Write in Markdown, git push, and your WordPress blog updates automatically. No plugins, no admin panel — just code. This post was updated via PUT to verify the pipeline.

Why Automate WordPress Publishing?

Logging into the WordPress admin every time you want to post is friction. When publishing feels like work, you write less. This setup removes that friction: write a .md file, push it, and GitHub Actions handles the rest — including image uploads, category tagging, and Telegram notifications.

How the Pipeline Works

Markdown file (git push)
  → GitHub Actions detects changed .md files
    → Python script converts Markdown → HTML
      → Images uploaded to WP Media Library
        → POST /wp-json/wp/v2/posts (new) or PUT (update)
          → wp_id written back to frontmatter
            → Telegram notification sent

The script reads two frontmatter fields:

---
is_public: true   # true = publish, false = draft
wp_id:            # auto-filled after first deploy
---

After the first publish, GitHub Actions commits wp_id back to your file. Future pushes to that file become updates (PUT), not duplicate posts.

Step 1 — WordPress Application Password

In your WordPress admin: Users → Profile → Application Passwords

Generate one and save it. This replaces your login password for API calls.

# Test it works
curl -s "https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/users/me" \
  -u "username:xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx"

Step 2 — GitHub Secrets

In your repo: Settings → Secrets → Actions → New repository secret

Step 3 — The Workflow File

.github/workflows/deploy.yml:

name: Deploy to WordPress
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 2

      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.12'

      - run: pip install -r scripts/requirements.txt

      - id: changed
        run: |
          FILES=$(git diff --name-only HEAD~1 HEAD -- '*.md' | tr '\n' ' ')
          echo "files=$FILES" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - if: steps.changed.outputs.files != ''
        env:
          WP_SITE_URL:     ${{ secrets.WP_SITE_URL }}
          WP_USERNAME:     ${{ secrets.WP_USERNAME }}
          WP_APP_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.WP_APP_PASSWORD }}
        run: python scripts/deploy.py ${{ steps.changed.outputs.files }}

      - if: steps.changed.outputs.files != ''
        run: |
          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
          git diff --quiet || (git add -A && git commit -m "chore: update wp_id [skip ci]" && git push)

Step 4 — The Deploy Script

scripts/deploy.py does three things:

1. Parses frontmatter — reads is_public and wp_id
2. Converts Markdown → HTML — with table, code, and TOC support
3. Uploads images — scans assets/ folder, uploads to WP Media Library

Key function:

def deploy_post(md_file):
    text = md_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
    meta, body = parse_frontmatter(text)
    category_id = get_or_create_category(md_file.parent.name)
    html = markdown.markdown(body, extensions=["tables", "fenced_code"])
    status = "publish" if meta.get("is_public", True) else "draft"

    if meta.get("wp_id"):
        requests.put(f"{API}/posts/{meta['wp_id']}", json=payload, auth=AUTH)
    else:
        r = requests.post(f"{API}/posts", json=payload, auth=AUTH)
        meta["wp_id"] = r.json()["id"]
        write_frontmatter(md_file, meta, body)

Folder Structure

wordpress-blog/
├── Automation/           → WP category "Automation"
├── Build & Projects/     → WP category "Build & Projects"
├── Make Money/
├── Problem Solving/
├── Prompts/
├── Tools & Reviews/
├── Books/
└── scripts/
    ├── deploy.py
    └── requirements.txt

Each folder maps to a WordPress category. The folder name becomes the category name — no config needed.

Publishing a Post

# New post
echo "---\nis_public: true\nwp_id:\n---\n\n## My Post\n\nContent here." \
  > Automation/my-post.md
git add . && git commit -m "feat: add my post" && git push

GitHub Actions runs, creates the WP post, writes wp_id back. Next time you push that file, it updates the existing post instead of creating a duplicate.

Result

• Zero WordPress admin logins for publishing
• Git history = content history (diff, revert, branch)
• Telegram confirms every deploy in real time
• Works for any WordPress site with the REST API enabled