How I Automated WordPress Plugin Deployment to WordPress.org Using GitHub Actions

Manually deploying updates to the WordPress.org plugin repository via SVN can be tedious and error-prone. That’s why I recently automated the entire process using GitHub Actions — and in this article, I’ll walk you through exactly how I did it, step-by-step.

If you're maintaining a WordPress plugin and pushing changes through GitHub, this setup will save you tons of time.

📁 Step 1: Set Up Your Repository Structure

While not mandatory, it helps to follow a clean plugin structure.

Basic structure:

Make sure:

• Your includes a

• Version numbers are updated in both and the main plugin file

⚙️ Step 2: Create GitHub Secrets

Go to your GitHub repo → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Create the following two secrets:

NameValue Your WordPress.org username Your WordPress.org password

📄 Step 3: Add GitHub Action Workflow File

Create this file:

🔁 Replace with the actual slug from your plugin URL (e.g. ).

🏷 Step 4: Tag a Release to Trigger Deployment

Now you're ready to deploy! Run:

This will:

1. Trigger the GitHub Action

2. Push your code to the WordPress.org SVN

3. Publish the new version to the plugin repository

For more details, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBiFeEmYCic