me easily manage what’s live, in-progress, or still being planned — all from the command line.

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