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wp user add-role

Overview

Assign an additional role to a user without removing their existing one. Commonly used for WooCommerce shop managers, multisite contributors, or custom multi-role arrangements.

What It Does​

wp user add-role calls WP_User::add_role() — appending the role to the user's current roles array rather than replacing it.

Syntax​

wp user add-role <user> <role>

Basic Usage​

Add shop_manager role to an existing editor​

wp user add-role john shop_manager

Add a custom role​

wp user add-role sarah content_reviewer

Real-World Scenarios​

Scenario 1: WooCommerce dual-role setup​

# Give store managers the editor capability as well
wp user add-role shopmanager1 editor
wp user get shopmanager1 --field=roles

Scenario 2: Temporary elevated access​

# Grant contractor temporary admin access
wp user add-role contractor administrator

# ...after project completion
wp user remove-role contractor administrator

add-role vs set-role​

CommandBehaviour
add-roleKeeps existing roles, adds new one
set-roleRemoves all roles, sets only the new one

Quick Reference​

wp user add-role <user> <role>            # Add a secondary role
wp user get <user> --field=roles          # Verify roles

Next Steps​