diff --git a/features/scaffold-plugin-tests.feature b/features/scaffold-plugin-tests.feature
index 7ccbab4e..020c9ffa 100644
--- a/features/scaffold-plugin-tests.feature
+++ b/features/scaffold-plugin-tests.feature
@@ -317,3 +317,41 @@ Feature: Scaffold plugin unit tests
     And the {PLUGIN_DIR}/hello-world/readme.txt file should exist
     And the {PLUGIN_DIR}/hello-world/bitbucket-pipelines.yml file should exist
     And the {PLUGIN_DIR}/hello-world/tests directory should exist
+
+  Scenario: Scaffold plugin tests without WordPress loaded
+    Given an empty directory
+    And WP files
+
+    When I run `mkdir -p my-plugin`
+    When I run `wp scaffold plugin-tests my-plugin --dir=my-plugin`
+    Then STDOUT should not be empty
+    And the my-plugin/tests directory should contain:
+      """
+      bootstrap.php
+      test-sample.php
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/tests/bootstrap.php file should contain:
+      """
+      require dirname( __DIR__ ) . '/my-plugin.php';
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/tests/bootstrap.php file should contain:
+      """
+      * @package My_Plugin
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/tests/test-sample.php file should contain:
+      """
+      * @package My_Plugin
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/bin directory should contain:
+      """
+      install-wp-tests.sh
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/phpunit.xml.dist file should contain:
+      """
+      <exclude>./tests/test-sample.php</exclude>
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/.phpcs.xml.dist file should exist
+    And the my-plugin/.circleci/config.yml file should contain:
+      """
+      workflows:
+      """
diff --git a/features/scaffold.feature b/features/scaffold.feature
index 272e625b..d56558c0 100644
--- a/features/scaffold.feature
+++ b/features/scaffold.feature
@@ -528,3 +528,21 @@ Feature: WordPress code scaffolding
       Error: Invalid plugin slug specified.
       """
     And the return code should be 1
+
+  Scenario: Scaffold plugin without WordPress loaded
+    Given an empty directory
+    And WP files
+
+    When I run `wp scaffold plugin my-plugin --dir=.`
+    Then STDOUT should not be empty
+    And the my-plugin/my-plugin.php file should exist
+    And the my-plugin/readme.txt file should exist
+    And the my-plugin/.editorconfig file should exist
+    And the my-plugin/my-plugin.php file should contain:
+      """
+      * Plugin Name:     My Plugin
+      """
+    And the my-plugin/my-plugin.php file should contain:
+      """
+      * Tested up to:    6.4
+      """
diff --git a/phpcs.xml.dist b/phpcs.xml.dist
index cf7010ea..d38c6a6b 100644
--- a/phpcs.xml.dist
+++ b/phpcs.xml.dist
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 	<!-- Exclude existing classes from the prefix rule as it would break BC to prefix them now. -->
 	<rule ref="WordPress.NamingConventions.PrefixAllGlobals.NonPrefixedClassFound">
 		<exclude-pattern>*/src/Scaffold_Command\.php$</exclude-pattern>
+		<exclude-pattern>*/src/Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback\.php$</exclude-pattern>
 	</rule>
 
 </ruleset>
diff --git a/phpstan.neon.dist b/phpstan.neon.dist
index 20dfba73..e9ed6071 100644
--- a/phpstan.neon.dist
+++ b/phpstan.neon.dist
@@ -11,3 +11,5 @@ parameters:
   ignoreErrors:
     - identifier: missingType.parameter
     - identifier: missingType.return
+    # Pre-existing issues with array access in string interpolation
+    - '#Part \$data\[.+\] \(mixed\) of encapsed string cannot be cast to string\.#'
diff --git a/src/Scaffold_Command.php b/src/Scaffold_Command.php
index 6ff95389..665e7cdf 100644
--- a/src/Scaffold_Command.php
+++ b/src/Scaffold_Command.php
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
  */
 class Scaffold_Command extends WP_CLI_Command {
 
+	/**
+	 * Fallback WordPress version to use when WordPress is not loaded.
+	 * This should be updated periodically to reflect a recent stable version.
+	 */
+	const FALLBACK_WP_VERSION = '6.4';
+
 	/**
 	 * Generates PHP code for registering a custom post type.
 	 *
@@ -364,7 +370,7 @@ public function block( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 	public function underscores( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 
 		$theme_slug = $args[0];
-		$theme_path = WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/themes';
+		$theme_path = $this->get_content_dir() . '/themes';
 		$url        = 'https://underscores.me';
 		$timeout    = 30;
 
