# Pressship for AI agents

Official instructions for agents using Pressship to prepare WordPress.org plugins for publishing.

Pressship is a CLI and local Studio for WordPress.org plugin workflows: inspect plugin metadata, validate readme.txt, run Plugin Check, package installable zips, submit or reupload review packages, release approved plugins through SVN, and open WordPress Playground demos.

## Start here

If the user asks you to prepare, validate, package, submit, reupload, or release a WordPress.org plugin, use Pressship in this order:

1. Identify the plugin root. Do not assume the repository root is the plugin root if multiple plugins or build outputs exist.
2. Check the current account and route when credentials are available:

```bash
pressship whoami
pressship info .
pressship status .
```

3. Validate before packaging:

```bash
pressship verify .
```

4. Package only after validation is understood:

```bash
pressship pack .
```

5. Dry-run publishing before any upload, reupload, SVN commit, or release tag:

```bash
pressship publish . --dry-run -y
```

6. Ask the user before running a mutating publish command, committing to SVN, creating tags, changing git, or bypassing validation.

## Install Pressship

Prefer the local project command when available:

```bash
npx pressship verify .
npx pressship publish . --dry-run -y
```

For repeated use:

```bash
npm install -g pressship
pressship verify .
```

WP-CLI users can install the package and use the `wp ship` command:

```bash
wp package install Automattic/pressship
wp ship verify .
wp ship publish . --dry-run
```

## Install the agent skill

When your agent environment supports skills, install the Pressship publishing skill:

```bash
npx skills add Automattic/pressship --skill wordpress-plugin-publish -a codex
```

For Claude Code:

```bash
npx skills add Automattic/pressship --skill wordpress-plugin-publish -a claude-code
```

The skill enforces a cautious flow: inspect first, dry-run before mutation, keep Plugin Check findings visible, and report what happened.

## Route selection

Use `pressship publish . --dry-run -y` to let Pressship detect the route:

- New plugin: prepares a WordPress.org submission upload.
- Pending review plugin: prepares a reupload.
- Approved plugin: prepares an SVN release.

For approved plugins, you can force the release route:

```bash
pressship publish . --release --dry-run -y
```

Only run the non-dry-run command after the user approves the exact route:

```bash
pressship publish . -y
pressship publish . --release -y
```

## Existing SVN plugins

For an existing WordPress.org SVN plugin, use the checkout-root flow:

```bash
pressship get my-plugin ./my-plugin
cd ./my-plugin
pressship version patch
pressship publish --release --dry-run -y
```

Ask before the final release command:

```bash
pressship publish --release -y
```

## Human checkpoints

Always ask before:

- Uploading or reuploading to WordPress.org.
- Committing to SVN or creating release tags.
- Changing git commits, branches, tags, or remotes.
- Using `--no-verify`.
- Ignoring Plugin Check warnings as acceptable.
- Publishing from a generated build folder when the source plugin root is unclear.

## Final report

At the end, tell the user:

- whether `verify` ran;
- whether a publishing dry run ran;
- Plugin Check result summary;
- package size and notable included or excluded files;
- selected route: new submission, reupload, or SVN release;
- upload or release status and slug, if mutation was approved;
- whether git and SVN were left untouched or changed.

## Useful docs

- Agent skill guide: https://pressship.org/docs/guides/agent-skill
- Getting started: https://pressship.org/docs/getting-started
- Publish command: https://pressship.org/docs/commands/publish
- Pack command: https://pressship.org/docs/commands/pack
- Studio command: https://pressship.org/docs/commands/studio