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Common Hooks

Last updated: March 4, 2026

Categorized reference of frequently-used WordPress action and filter hooks.

Initialization Actions

Core Bootstrap

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`muplugins_loaded`	After MU plugins load	MU plugin initialization
`plugins_loaded`	After all plugins load	Plugin initialization, loading textdomains
`setup_theme`	Before theme loads	Theme prerequisites
`after_setup_theme`	After theme loads	Theme setup, add_theme_support()
`init`	After WP fully loads, before headers	Register CPTs, taxonomies, shortcodes
`wp_loaded`	After WP and all plugins/themes load	Late initialization
`wp`	After WP query is parsed	Query-dependent setup

Admin Initialization

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`admin_init`	First thing on admin pages	Admin-only setup, option registration
`admin_menu`	When admin menu is created	Add menu/submenu pages
`admin_bar_menu`	When admin bar is created	Add admin bar items
`current_screen`	After current screen is set	Screen-specific setup

REST API

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`rest_api_init`	When REST API initializes	Register REST routes

Request Lifecycle Actions

Frontend

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`template_redirect`	Before template loads	Redirects, access control
`wp_enqueue_scripts`	Frontend script/style enqueue point	Enqueue CSS/JS
`wp_head`	Inside `<head>`	Meta tags, inline CSS
`wp_body_open`	After `<body>` opens	Skip links, tracking scripts
`wp_footer`	Before `</body>`	Deferred scripts, analytics
`shutdown`	After response sent	Cleanup, logging

Admin

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`admin_enqueue_scripts`	Admin script/style enqueue point	Enqueue admin CSS/JS
`admin_head`	Inside admin `<head>`	Admin-specific styles
`admin_footer`	Admin footer	Admin scripts
`admin_notices`	Top of admin pages	Display notices

Content Actions

Posts

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`save_post`	Post is saved	Custom meta, validation
`save_post_{post_type}`	Specific post type saved	Type-specific processing
`wp_insert_post`	After post inserted/updated	Post processing
`before_delete_post`	Before post deleted	Cleanup related data
`delete_post`	Post is deleted	Remove related data
`trashed_post`	Post moved to trash	Soft-delete handling
`transition_post_status`	Post status changes	Status change notifications

Comments

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`comment_post`	Comment is saved	Comment processing
`wp_insert_comment`	Comment inserted	Comment notifications
`delete_comment`	Comment deleted	Cleanup
`transition_comment_status`	Comment status changes	Moderation handling

Terms & Taxonomies

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`create_term`	Term is created	Term processing
`edit_term`	Term is edited	Term updates
`delete_term`	Term is deleted	Cleanup
`set_object_terms`	Terms assigned to object	Relationship handling

Authentication

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`wp_login`	User logs in	Login tracking, redirects
`wp_logout`	User logs out	Cleanup
`wp_login_failed`	Login attempt fails	Security logging
`auth_cookie_valid`	Auth cookie validated	Session management

User Management

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`user_register`	New user created	Welcome emails, defaults
`profile_update`	User profile updated	Profile processing
`delete_user`	User deleted	Cleanup user data
`set_user_role`	User role changes	Role-based setup

Media Actions

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`add_attachment`	Attachment uploaded	Post-upload processing
`edit_attachment`	Attachment edited	Attachment updates
`delete_attachment`	Attachment deleted	Cleanup
`wp_handle_upload`	File uploaded	Custom upload handling

Widget & Block Actions

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`widgets_init`	Widget area registration	Register sidebars/widgets
`dynamic_sidebar`	Sidebar renders	Sidebar customization
`init`	Block registration point	Register blocks (with `register_block_type`)

Cron Actions

Hook	When it Fires	Typical Use
`wp_scheduled_delete`	Daily	Trash cleanup
`wp_update_plugins`	Twice daily	Plugin update checks
`wp_update_themes`	Twice daily	Theme update checks
Custom hooks	As scheduled	Background tasks

Content Filters

Titles & Content

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`the_title`	Post title	string
`the_content`	Post content	string
`the_excerpt`	Post excerpt	string
`get_the_excerpt`	Raw excerpt	string
`the_content_more_link`	"Read more" link	string
`wp_trim_excerpt`	Auto-generated excerpt	string

