Return Initiation

Purpose

Mark a WooCommerce order as returned by updating its status to refunded (or a custom return status) and adding a timestamped private note with the return reason and method. Use this for in-store returns, mail-back returns, or any non-API-refund return scenario. For financial refunds, use woo-refund-and-reorder instead.

Prerequisites

• WooCommerce store with REST API enabled
• Consumer Key with Read/Write scope
• Minimum WooCommerce version: 3.5.0

Parameters

Authentication

WooCommerce uses OAuth 1.0a for HTTP and Basic Auth over HTTPS.

For HTTPS stores (recommended):

Authorization: Basic base64(consumer_key:consumer_secret)

For HTTP stores (development only): Use OAuth 1.0a — include oauth_consumer_key, oauth_nonce, oauth_signature, oauth_signature_method=HMAC-SHA1, oauth_timestamp, oauth_version=1.0

Never log or output consumer_key or consumer_secret values.

See docs/AUTHENTICATION.md for full setup instructions.

Safety

Step 2 changes order status. Always run with dry_run: true first. Setting restock_items: true restores stock — only do this if the returned items are resaleable.

Workflow Steps

Step 1 — Fetch order

GET /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{order_id}

Validate status is completed or processing (returns initiate from these states).

Step 2 — Preview or execute

If dry_run: true: display order summary and proposed status change. Stop.

If dry_run: false and confirmed:

PUT /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{order_id}
  Body: {
    "status": "<target_status>",
    "meta_data": [
      { "key": "_return_reason", "value": "<return_reason>" },
      { "key": "_return_method", "value": "<return_method>" },
      { "key": "_return_initiated_at", "value": "<ISO-8601>" }
    ]
  }

Then add a private order note:

POST /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{order_id}/notes
  Body: {
    "note": "Return initiated: <return_reason> | Method: <return_method> | <ISO-8601>",
    "customer_note": false
  }

API Endpoints Used

GET   /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}         — fetch order details
PUT   /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}         — update status and meta
POST  /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}/notes   — add return note

Pagination Strategy

WooCommerce REST API uses page/per_page pagination (not cursor-based).

Standard pattern:

page = 1
while True:
  response = GET /endpoint?per_page=100&page=page
  process(response)
  if len(response) < 100: break
  page += 1

Maximum per_page is 100 for most endpoints. The X-WP-Total and X-WP-TotalPages response headers report totals. Always read X-WP-TotalPages on the first request to estimate job size.

Session Tracking

Claude MUST emit the following output at each stage. This is mandatory.

STARTUP:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  SKILL: woo-return-initiation            ║
║  STORE: <store_url>                      ║
║  TIME:  <ISO-8601 UTC>                   ║
║  MODE:  <DRY RUN | LIVE>                 ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

PER-OPERATION (emit after each API call batch):

[N/TOTAL] <METHOD> <endpoint> → <result_count> records | params: <key>=<val>

COMPLETION (human format):

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  COMPLETE: woo-return-initiation         ║
║  RECORDS PROCESSED: 1                    ║
║  OUTPUT: stdout                          ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

COMPLETION (json format):

{
  "skill": "woo-return-initiation",
  "store": "<store_url>",
  "completed_at": "<ISO-8601>",
  "records_processed": 1,
  "output_file": null,
  "dry_run": <bool>
}

Output Format

Human format: order summary with current status, proposed status, return reason, and method.

Error Handling

Best Practices

• Always run with dry_run: true first.
• For orders where a financial refund is also needed: use woo-refund-and-reorder which handles the payment gateway refund.
• Set restock_items: true only after physically inspecting returned goods.