57 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
57 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "How to pipe PHP/SQL to wp-cli over the WP Engine SSH gateway — wp eval - does not read stdin (use wp eval-file - with a <?php tag), and the gateway strips one quoting layer off argv, so payloads must ride stdin."
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tags:
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- type/howto
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- tool/wp-cli
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- tool/wpengine
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- domain/wordpress
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- client/lento-law
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scope: global
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type: howto
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date: 2026-07-16
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last_updated: 2026-07-16
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source: llf-schema deploy.sh live debugging (verified on both PLD and SDD production gateways)
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---
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# wp-cli stdin eval + WP Engine SSH gateway quoting
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Two independent behaviors, verified live 2026-07-16 on WP Engine's SSH gateway (wp-cli 2.x phar at `/usr/local/bin/wp`):
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## 1. `wp eval -` does NOT read stdin
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wp-cli's `eval` command takes its argument as literal PHP code — `-` is not a stdin marker. `wp eval -` evaluates the string `-` and dies with:
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```
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Parse error: syntax error, unexpected end of file in ... Eval_Command.php(39) : eval()'d code on line 1
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```
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The stdin-capable form is **`wp eval-file -`**, and because the payload is parsed as a *file* (not an eval string) it **must start with `<?php`**:
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```bash
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printf '<?php echo get_option("home");' | ssh <site> 'wp eval-file -'
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```
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## 2. WP Engine gateway strips one quoting layer from argv
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The gateway wraps the ssh command string in an extra `bash -c` evaluation. One layer of quotes/escapes is consumed before the command runs, so argv-embedded PHP/SQL — even `printf %q`-escaped — gets word-split or syntax-errors remotely. Diagnostic signature:
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```
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$ ssh pld 'echo "echo 1;" | wp eval -'
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bash: -c: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `|'
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bash: -c: line 1: `echo echo 1; | wp eval -' # ← quotes already gone
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```
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**Rule: payloads ride stdin, never argv.** Stdin passes through untouched:
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```bash
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printf '<?php update_field("field_x", "value", 123);' | ssh pld 'wp eval-file -'
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ssh pld 'wp db query --skip-column-names' <<'SQL'
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SELECT post_id, meta_value FROM wp_postmeta WHERE meta_key = 'x';
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SQL
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```
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Simple quote-free commands (`wp plugin list`, `cat -`) are unaffected; only quoted/escaped argv payloads break.
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Repo-local record: llf-schema `docs/wp-cli-access.md` gotcha A and `scripts/lib/deploy_lib.sh` (`remote_exec_stdin`).
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