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WP-CLI Theme Commands

Theme commands manage WordPress themes from the terminal — installing, activating, updating, and auditing what’s on the site. Same pattern as plugin commands, different scope.

wp-cli-themes — bash

Commands

wp theme list

Lists all installed themes with status, version, and available updates.

Plaintext
wp theme list
wp theme list --status=active
wp theme list --status=inactive
wp theme list --format=json

WordPress always has one active theme. Everything else is inactive. Use this to audit what’s installed before cleanup or deployment.

wp theme install

Installs a theme from the WordPress.org repository, a ZIP file, or a remote URL.

Plaintext
wp theme install storefront
wp theme install storefront --activate
wp theme install /path/to/theme.zip
wp theme install https://example.com/theme.zip
wp theme install storefront --version=4.4.0

--activate installs and switches to the theme immediately. Use a ZIP path or URL for premium or custom themes. --version pins a specific release.

wp theme activate

Switches the active theme.

Plaintext
wp theme activate twentytwentyfour
wp theme activate storefront

One active theme at a time. Switching themes does not delete the previous one — it becomes inactive. Note: switching theme may affect menus, widgets, and customizer settings.

wp theme update

Updates themes to the latest available version.

Plaintext
wp theme update storefront
wp theme update --all
wp theme update --all --dry-run

--all updates every installed theme. --dry-run shows what would be updated without making changes. Always check for child theme dependencies before updating a parent theme.

wp theme delete

Removes a theme from the filesystem.

Plaintext
wp theme delete storefront
wp theme delete twentytwentytwo twentytwentyone

Cannot delete the currently active theme. Removes files from disk permanently. Good practice to delete unused themes — they are a security risk if outdated.

wp theme get

Returns details about a specific theme.

Plaintext
wp theme get storefront
wp theme get storefront --format=json

Shows name, status, version, description, and author. Useful in scripts that check theme state before running operations.

wp theme is-installed

Checks whether a theme is installed.

Plaintext
wp theme is-installed storefront

Returns exit code 0 if installed, 1 if not. Use in shell scripts to conditionally install:

Plaintext
if ! wp theme is-installed storefront; then
  wp theme install storefront --activate
fi

wp theme mod get / set / remove

Manages theme customizer settings (theme mods) from the terminal.

Plaintext
wp theme mod get
wp theme mod get header_textcolor
wp theme mod set header_textcolor 333333
wp theme mod remove header_textcolor

Useful when setting up or resetting theme configuration in automated workflows. Works with any theme option registered through the WordPress Customizer API.

wp theme search

Searches the WordPress.org theme repository.

Plaintext
wp theme search portfolio
wp theme search ecommerce --per-page=5 --format=table

Returns theme name, slug, rating, and number of active installs. Useful when you don’t know the exact slug.

Common Workflows

Install and activate a theme in one step

Plaintext
wp theme install storefront --activate

Most common use — deploy and activate immediately. Useful in setup scripts.

Deploy a child theme from ZIP

Plaintext
wp theme install /deploy/themes/mytheme-parent.zip --activate
wp theme install /deploy/themes/mytheme-child.zip --activate

Install parent first, then child. Activate the child theme — not the parent. This is the correct order for child theme deployments.

Cleanup unused themes

Plaintext
wp theme list --status=inactive --format=csv
wp theme delete twentytwentyone twentytwentytwo

List inactive themes first, then remove what’s not needed. Keep at least one fallback theme installed — WordPress requires it.

Maintenance update sequence

Plaintext
wp theme list --update=available
wp db export backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
wp theme update --all

Check what needs updating, export database, then update. Same safe pattern as plugin updates.

Related Command Groups

  • Core — WordPress itself, before themes
  • Plugins — same pattern, different scope
  • Database — export before switching or updating themes

Practice Cases