Wcm Membership Hooks

---
type: Skill
name: wcm-membership-hooks
description: Curated WooCommerce Memberships hook and extension-point map for plugins that build on user memberships, membership plans, status transitions, purchase/free-signup grants, profile fields, REST API, webhooks, members-area templates, CSV import/export, and Woo Subscriptions-linked memberships. Use when the user asks for a Memberships hook list, "where should I hook", membership created/saved, status changed, grant access from order, user membership API, profile fields, member directory, or code contains wc_memberships_, WC_Memberships_User_Membership, WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan, wc_user_membership, wc_membership_plan, wcm-, _subscription_id, wc_memberships_rules, or woocommerce-memberships.
author: Soczó Kristóf
contact: mailto:lonsdale201@hotmail.com
plugin: woocommerce-memberships
plugin-version-tested: 1.28.1
php-min: 7.4
last-updated: 2026-05-01
source: https://github.com/Lonsdale201/wp-agent-skills/tree/8684fef5b4c33bc0cd783f9fff7770b1f7f59c57/woocommerce/wcm-membership-hooks
source-license: MIT
license: MIT
---
# WooCommerce Memberships: hook map

Use this when building or reviewing an integration that needs to react to WooCommerce Memberships events. This is a curated decision map, not an exhaustive dump of every hook call in the plugin.

## Misconception this skill corrects

> "Memberships are just posts/meta, so query `wc_user_membership` posts and update `_member_plan_id` or `post_status` directly."

User memberships are stored as custom posts, but the plugin has object wrappers, status hooks, access rules, order-grant metadata, REST/webhook behavior, profile-field storage, and Subscriptions integration. Prefer public functions and `WC_Memberships_User_Membership` methods unless the task explicitly requires low-level inspection.

## When to use this skill

Trigger when ANY of the following is true:

- The user asks for WooCommerce Memberships actions/filters, lifecycle hooks, status hooks, purchase grant hooks, profile fields, REST API hooks, webhooks, member directory, members area, or Subscriptions-linked memberships.
- Code contains `wc_memberships_`, `WC_Memberships_User_Membership`, `WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan`, `wc_user_membership`, `wcm-active`, `_member_plan_id`, `_wc_memberships_access_granted`, or `woocommerce-memberships`.
- You need to decide whether to hook at membership creation, post save, status transition, access grant, profile field save, API response shaping, or frontend members-area rendering.

## Workflow

1. Identify the layer first: user membership lifecycle, purchase/free-signup grant, access/restriction, discount, profile fields, REST/webhook, members area, CSV/admin, or Subscriptions integration.
2. Prefer public functions and objects over raw `WP_Query`, `wp_update_post()`, or direct post meta writes.
3. For status strings, know the boundary: WP post statuses use `wcm-` prefix, but object methods and lifecycle hooks commonly use unprefixed statuses such as `active`, `paused`, `cancelled`, `expired`, `free_trial`, `delayed`.
4. Before implementing, inspect the installed plugin line with:

```bash
rg -n "hook_name|function_name" wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-memberships/src wp-content/plugins/woocommerce-memberships/templates
```

## Storage facts agents must not guess

Memberships registers two CPTs: `wc_membership_plan` for plans and `wc_user_membership` for user memberships. A user membership's plan ID is `post_parent`, and its member/user ID is `post_author`; the installed plugin does not use `_member_plan_id` as the plan relation.

Core plan meta keys are `_access_method`, `_access_length`, `_access_start_date`, `_access_end_date`, `_product_ids`, `_members_area_sections`, and `_email_content`.

Core user membership meta keys are `_start_date`, `_end_date`, `_cancelled_date`, `_paused_date`, `_paused_intervals`, `_product_id`, `_order_id`, `_previous_owners`, `_renewal_login_token`, and `_locked`.

Membership rules are stored in the `wc_memberships_rules` option. Rule type values are `content_restriction`, `product_restriction`, and `purchasing_discount`.

When WooCommerce Subscriptions links a membership, the `wc_user_membership` post gets `_subscription_id`; subscription-linked memberships may also use `_has_installment_plan` and `_free_trial_end_date`.

