WordPress wp-cli "This does not seem to be a WordPress installation" in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

WP-CLI walks up from the current directory looking for wp-load.php to bootstrap WordPress. In CI the checkout often has core in a subfolder (or not at all yet), so wp finds nothing and stops before running your command.

What this error means

Any wp ... command fails immediately with "Error: This does not seem to be a WordPress installation. Pass --path=path/to/wordpress or run wp core download."

Error: This does not seem to be a WordPress installation.
Pass --path=`path/to/wordpress` or run `wp core download`.

Common causes

WordPress core is in a subdirectory

Bedrock and many setups keep core under web/wp or wordpress/, but the step runs wp from the repo root where there is no wp-load.php.

Core was never downloaded into the runner

A fresh checkout has only your theme or plugin, not WordPress itself, so wp has nothing to bootstrap.

How to fix it

Point wp at the core directory

1. Locate the folder that contains wp-load.php in your checkout.
2. Pass it with --path on every wp call, or set it once in wp-cli.yml.
3. Re-run the command from any directory.

wp core version --path=web/wp

Download core first when it is not present

If the runner has no WordPress at all, fetch it before running wp commands.

wp core download --path=web/wp --skip-content

How to prevent it

• Set path: in a committed wp-cli.yml so every wp call resolves core.
• Run wp steps from the directory that holds wp-load.php.
• Download or restore core early in the job for plugin/theme-only repos.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• Composer documentation
• GitHub Actions documentation