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Remove forced infinite memory_limit#6207

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copilot/remove-infinite-memory-limit
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Remove forced infinite memory_limit#6207
Copilot wants to merge 2 commits intomainfrom
copilot/remove-infinite-memory-limit

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Copilot AI commented Jan 25, 2026 •
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WP-CLI currently forces memory_limit to -1 (unlimited) at runtime to work around WordPress core issue #14889, which was resolved years ago. This prevents server administrators from configuring appropriate memory limits and blocks graceful error handling when limits are exceeded.

Changes

  • Removed ini_set('memory_limit', -1) from Runner::load_wordpress()
  • WP-CLI now respects the PHP memory_limit configuration (including -1 if explicitly set)
  • Existing test validates operation with memory_limit=256M and ini_set disabled

Impact

Server administrators can now:

  • Configure memory limits appropriate for their environment
  • Get proper error handling and shutdown hooks when limits are reached
  • Still set -1 explicitly if unlimited memory is desired

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

  • example.com
    • Triggering command: /usr/bin/php php vendor/bin/phpunit --color=always --bootstrap ./vendor/wp-cli/wp-cli-tests/tests/bootstrap.php 0 -j ACCEPT (dns block)
  • nosuchhost_asdf_asdf_asdf.com
    • Triggering command: /usr/bin/php php vendor/bin/phpunit --color=always --bootstrap ./vendor/wp-cli/wp-cli-tests/tests/bootstrap.php 0 -j ACCEPT (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Currently forcing an infinite php memory_limit</issue_title>
<issue_description>## Bug Report

The Problem

WP CLI overrides server configurations and sets the memory limit to -1 during runtime, seen here:

wp-cli/php/WP_CLI/Runner.php

Lines 1276 to 1278 in c3bd5bd

// Fix memory limit. See https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/14889
// phpcs:ignore WordPress.PHP.IniSet.memory_limit_Blacklisted -- This is perfectly fine for CLI usage.
ini_set( 'memory_limit', -1 );

The mentioned trac ticket has been resolved for a while now :), and servers can configure -1 if they desire to.

Recommended Solution

I believe it would be best for WP CLI to remove itself from making this decision at run time. Setting proper memory limits allows for more graceful handling of requests/commands that do end up exceeding the limit. Otherwise, it can be left up to a lower-level process to kill off the request - leaving behind a less-than-graceful result (shutdown functions can't attempt to run, etc).

If it's agreed to remove this from the package, then I would recommend doing this in a major release with ample notice so others can decide on if they need to increase this value or not before upgrading.</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@danielbachhuber @schlessera This seems like a good candidate for a 3.0.0 too.

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@github-actions github-actions bot added bug command:cli Related to 'cli' command labels Jan 25, 2026
@swissspidy
Remove forced memory_limit setting
568c964 
Co-authored-by: swissspidy <841956+swissspidy@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Remove infinite memory limit imposed by WP CLI Remove forced infinite memory_limit Jan 25, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from swissspidy January 25, 2026 17:10
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Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.

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@swissspidy swissspidy marked this pull request as ready for review February 4, 2026 02:02
@swissspidy swissspidy requested a review from a team as a code owner February 4, 2026 02:02
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 4, 2026 02:02
Copilot AI reviewed Feb 4, 2026
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Pull request overview

This PR removes WP-CLI's forced unlimited PHP memory limit setting that was originally implemented to work around WordPress core issue #14889 (resolved years ago). The change allows server administrators to configure appropriate memory limits for their environments while maintaining the option to set unlimited memory explicitly if desired.

Changes:

  • Removed ini_set('memory_limit', -1) from Runner::load_wordpress() method
  • Eliminated reference to WordPress Trac ticket #14889 in code comments
  • WP-CLI now respects the PHP memory_limit configuration set by administrators

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Currently forcing an infinite php memory_limit

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