@wordpress/scripts - Gutenberg Block Editor

@wordpress/scripts is a collection of reusable scripts tailored for WordPress development. Every tool comes with integrated recommended configuration, making it easy to set up modern JavaScript tooling without complex setup.

Installation

You only need to install one npm module:

npm install @wordpress/scripts --save-dev

This package requires Node.js version 18.12.0 or above and npm version 8.19.2 or above.

Setup

Add the scripts to your package.json file. This example demonstrates the most common capabilities:

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "wp-scripts build",
    "start": "wp-scripts start",
    "format": "wp-scripts format",
    "lint:css": "wp-scripts lint-style",
    "lint:js": "wp-scripts lint-js",
    "test:unit": "wp-scripts test-unit-js",
    "test:e2e": "wp-scripts test-playwright",
    "packages-update": "wp-scripts packages-update",
    "plugin-zip": "wp-scripts plugin-zip"
  }
}

You can now run these commands using npm:

npm run build
npm start
npm run lint:js

Available Scripts

build

Transforms your code for production with optimized performance.

wp-scripts build

Build Script Options

Basic Usage

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "wp-scripts build",
    "build:custom": "wp-scripts build entry-one.js entry-two.js --output-path=custom",
    "build:copy-php": "wp-scripts build --webpack-copy-php",
    "build:custom-directory": "wp-scripts build --source-path=custom-directory"
  }
}

Run the scripts:

npm run build - builds the code for production
npm run build:custom - builds with two entry points and custom output directory
npm run build:copy-php - builds and copies all PHP files to output directory
npm run build:custom-directory - builds using custom source directory

Available Flags

--webpack-bundle-analyzer - enables visualization for webpack output files
--webpack-copy-php - copies all PHP files from source to output directory
--webpack-no-externals - disables scripts’ assets generation and default externals
--blocks-manifest - generates PHP file with block metadata from all block.json files
--source-path - customizes the source directory (default: src)
--output-path - customizes the output directory (default: build)
--experimental-modules - enables experimental support for viewScriptModule field

Example Output:

Terminal

$ npm run build

> build
> wp-scripts build

ℹ Compiling JavaScript...
ℹ Compiling CSS...
✔ Done in 2.5s

start

Transforms your code for development with automatic rebuilding on file changes.

wp-scripts start

Start Script Options

Basic Usage

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "wp-scripts start",
    "start:hot": "wp-scripts start --hot",
    "start:custom": "wp-scripts start entry-one.js entry-two.js --output-path=custom",
    "start:copy-php": "wp-scripts start --webpack-copy-php"
  }
}

Run the scripts:

npm start - starts build for development
npm run start:hot - starts with Fast Refresh (auto-reload on changes)
npm run start:custom - starts with custom entry points and output
npm run start:copy-php - starts and copies PHP files

Available Flags

--hot - enables Fast Refresh for automatic page reload (requires SCRIPT_DEBUG enabled)
--no-watch - starts build without starting the watcher
--webpack-bundle-analyzer - enables visualization for webpack output files
--webpack-copy-php - copies all PHP files from source to output
--webpack-devtool - controls source map generation
--webpack-no-externals - disables default externals
--blocks-manifest - generates PHP file with block metadata
--source-path - customizes source directory
--output-path - customizes output directory

Example Output:

Terminal

$ npm start

> start
> wp-scripts start

ℹ Starting development server...
ℹ Watching for file changes...
✔ Compiled successfully in 1.2s

format

Enforces coding style guidelines by formatting source code in a consistent way.

wp-scripts format

Format entire project

npm run format

Formats all files in the project (JavaScript, JSON, TypeScript, YAML).

Format specific directory

npm run format ./src

Formats only files in the src directory.

