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Document ssh+path configuration limitation in wp-cli.yml #622

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Copilot AI commented Feb 2, 2026 •
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When ssh and path are specified as separate top-level options in wp-cli.yml, the path option is not applied. This works correctly in aliases and on the command line, but not at the config root level.

Changes

Added "Using path with SSH" subsection to Remote (SSH) configuration documenting:

  • Limitation: Separate top-level ssh and path options don't work together (path is ignored)
  • Working approaches:
    • Path suffix in SSH string: ssh: user@host~/path/to/wordpress
    • Separate options within an alias: @alias: { ssh: user@host, path: /path }
    • Command-line override: wp --path=/path command

Example

Instead of:

ssh: ssh-config-alias
path: path/to/wp-on-remote-server

Use:

ssh: ssh-config-alias~/path/to/wp-on-remote-server

Or define an alias:

@remote:
  ssh: ssh-config-alias
  path: /path/to/wp-on-remote-server
Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>wp-cli.yml with ssh not using path</issue_title>
<issue_description>Strangely enough I can get this to work without problem:

wp --ssh=ssh-config-alias --path=path/to/wp-on-remote-server rewrite flush

but if I create a wp-cli.yml on my project root with the following:

ssh: ssh-config-alias
path: path/to/wp-on-remote-server

I then get:

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

It seems that the config file is only applying the ssh option but not path as If I then run the below, it works.

wp --path=path/to/wp-on-remote-server rewrite flush

So apparently, I am unable to get wp-cli.yml working with SSH.</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@danielbachhuber > Honestly, I would expect both to work so there seems to be at least room for improvement here (at least in terms of documentation).

I don't think we should change the existing behavior, but additional documentation seems fine.</comment_new>

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@swissspidy
Document ssh+path configuration limitation and workarounds
6db8de1 
Co-authored-by: swissspidy <841956+swissspidy@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Fix path not applying in wp-cli.yml with SSH Document ssh+path configuration limitation in wp-cli.yml Feb 2, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from swissspidy February 2, 2026 18:32
@swissspidy swissspidy requested a review from Copilot February 3, 2026 01:36
Copilot AI reviewed Feb 3, 2026
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Pull request overview

This pull request documents a known limitation where the path configuration option is ignored when specified alongside ssh as separate top-level options in wp-cli.yml, though it works correctly when used in aliases or via command-line parameters.

Changes:

  • Added "Using path with SSH" subsection explaining the limitation and providing three working approaches
  • Documented that separate top-level ssh and path options don't work together, but work fine in aliases

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references/config.md
When using SSH connections, you can specify the remote WordPress path in two ways:

1. **As a suffix in the SSH connection string** (recommended):
```
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The first code block is missing the yaml language marker. The second code block at line 348 has yaml marker, but this one doesn't. For consistency, both should have the same format.

Suggested change
```
```yaml

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references/config.md
path: /path/to/wordpress
```

**Important:** When using `ssh` and `path` as separate top-level options in `wp-cli.yml` (not within an alias), the `path` option may not be applied correctly. In such cases, use one of the following workarounds:
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The wording "may not be applied correctly" is vague. Based on the original issue description, the path option is actually ignored (not applied at all), not just incorrectly applied. Consider changing this to "the path option is not applied" or "the path option will be ignored" for more accurate documentation.

Suggested change
**Important:** When using `ssh` and `path` as separate top-level options in `wp-cli.yml` (not within an alias), the `path` option may not be applied correctly. In such cases, use one of the following workarounds:
**Important:** When using `ssh` and `path` as separate top-level options in `wp-cli.yml` (not within an alias), the `path` option will be ignored. In such cases, use one of the following workarounds:

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wp-cli.yml with ssh not using path

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