## Public API first

| Need | API | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Get one membership | `wc_memberships_get_user_membership( $id, $plan = null )` | Returns `WC_Memberships_User_Membership` or false. Subscriptions integration may return the subscription-aware subclass. |
| Get memberships for user/query | `wc_memberships_get_user_memberships( $user_id, $args )` | Prefer over hand-written membership `WP_Query` unless doing admin/reporting internals. |
| Get active memberships | `wc_memberships_get_user_active_memberships( $user_id, $args )` | Uses Memberships status semantics. |
| Check plan membership | `wc_memberships_is_user_member( $user_id, $plan )` | General membership check. |
| Check active membership | `wc_memberships_is_user_active_member( $user, $plan )` | Use for "currently active member" business rules. |
| Create membership | `wc_memberships_create_user_membership( $args, $action = 'create' )` | Lets Memberships run grant/renew/update logic. |
| Get plan(s) | `wc_memberships_get_membership_plan()`, `wc_memberships_get_membership_plans()` | Avoid reading plan post meta directly. |
| Check access | `wc_memberships_user_can( $user_id, 'view'|'purchase', $target, $when = '' )` | Use targets like `array( 'post' => $post_id )` or `array( 'product' => $product_id )`. |

## User membership lifecycle hooks

| Need | Hook | Type | Args | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alter new membership post data | `wc_memberships_new_membership_data` | filter | `array $data, array $args` | Set initial status/date/title before insert/update. Keep status prefixed if assigning `post_status`. |
| Membership created by product/API/CLI create flow | `wc_memberships_user_membership_created` | action | `WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan $plan, array $args` | Attach external IDs or provision once. Args include `user_id`, `user_membership_id`, `is_update`. |
| Membership saved through `save_post` | `wc_memberships_user_membership_saved` | action | `WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan $plan, array $args` | Catch admin/manual/import saves. May fire in broader situations than creation. |
| Status catalog | `wc_memberships_user_membership_statuses` | filter | `array $statuses` | Add labels/statuses. Keys normally use `wcm-` prefix. |
| Statuses granting access | `wc_memberships_active_access_membership_statuses` | filter | `string[] $statuses` | Controls access semantics; do not assume only `active` grants access. |
| Renewal-eligible statuses | `wc_memberships_valid_membership_statuses_for_renewal` | filter | `string[] $statuses` | Change when a membership can be renewed. |
| Cancel-eligible statuses | `wc_memberships_valid_membership_statuses_for_cancel` | filter | `string[] $statuses` | Change when members can cancel. |
| Any status transition | `wc_memberships_user_membership_status_changed` | action | `WC_Memberships_User_Membership $membership, string $old, string $new` | Best generic lifecycle sync hook. `$old` and `$new` are unprefixed. |
| Membership activated | `wc_memberships_user_membership_activated` | action | `$membership, bool $was_paused, string $previous_status` | Resume/provision after activation. |
| Membership paused | `wc_memberships_user_membership_paused` | action | `$membership` | Suspend access in external systems. |
| Membership cancelled | `wc_memberships_user_membership_cancelled` | action | `$membership` | Cancel external entitlements. |
| Gate automatic expiry | `wc_memberships_expire_user_membership` | filter | `bool $expire, $membership` | Block/allow scheduled expiration. |
| Membership expired | `wc_memberships_user_membership_expired` | action | `int $user_membership_id` | Runs after expiry; load object if needed. |
| Can member cancel | `wc_memberships_user_membership_can_be_cancelled` | filter | `bool $can, $membership` | UI/business rule for cancellation. |
| Cancel URL | `wc_memberships_get_cancel_membership_url` | filter | `string $url, $membership` | Route cancellation to custom flow. |
| Can renew | `wc_memberships_user_membership_can_be_renewed` | filter | `bool $can, $membership` | UI/business rule for renewal. |
| Renewal product | `wc_memberships_user_membership_get_product_for_renewal` | filter | `$product, array $products, $membership` | Choose renewal product when several grant access. |
| Renew URL | `wc_memberships_get_renew_membership_url` | filter | `string $url, $membership` | Route renewal to custom flow. |
| Can transfer | `wc_memberships_user_membership_can_be_transferred` | filter | `bool $can, $membership, int $from_user_id, int $to_user_id` | Gate ownership transfer. |
| Transfer error | `wc_memberships_user_membership_can_be_transferred_error` | filter | `WP_Error $error, $membership, $from_user_id, $to_user_id` | Customize transfer failure. |
| Transferred | `wc_memberships_user_membership_transferred` | action | `$membership, WP_User $new_owner, WP_User $previous_owner` | Sync owner change. |
| Deleted | `wc_memberships_user_membership_deleted` | action | `WC_Memberships_User_Membership $membership` | Clean external state before Memberships removes related data. |

