Tracking Number Update

Purpose

Set or update tracking number and shipping provider information on WooCommerce orders, stored as meta_data fields compatible with popular tracking plugins (WooCommerce Shipment Tracking, TrackShip, AfterShip). Optionally add a customer-visible note with tracking details and transition the order to completed status.

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 writes tracking data and optionally changes order status. If mark_completed: true, this triggers a completion email. If add_customer_note: true, customers receive a note email. Always run with dry_run: true first.

Workflow Steps

Step 1 — Fetch each order

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

Verify order exists and is in processing status. Extract current meta_data.

Step 2 — Preview or execute

If dry_run: true: list orders and proposed tracking data. Stop.

If dry_run: false and confirmed:

PUT /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}
  Body: {
    "meta_data": [
      { "key": "_wc_shipment_tracking_items", "value": <tracking_payload> }
    ],
    "status": "completed"  // if mark_completed: true
  }

API Endpoints Used

GET  /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}   — fetch order details
PUT  /wp-json/wc/v3/orders/{id}   — write tracking meta and optional status

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-tracking-number-update       ║
║  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-tracking-number-update    ║
║  RECORDS PROCESSED: <n>                  ║
║  OUTPUT: stdout                          ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

COMPLETION (json format):

{
  "skill": "woo-tracking-number-update",
  "store": "<store_url>",
  "completed_at": "<ISO-8601>",
  "records_processed": <n>,
  "output_file": null,
  "dry_run": <bool>
}

Output Format

Human format: table of order number, customer email, tracking number, provider, and whether status was changed.

Error Handling

Best Practices

• Always run with dry_run: true first.
• Check the meta_key_tracking_number field matches your installed tracking plugin's expected meta key.
• If your store uses AfterShip or TrackShip plugin, confirm the meta key format required by that plugin.
• Use mark_completed: true only when your warehouse confirms dispatch — this triggers the customer completion email.