Post Data

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`the_permalink`	Post permalink	string
`post_link`	Post type permalink	string
`post_type_link`	CPT permalink	string
`the_author`	Author display name	string
`get_the_date`	Post date	string
`the_category`	Category list	string
`the_tags`	Tag list	string

Query Filters

Pre-Query

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`pre_get_posts`	WP_Query before execution	void (modify $query)
`query_vars`	Registered query vars	array
`request`	Request query vars	array

SQL Modification

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`posts_where`	WHERE clause	string
`posts_join`	JOIN clause	string
`posts_orderby`	ORDER BY clause	string
`posts_distinct`	DISTINCT clause	string
`posts_fields`	SELECT fields	string
`posts_clauses`	All clauses	array
`posts_request`	Complete SQL query	string

Post-Query

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`the_posts`	Query results	WP_Post[]
`found_posts`	Total found posts	int

Template Filters

Classes

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`body_class`	Body CSS classes	array
`post_class`	Post wrapper classes	array
`nav_menu_css_class`	Menu item classes	array
`comment_class`	Comment classes	array

Template Selection

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`template_include`	Template file path	string
`single_template`	Single post template	string
`archive_template`	Archive template	string
`search_template`	Search template	string
`404_template`	404 template	string

Navigation Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`wp_nav_menu`	Complete menu HTML	string
`wp_nav_menu_items`	Menu items HTML	string
`wp_nav_menu_objects`	Menu item objects	array
`nav_menu_link_attributes`	Menu link attributes	array
`walker_nav_menu_start_el`	Menu item element	string

Media Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`upload_mimes`	Allowed MIME types	array
`wp_handle_upload_prefilter`	Upload before processing	array
`wp_generate_attachment_metadata`	Attachment metadata	array
`image_size_names_choose`	Image size options	array
`intermediate_image_sizes`	Image sizes to generate	array
`wp_get_attachment_image_attributes`	Image tag attributes	array

Authentication Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`authenticate`	Authentication result	WP_User\|WP_Error
`login_redirect`	Post-login redirect URL	string
`logout_redirect`	Post-logout redirect URL	string
`login_url`	Login page URL	string
`lostpassword_url`	Password reset URL	string

Permission Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`user_has_cap`	User capabilities	array
`map_meta_cap`	Meta capability mapping	array
`editable_roles`	Roles user can assign	array
`show_admin_bar`	Admin bar visibility	bool

REST API Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`rest_pre_dispatch`	Pre-dispatch (short-circuit)	mixed
`rest_request_before_callbacks`	Before route callbacks	WP_REST_Response\|WP_Error
`rest_request_after_callbacks`	After route callbacks	WP_REST_Response\|WP_Error
`rest_prepare_{post_type}`	Post response	WP_REST_Response
`rest_prepare_comment`	Comment response	WP_REST_Response
`rest_prepare_user`	User response	WP_REST_Response

Email Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`wp_mail`	Email arguments	array
`wp_mail_from`	From address	string
`wp_mail_from_name`	From name	string
`wp_mail_content_type`	Content type	string

Option Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`pre_option_{option}`	Before retrieving	mixed (short-circuit)
`option_{option}`	Retrieved value	mixed
`pre_update_option_{option}`	Before updating	mixed
`default_option_{option}`	Default value	mixed

Script & Style Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`script_loader_tag`	Script tag HTML	string
`style_loader_tag`	Style tag HTML	string
`script_loader_src`	Script URL	string
`style_loader_src`	Style URL	string

Cron Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`cron_schedules`	Available schedules	array
`pre_schedule_event`	Before scheduling	null\|bool
`pre_unschedule_event`	Before unscheduling	null\|bool

Block Editor Filters

Hook	What it Filters	Return Type
`allowed_block_types_all`	Allowed blocks	array\|bool
`block_editor_settings_all`	Editor settings	array
`render_block`	Block output HTML	string
`render_block_{block_name}`	Specific block output	string
`block_categories_all`	Block categories	array