## Purchase and free-signup grants

| Need | Hook | Type | Args | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choose order item product that grants access | `wc_memberships_access_granting_purchased_product_id` | filter | `int|int[] $product_ids, int[] $candidate_ids, WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan $plan` | Resolve parent/variation/multiple granting products. |
| Access granted from purchase | `wc_memberships_grant_membership_access_from_purchase` | action | `WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan $plan, array $args` | Runs after plan grants access from an order. Args include user, order, product, membership. |
| Free membership granted on signup | `wc_memberships_grant_free_membership_access_from_sign_up` | action | `WC_Memberships_Membership_Plan $plan, array $args` | Add onboarding/profile data for free signup plans. |
| Force checkout registration | `wc_memberships_force_checkout_registration` | filter | `bool $force, array $plans` | Force account creation when cart grants membership access. Avoid disabling if granting products are in cart. |
| Thank-you membership links | `woocommerce_memberships_thank_you_message` | filter | `string $message, int $order_id, array $memberships` | Customize order thank-you/email membership links. |

## Profile fields

| Need | Hook | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field type compatibility | `wc_memberships_profile_fields_compatible_types` | filter | Extend/limit field type support. |
| Visibility options | `wc_memberships_profile_fields_visibility_options` | filter | Add visibility choices. |
| Plan-specific visibility | `wc_memberships_profile_fields_membership_plan_visibility_options` | filter | Change visibility choices for a plan/access method. |
| Read profile fields | `wc_memberships_get_profile_fields` | filter | Adjust loaded `Profile_Field` objects for a user. |
| Validate definition | `wc_memberships_profile_field_definition_validation` | filter | Validate admin field definition data. |
| Validate value | `wc_memberships_profile_field_validation` | filter | Validate submitted member value. |
| Before/after signup fields | `wc_memberships_before_signup_profile_fields`, `wc_memberships_after_signup_profile_fields` | action | Surround registration profile fields. |
| Before/after product fields | `wc_memberships_before_product_profile_fields`, `wc_memberships_after_product_profile_fields` | action | Surround product-page profile fields. |
| Process product field submission | `wc_memberships_should_process_product_profile_fields_submission` | filter | Disable product-page profile field collection for a product. |
| My Account profile endpoint | `wc_memberships_profile_fields_area_endpoint` | filter | Change endpoint slug/query var. |
| Profile field CRUD | `wc_memberships_create_profile_field`, `wc_memberships_update_profile_field`, `wc_memberships_delete_profile_field` | action | Observe user field storage changes. |
| Definition CRUD | `wc_memberships_create_profile_field_definition`, `wc_memberships_update_profile_field_definition`, `wc_memberships_delete_profile_field_definition` | action | Observe field definition changes. |

## REST API and webhooks

| Area | Hooks | Use |
|---|---|---|
| User membership write request | `wc_memberships_rest_api_create_user_membership_request`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_update_user_membership_request`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_set_data` | Validate/shape REST create/update before save. |
| User membership response | `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_data`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_links`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_schema`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_endpoint_args`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_memberships_collection_params` | Add fields, links, schema, endpoint args, or collection params. |
| Membership plan response | `wc_memberships_rest_api_membership_plan_data`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_membership_plan_schema`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_membership_plans_collection_params` | Extend plan REST output. |
| Excluded meta | `wc_memberships_rest_api_{$object_name}_excluded_meta_keys` | Hide internal meta keys in REST. |
| Webhook topics | `wc_memberships_user_membership_webhook_topic_hooks` | Map webhook topics to actions. |
| User membership webhook events | `wc_memberships_webhook_user_membership_created`, `updated`, `transferred`, `deleted` | Webhook topic source events; usually observe, not replace. |
| Plan webhook events | `wc_memberships_webhook_membership_plan_created`, `updated`, `deleted`, `restored` | Webhook topic source events for plans. |