Customize ignored files

Create a .prettierignore file in your project root:

.prettierignore

build
node_modules
vendor
*.min.js

lint-js

Enforces coding style guidelines for JavaScript and TypeScript files.

wp-scripts lint-js

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:js": "wp-scripts lint-js",
    "lint:js:src": "wp-scripts lint-js ./src"
  }
}

Uses ESLint with the @wordpress/eslint-plugin configuration.

lint-style

Enforces coding style guidelines for CSS, PCSS, and SCSS files.

wp-scripts lint-style

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:style": "wp-scripts lint-style",
    "lint:css:src": "wp-scripts lint-style 'src/**/*.css'"
  }
}

Uses Stylelint with the @wordpress/stylelint-config configuration per WordPress CSS Coding Standards.

lint-pkg-json

Enforces standards for package.json files.

wp-scripts lint-pkg-json

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:pkg-json": "wp-scripts lint-pkg-json"
  }
}

Uses npm-package-json-lint with the @wordpress/npm-package-json-lint-config configuration.

lint-md-docs

Enforces markdown standards for documentation files.

wp-scripts lint-md-docs

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:md:docs": "wp-scripts lint-md-docs"
  }
}

Uses markdownlint to enforce WordPress documentation standards.

test-unit-js

Launches the unit test runner using Jest.

wp-scripts test-unit-js

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:unit": "wp-scripts test-unit-js",
    "test:unit:watch": "wp-scripts test-unit-js --watch",
    "test:unit:debug": "wp-scripts --inspect-brk test-unit-js --runInBand --no-cache"
  }
}

Jest looks for test files with these naming conventions:

Files with .js, .jsx, .ts, or .tsx suffix in __tests__ folders
Files with .js, .jsx, .ts, or .tsx suffix in test folders
Files with .test.js, .test.jsx, .test.ts, or .test.tsx suffix

test-playwright

Launches the Playwright end-to-end test runner.

wp-scripts test-playwright

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:playwright": "wp-scripts test-playwright",
    "test:playwright:debug": "wp-scripts test-playwright --debug"
  }
}

By default, looks for test files with .test or .spec suffix in the /specs folder. Failed Test Artifacts: When tests fail, snapshots are stored in the artifacts/ directory. You can customize this location:

WP_ARTIFACTS_PATH=my/custom/artifacts npm run test:playwright

test-e2e

Launches the end-to-end test runner using Jest and Puppeteer.

wp-scripts test-e2e

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:e2e": "wp-scripts test-e2e",
    "test:e2e:debug": "wp-scripts --inspect-brk test-e2e --puppeteer-devtools"
  }
}

Jest looks for e2e test files:

Files with .js, .jsx, .ts, or .tsx suffix in spec folders
Files with .spec.js, .spec.jsx, .spec.ts, or .spec.tsx suffix

packages-update

Updates WordPress packages to their latest version.

wp-scripts packages-update

Packages Update Options

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "packages-update": "wp-scripts packages-update",
    "postpackages-update": "npm run build"
  }
}

The script detects dependencies starting with @wordpress/ and updates them.

Available Flags

--dist-tag - specifies custom dist-tag (default: latest)

Example:

# Update to WordPress 6.0 versions
wp-scripts packages-update --dist-tag=wp-6.0

plugin-zip

Creates a zip file for a WordPress plugin.

wp-scripts plugin-zip

Plugin Zip Options

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "plugin-zip": "wp-scripts plugin-zip"
  }
}

Available Flags

--root-folder - adds custom root folder to the zip file
--no-root-folder - creates zip with no folder inside

Examples:

Terminal

# Default - folder name matches plugin name
npm run plugin-zip

# Custom root folder name
npm run plugin-zip -- --root-folder=custom-directory

# No root folder
npm run plugin-zip -- --no-root-folder

Customize Files

You can customize included files using the files field in package.json:

package.json

{
  "files": ["build", "src", "*.php"]
}

check-engines

Checks if current Node.js and npm versions match the required semantic version ranges.

wp-scripts check-engines

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "check-engines": "wp-scripts check-engines"
  }
}

Example Output:

Terminal

$ npm run check-engines

✔ node: 18.12.0
✔ npm: 8.19.2

check-licenses

Validates that all dependencies are compatible with the project’s license.

wp-scripts check-licenses

Check Licenses Options

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "check-licenses": "wp-scripts check-licenses --prod --gpl2 --ignore=abab"
  }
}

Available Flags

--prod or --production - validates only dependencies (not devDependencies)
--dev or --development - validates only devDependencies (not dependencies)
--gpl2 - validates against GPLv2 license compatibility
--ignore=a,b,c - comma-separated list of package names to ignore

build-blocks-manifest

Generates a PHP file containing block metadata from all block.json files.

wp-scripts build-blocks-manifest

Generate the manifest

wp-scripts build-blocks-manifest --input=src --output=dist/blocks-manifest.php

Options:

--input - specify input directory (default: ‘build’)
--output - specify output file path (default: ‘build/blocks-manifest.php’)

Use in your plugin

wp_register_block_metadata_collection(
    plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'dist',
    plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'dist/blocks-manifest.php'
);

Or register all blocks automatically (WordPress 6.8+):

wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection(
    plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'dist',
    plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'dist/blocks-manifest.php'
);

This improves performance when registering multiple block types (requires WordPress 6.7+).

