Query API

WordPress Playground exposes a simple API that you can use to configure the Playground in the browser.

It works by passing configuration options as query parameters to the Playground URL. For example, to install the pendant theme, you would use the following URL:

https://playground.wordpress.net/?theme=pendant

You can go ahead and try it out. The Playground will automatically install the theme and log you in as an admin. You may even embed this URL in your website using an <iframe> tag:

<iframe src="https://playground.wordpress.net/?theme=pendant"></iframe>

Available options

Option	Default Value	Description
php	8.5	Loads the specified PHP version. Accepts 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, latest, or next. Use next to preview the next PHP version from the php-src development branch; it is currently supported by the web runtime only.
php-extension		Loads a custom PHP.wasm extension manifest before PHP starts. Accepts absolute, root-relative, or page-relative HTTP(S) URLs. Can be used multiple times.
wp	latest	Loads the specified WordPress version. Accepts the last three major WordPress versions. As of June 1, 2024, that's 6.3, 6.4, or 6.5. You can also use the generic values latest, nightly, or beta.
blueprint-url		The URL of the Blueprint that will be used to configure this Playground instance.
networking	yes	Enables or disables the networking support for Playground. Accepts yes or no.
plugin		Installs the specified plugin. Use the plugin name from the WordPress Plugins Directory URL. For example, if the URL is https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-lazy-loading/, the plugin name would be wp-lazy-loading. You can pre-install multiple plugins by saying plugin=coblocks&plugin=wp-lazy-loading&…. Installing a plugin automatically logs the user in as an admin. More than one plugin could be installed, just repeating the plugin attribute on the URL.
theme		Installs the specified theme. Use the theme name from the WordPress Themes Directory URL. For example, if the URL is https://wordpress.org/themes/disco/, the theme name would be disco. Installing a theme automatically logs the user in as an admin. Multiples themes could be installed just repeating the theme attribute on the URL.
url	/wp-admin/	Load the specified initial WordPress page in this Playground instance.
mode	browser-full-screen	Determines how the WordPress instance is displayed. Either wrapped in a browser UI or full width as a seamless experience. Accepts browser-full-screen, or seamless.
lazy		Defer loading the Playground assets until someone clicks on the "Run" button. Does not accept any values. If lazy is added as a URL parameter, loading will be deferred.
login	yes	Log the user in as an admin. Accepts yes or no.
multisite	no	Enables the WordPress multisite mode. Accepts yes or no.
import-site		Imports site files and database from a ZIP file specified by a URL.
import-wxr		Imports site content from a WXR file specified by a URL. It uses the WordPress Importer plugin, so the default admin user must be logged in.
site-slug		Selects which site to load from browser storage. If the specified site does not exist, Playground creates a new browser-saved site with the specified slug unless temporary storage is requested.
storage		Controls the storage lifecycle. Use storage=temp to create a genuinely temporary Playground that is discarded when the page is refreshed or closed. Without it, Playground may autosave the new Playground when browser storage and saving are available.
language	en_US	Sets the locale for the WordPress instance. This must be used in combination with networking=yes otherwise WordPress won't be able to download translations.
core-pr		Installs a specific https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop core PR. Accepts the PR number. For example, core-pr=6883.
gutenberg-pr		Installs a specific https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg PR. Accepts the PR number. For example, gutenberg-pr=65337.
gutenberg-branch		Installs a specific branch from https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg. Accepts the branch name. For example, gutenberg-branch=trunk.
page-title		Customizes the browser tab title. Useful for identifying different Playground instances when working with multiple tabs. The parameter is preserved when navigating between sites.
can-save		Controls whether the Playground shell offers automatic browser saving. Use can-save=no to start a temporary Playground and hide the Dock save status/persistence prompt.
mcp-port	7999	Sets the WebSocket port used by the MCP bridge to communicate with the MCP server. For example, mcp-port=8080.
overlay		Opens a Playground tool on page load. Supports new for the Dock's New pane. For example, ?overlay=new. blueprints is kept as a compatibility alias that opens the same New pane, so ?overlay=blueprints still works. The parameter is removed from the URL when the pane is closed.
filebrowser		Opens the Dock’s Files pane. Accepts an optional file path relative to the WordPress document root, and an optional :<line> suffix to place the editor cursor on a 1-based line. Ignored inside embedded iframes and when mode=seamless.
dock		Sets the initial Dock state. Accepts minimized, collapsed, expanded, full-width, or full-width-collapsed. Overrides the saved width preference for this visit. Ignored in seamless mode. Minimized and collapsed states are ignored on small screens. Opening a pane restores the Dock as needed.

