Inspecting post meta shouldn't need phpMyAdmin
A plugin broke, and you suspect it's leaving stale meta on your posts. Or a custom field isn't rendering where you expect. To see the raw meta for a post, the standard options are: re-enable the deprecated WordPress Custom Fields UI, or open phpMyAdmin and write a SQL query.
Both options are heavy when you just want to glance at what's on a post.
What most people do instead
postmeta is messy. Hosts often disable phpMyAdmin.var_dump(get_post_meta($id)) in functions.phpOutputs everything including serialized gunk. Noisy. Requires theme edits.A better way: filtered, readable meta output
Run get post meta with a post ID. The command returns meta as a clean key-value list, with noisy internal keys hidden by default. Filter by specific keys, prefix wildcards like _seo_*, or name internals explicitly to include them.
_seo_title = Best Tips For WordPress SEO_seo_description = Concrete, practical SEO techniques..._seo_keyword = wordpress seo tips_seo_og_image = /uploads/2026/05/og.jpg_seo_noindex = 0Prefix wildcards unlock bulk inspection. Pass -filter="_yoast_*" to see all Yoast-related meta. Pass -filter="_stock,_price,_sku" for a comma-separated list. Noisy internals like _edit_lock stay hidden unless you explicitly name them.
How it works
Wraps get_post_meta and applies noise filtering. Internal keys (_edit_lock, _edit_last, etc.) are hidden unless named explicitly in -filter. Empty -post_id falls back to current post context.
-post_id when running inside a macro triggered on a post eventbilling_*{{step1._seo_title}}| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
-post_id | Target post ID. Empty uses current post context. |
-filter | Single key, comma-separated list, or prefix wildcard (_seo_*) |
| Hidden by default | Internal keys: _edit_lock, _edit_last, and similar |
| Returns | All matching keys as chain results — reference as {{step1.key_name}} |
| Can be used in |
Real example
You're migrating from Yoast SEO to Rank Math. You need to copy every _yoast_wpseo_* meta key to its Rank Math equivalent, for every post.
The macro: filter post returns every published post → for_each: get post meta -filter="_yoast_wpseo_*" to pull Yoast data → update post meta with the equivalent Rank Math key. Every post migrated without losing a single SEO override.
Goes further with TrueCommander
{{step1.some_flag}} returns. Real if/else logic.