## Members area, directory, CSV, admin

| Area | Hooks | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Members area wrapper | `wc_memberships_before_members_area`, `wc_memberships_after_members_area` | Add UI around a members-area section. |
| My memberships table | `wc_memberships_my_memberships_column_names`, `wc_memberships_my_memberships_column_{$column_id}`, `wc_memberships_my_memberships_no_memberships_text` | Add or render columns in My Account. |
| Members area navigation/details | `wc_memberships_members_area_navigation_items`, `wc_memberships_members_area_my_membership_details`, `wc_memberships_members_area_{$section}_actions`, `wc_memberships_members_area_{$section}_title` | Customize member dashboard structure. |
| Section tables | `wc_memberships_members_area_my_membership_content_column_names`, `products_column_names`, `discounts_column_names`, `notes_column_names` plus matching `..._column_{$column_id}` actions | Add columns to content/product/discount/note sections. |
| Active discount display | `wc_memberships_members_area_show_only_active_discounts` | Include inactive/future discounts in member area. |
| Member directory | `wc_memberships_member_directory_settings`, `wc_memberships_member_directory_listing_plans`, `wc_memberships_member_directory_included_members`, `wc_memberships_member_directory_before_member_card`, `after_member_card` | Shape directory query and cards. |
| CSV import/export | `wc_memberships_csv_import_user_memberships_data`, `wc_memberships_csv_import_user_membership`, `wc_memberships_csv_export_user_memberships_headers`, `wc_memberships_csv_export_user_memberships_row`, `wc_memberships_csv_export_user_memberships_{$column_name}_column`, `wc_memberships_csv_export_user_memberships_query_args` | Add columns/data to Memberships import/export. |
| Admin capabilities | `woocommerce_memberships_can_import_export`, `woocommerce_memberships_can_manage_profile_fields`, `wc_memberships_admin_screen_ids`, `wc_memberships_admin_tabs` | Integrate admin pages/caps carefully. |

## Woo Subscriptions integration

If WooCommerce Subscriptions is active, Memberships may use subscription-aware membership objects and lifecycle rules.

| Need | Hook | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership linked to subscription | `wc_memberships_user_membership_linked_to_subscription` | action | Sync external relation. Args include membership object, new subscription ID, old subscription ID. |
| Membership unlinked from subscription | `wc_memberships_user_membership_unlinked_from_subscription` | action | Remove external relation. |
| Cancel membership when linked subscription cancels | `wc_memberships_cancel_subscription_linked_membership` | filter | Return false only when your integration deliberately keeps access after subscription cancellation. |
| Subscription affects access start | `wc_memberships_access_from_time` | filter | Subscriptions integration uses this for trial-aware drip access. |
| REST subscription data | `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_data`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_schema`, `wc_memberships_rest_api_user_membership_set_data` | Subscriptions integration extends these with subscription fields. |

## Common mistakes

```php
// WRONG: skips Memberships creation/update hooks and object semantics.
wp_insert_post( array(
    'post_type'   => 'wc_user_membership',
    'post_status' => 'wcm-active',
) );

// RIGHT: let Memberships create/renew/update the user membership.
$membership = wc_memberships_create_user_membership( array(
    'user_id' => $user_id,
    'plan_id' => $plan_id,
) );

// WRONG: status meta/post writes bypass object methods and can miss side effects.
wp_update_post( array( 'ID' => $membership_id, 'post_status' => 'wcm-cancelled' ) );

// RIGHT: use the object API; pass unprefixed status.
$membership = wc_memberships_get_user_membership( $membership_id );
if ( $membership instanceof WC_Memberships_User_Membership ) {
    $membership->update_status( 'cancelled', 'Cancelled by external CRM.' );
}

// WRONG: raw "active" check misses Memberships access semantics and delayed/free-trial cases.
$is_member = 'wcm-active' === get_post_status( $membership_id );

// RIGHT: use public checks for business rules.
if ( wc_memberships_is_user_active_member( $user_id, $plan_id ) ) {
    myplugin_enable_feature( $user_id );
}
```

## Cross-references

- Use `wcm-data-model-subscriptions-link` for exact CPT names, meta keys, rule storage, profile-field storage, and Memberships-Subscriptions relation details.
- Use `wcm-access-discounts` for access checks, restriction/drip hooks, member discounts, and price-adjustment recursion safety.
- Use `wcs-subscription-hooks` or `wcs-renewal-scheduler` when the membership is tied to WooCommerce Subscriptions renewal/payment flow.