Use language=browser to choose a WordPress translation from the browser's preferred languages (navigator.languages). Regional preferences fall back to an available translation of the same language. If no translation matches, WordPress uses US English (en_US). For example: Open Playground in your browser's language.

For example, the following code embeds a Playground with a preinstalled Gutenberg plugin and opens the post editor:

<iframe src="https://playground.wordpress.net/?plugin=gutenberg&url=/wp-admin/post-new.php&mode=seamless"> </iframe>

To open the Dock’s Files pane, use:

https://playground.wordpress.net/?filebrowser

To open the Dock’s Files pane with a specific file, use a path relative to the WordPress document root:

https://playground.wordpress.net/?filebrowser=wp-content/plugins/my-plugin/index.php

To place the cursor on a specific 1-based line number, append :<line> to the path:

https://playground.wordpress.net/?filebrowser=wp-content/plugins/my-plugin/index.php:20

Loading PHP.wasm extensions

Use php-extension to load an external PHP.wasm extension manifest before PHP starts. This is useful for demos that need native extension performance, such as the SQLite Database Integration plugin's wp_mysql_parser extension. You do not need custom JavaScript for this — the Query API turns each parameter into a runtime extension request before Playground boots.

https://playground.wordpress.net/?php=8.5&php-extension=https://wordpress.github.io/sqlite-database-integration/wp_mysql_parser-wasm-extension/latest/manifest.json

Use /latest/manifest.json for a quick demo. Use a pinned manifest from the extension release page when you need a stable URL for tests or documentation.

You can repeat php-extension to load multiple manifests:

https://playground.wordpress.net/?php-extension=https://example.com/one/manifest.json&php-extension=https://example.com/two/manifest.json

The parameter accepts absolute, root-relative, and page-relative manifest URLs:

?php-extension=https://cdn.example.com/wp_mysql_parser/manifest.json
?php-extension=/extensions/wp_mysql_parser/manifest.json
?php-extension=./extensions/wp_mysql_parser/manifest.json

Relative values are resolved against the current Playground page URL. The manifest URL must use HTTP(S) once resolved. file: URLs are rejected in the browser. For local CLI workflows, use the --php-extension flag instead.

CORS policy

To import files from a URL, such as a site zip package or PHP extension manifest and .so artifact, they must be served with the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header set. For reference, see: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).

GitHub Export Options

The following additional query parameters may be used to pre-configure the GitHub export form:

• gh-ensure-auth: If set to yes, Playground will display a modal to ensure the user is authenticated with GitHub before proceeding.
• ghexport-repo-url: The URL of the GitHub repository to export to.
• ghexport-pr-action: The action to take when exporting (create or update).
• ghexport-playground-root: The root directory in the Playground to export from.
• ghexport-repo-root: The root directory in the repository to export to.
• ghexport-content-type: The content type of the export (plugin, theme, wp-content, custom-paths).
• ghexport-plugin: Plugin path. When the content type is plugin, pre-select the plugin to export.
• ghexport-theme: Theme directory name. When the content type is theme, pre-select the theme to export.
• ghexport-path: A path relative to ghexport-playground-root. Can be provided multiple times. When the content type is custom-paths, it pre-populates the list of paths to export.
• ghexport-commit-message: The commit message to use when exporting.
• ghexport-allow-include-zip: Whether to offer an option to include a zip file in the GitHub export (yes, no). Optional. Defaults to yes.