Using Build Scripts

Entry Points

The simplest way to specify entry points:

wp-scripts build entry-one.js entry-two.js

Automatic block.json Detection

The build script automatically scans the src directory for block.json files and uses their script fields as entry points:

block.json

{
  "editorScript": "file:index.js",
  "script": "file:script.js",
  "viewScript": "file:view.js"
}

Then simply run:

wp-scripts build

Importing Styles

You can import styles in your JavaScript files:

index.js

import './index.scss';
import './style.css';

The build generates:

index.css - styles for the editor only
style-index.css - styles for both front-end and editor

Using SVG

Import SVG files as React components or URLs:

import starUrl, { ReactComponent as Star } from './star.svg';

const App = () => (
  <div>
    <img src={starUrl} alt="star" />
    <Star />
  </div>
);

Advanced Configuration

Custom Webpack Config

You can extend the default webpack config by creating a webpack.config.js file:

webpack.config.js

const defaultConfig = require('@wordpress/scripts/config/webpack.config');

module.exports = {
  ...defaultConfig,
  module: {
    ...defaultConfig.module,
    rules: [
      ...defaultConfig.module.rules,
      {
        test: /.toml/,
        type: 'json',
        parser: {
          parse: require('toml').parse,
        },
      },
    ],
  },
};

Continue using wp-scripts commands (not webpack directly) and check the CHANGELOG before upgrading.

Debugging

Debugging Unit Tests

Add debugger statement

test('my test', () => {
  debugger;
  // your test code
});

Run with inspector

wp-scripts --inspect-brk test-unit-js --runInBand --no-cache

Open Chrome DevTools

Open about:inspect in Google Chrome
Click “inspect” on your process
Click resume button to continue execution

Debugging E2E Tests

# Enable devtools and inspector
wp-scripts --inspect-brk test-e2e --puppeteer-devtools

The --puppeteer-devtools option launches the browser with devtools already open for debugging.

Package Information

Version: 31.5.0
Node.js: >= 18.12.0
npm: >= 8.19.2
License: GPL-2.0-or-later

@wordpress/env - Local WordPress environment
@wordpress/create-block - Block scaffolding tool
@wordpress/e2e-test-utils-playwright - E2E testing utilities

Core Packages

UI Components

Editor Implementations

Developer Tools

Utilities

​Installation

​Setup

​Available Scripts

​build

​Basic Usage

​Available Flags

​start

​Basic Usage

​Available Flags

​format

​lint-js

​lint-style

​lint-pkg-json

​lint-md-docs

​test-unit-js

​test-playwright

​test-e2e

​packages-update

​Available Flags

​plugin-zip

​Available Flags

​Customize Files

​check-engines

​check-licenses

​Available Flags

​build-blocks-manifest

​Using Build Scripts

​Entry Points

​Automatic block.json Detection

​Importing Styles

​Using SVG

​Advanced Configuration

​Custom Webpack Config

​Debugging

​Debugging Unit Tests

​Debugging E2E Tests

​Package Information

​Related Packages

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Installation

Setup

Available Scripts

build

Basic Usage

Available Flags

start

Basic Usage

Available Flags

format

lint-js

lint-style

lint-pkg-json

lint-md-docs

test-unit-js

test-playwright

test-e2e

packages-update

Available Flags

plugin-zip

Available Flags

Customize Files

check-engines

check-licenses

Available Flags

build-blocks-manifest

Using Build Scripts

Entry Points

Automatic block.json Detection

Importing Styles

Using SVG

Advanced Configuration

Custom Webpack Config

Debugging

Debugging Unit Tests

Debugging E2E Tests

Package Information

Related Packages