Every GUI local dev tool has a point where you would rather type a command and move on. Version 1.7.0 is where the WordPress Studio CLI gets there. It used to be a thin thing for preview sites. It now covers local site management, authentication and WP-CLI.
I have spent too many hours clicking through Electron apps to restart a site or change a port. That adds up when you are running dozens of client projects and what you want is repeatability. This update pushes WordPress Studio out of the beginner-app category and into something I would use on paid work.
The studio site commands
The main addition in this release is the studio site command suite. The CLI used to feel like an afterthought. You can now create, start, stop and delete local environments without touching a mouse, which counts for a lot if you have ever dealt with the workflow headache of managing multiple client sites.
Spinning up a specific environment looks like this:
# Create a new site with HTTPS and a custom local domain
studio site create --https --domain myproject.wp.local --path ./my-siteThat one command sets up the environment, starts the server and opens the admin. If you already build with WordPress Blueprints, the CLI is what lets you drive those setups from a script.
WP-CLI without the config wrangling
The usual snag with local dev tools is getting your system WP-CLI to talk to the tool’s internal database. You end up hunting socket paths or pasting DB credentials into wp-cli.yml. The WordPress Studio CLI sidesteps that by wrapping WP-CLI itself.
Run studio wp and the command executes inside the Studio environment. There is nothing to configure. It also means a command you write down today runs the same way for whoever picks up the project next, which is the whole point of killing off “it works on my machine.”
# List plugins and check for updates inside the Studio context
studio wp plugin list --status=active
# Run a database migration after a core update
studio wp core update-dbHanding the CLI to an AI agent
This is the part I care about if you use Claude Code or Cursor. An agent can only do what its tools let it do. Enable the CLI in the Studio settings and the agent can reach your local sites directly. Prompt it to “Spin up a new local site called ‘Testing Lab’ and install the latest WooCommerce” and it will run the studio commands to get there.
Set boundaries first. I once let an agent loose on a directory and it came close to deleting a legacy site because I had not been specific about the --path. Tell the agent to confirm its working directory before it runs anything like studio site delete.
The official Studio CLI documentation has the full flag list.
If the WordPress Studio CLI side of your setup is eating your dev hours, I can take it over. I have been working with WordPress since the 4.x days.
Worth the update
1.7.0 is more than a patch release. It moves Studio toward automation as the default, whether you are scripting deployments yourself or letting an agent handle the repetitive setup. Update the app, turn the CLI on in the settings, and do the rest from the terminal.
