What it does
Use when reviewing WordPress plugins for GPL compliance, checking license headers or compatibility, evaluating upsell/freemium/trialware patterns, validating plugin naming or trademark rules, checking plugin slugs, understanding why a plugin was rejected from WordPress.org, or answering any question about the 18 WordPress.org Plugin Directory guidelines, even if the user doesn't mention 'guidelines' explicitly.
Install
This skill ships in WordPress/agent-skills (Official, WordPress core fundamentals).
One command installs it for any assistant. Run this from your project root:
npx skills add WordPress/agent-skills --skill wp-plugin-directory-guidelinesYou'll be asked to choose a scope: project (shared with your team, committed to version control) or global (available across all your projects). Add --global to skip the prompt and install globally.
Use it in your AI assistant
The destination folder, and how the assistant discovers it, differs per tool:
Claude Code
.claude/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/ (or ~/.claude/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/ for all projects)
- Claude Code auto-discovers skills in .claude/skills/ (project) or ~/.claude/skills/ (global, every project).
- Claude reaches for the skill on its own when a task matches its description, or you can name it directly.
GitHub Copilot (VS Code)
.github/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/
- The skill is copied into .github/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/, where Copilot in VS Code picks it up.
- Copilot Chat applies it automatically once your task matches the skill's description.
OpenAI Codex
.codex/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/
- This installs the skill to .codex/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/, which Codex reads for standing instructions on matching tasks.
- Point Codex at it directly if needed: "follow .codex/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/SKILL.md for this task."
Cursor
.cursor/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/ (or ~/.cursor/skills/wp-plugin-directory-guidelines/ globally)
- Cursor discovers skills in .cursor/skills/ (project) or ~/.cursor/skills/ (global).
- Cursor loads it automatically when a request matches, same as its native Rules.
Compatibility
Targets WordPress 7.0+ (PHP 7.4.0+).