wp-performance/references/autoload-options.md

Autoloaded options

Autoloaded options are loaded on every request, so large autoload payloads can hurt performance site-wide.

Quick checks

• Total autoload bytes:
• wp option list --autoload=on --format=total_bytes
• Find biggest autoloaded options:
• wp option list --autoload=on --fields=option_name,size_bytes | sort -n -k 2 | tail

Docs:

• wp option list: https://wpcli.dev/docs/option/list
• wp doctor includes an autoload-options-size check:
• https://make.wordpress.org/cli/handbook/doctor-default-checks/

Fix patterns

• Stop autoloading large blobs:
• store large data in non-autoload options (autoload=off)
• move large computed data to transients/object cache
• Remove stale options left behind by removed plugins/themes (careful: confirm usage before deleting).