@@ -377,7 +383,7 @@ public function underscores( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 			'author'     => 'Me',
 			'author_uri' => '',
 		];
-		$data     = wp_parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
+		$data     = $this->parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
 
 		$_s_theme_path = "$theme_path/$data[theme_name]";
 
@@ -510,12 +516,12 @@ public function child_theme( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 			'theme_uri'  => '',
 		];
 
-		$data                = wp_parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
+		$data                = $this->parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
 		$data['slug']        = $theme_slug;
 		$data['prefix_safe'] = str_replace( [ ' ', '-' ], '_', $theme_slug );
 		$data['description'] = ucfirst( $data['parent_theme'] ) . ' child theme.';
 
-		$theme_dir = WP_CONTENT_DIR . "/themes/{$theme_slug}";
+		$theme_dir = $this->get_content_dir() . "/themes/{$theme_slug}";
 
 		$error_msg = $this->check_target_directory( 'theme', $theme_dir );
 		if ( ! empty( $error_msg ) ) {
@@ -558,7 +564,7 @@ private function get_output_path( $assoc_args, $subdir ) {
 			}
 		} elseif ( $assoc_args['plugin'] ) {
 			$plugin = $assoc_args['plugin'];
-			$path   = WP_PLUGIN_DIR . "/{$plugin}";
+			$path   = $this->get_plugin_dir() . "/{$plugin}";
 			if ( ! is_dir( $path ) ) {
 				WP_CLI::error( "Can't find '{$plugin}' plugin." );
 			}
@@ -644,6 +650,8 @@ private function get_output_path( $assoc_args, $subdir ) {
 	 *     $ wp scaffold plugin sample-plugin
 	 *     Success: Created plugin files.
 	 *     Success: Created test files.
+	 *
+	 * @when before_wp_load
 	 */
 	public function plugin( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 		$plugin_slug    = $args[0];
@@ -662,9 +670,9 @@ public function plugin( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 			'plugin_author'       => 'YOUR NAME HERE',
 			'plugin_author_uri'   => 'YOUR SITE HERE',
 			'plugin_uri'          => 'PLUGIN SITE HERE',
-			'plugin_tested_up_to' => get_bloginfo( 'version' ),
+			'plugin_tested_up_to' => $this->get_wp_version(),
 		];
-		$data     = wp_parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
+		$data     = $this->parse_args( $assoc_args, $defaults );
 
 		$data['textdomain'] = $plugin_slug;
 
@@ -674,7 +682,7 @@ public function plugin( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 			}
 			$plugin_dir = "{$assoc_args['dir']}/{$plugin_slug}";
 		} else {
-			$plugin_dir = WP_PLUGIN_DIR . "/{$plugin_slug}";
+			$plugin_dir = $this->get_plugin_dir() . "/{$plugin_slug}";
 			$this->maybe_create_plugins_dir();
 
 			$error_msg = $this->check_target_directory( 'plugin', $plugin_dir );
@@ -765,6 +773,7 @@ public function plugin( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 	 *     Success: Created test files.
 	 *
 	 * @subcommand plugin-tests
+	 * @when before_wp_load
 	 */
 	public function plugin_tests( $args, $assoc_args ) {
 		$this->scaffold_plugin_theme_tests( $args, $assoc_args, 'plugin' );
@@ -832,14 +841,19 @@ private function scaffold_plugin_theme_tests( $args, $assoc_args, $type ) {
 				WP_CLI::error( "Invalid {$type} slug specified. The slug cannot be '.' or '..'." );
 			}
 			if ( 'theme' === $type ) {
-				$theme = wp_get_theme( $slug );
-				if ( $theme->exists() ) {
-					$target_dir = $theme->get_stylesheet_directory();
+				if ( function_exists( 'wp_get_theme' ) ) {
+					$theme = wp_get_theme( $slug );
+					if ( $theme->exists() ) {
+						$target_dir = $theme->get_stylesheet_directory();
+					} else {
+						WP_CLI::error( "Invalid {$type} slug specified. The theme '{$slug}' does not exist." );
+					}
 				} else {
-					WP_CLI::error( "Invalid {$type} slug specified. The theme '{$slug}' does not exist." );
+					// Fallback when WordPress is not loaded.
+					$target_dir = $this->get_content_dir() . "/themes/{$slug}";
 				}
 			} else {
-				$target_dir = WP_PLUGIN_DIR . "/{$slug}";
+				$target_dir = $this->get_plugin_dir() . "/{$slug}";
 			}
 			if ( empty( $assoc_args['dir'] ) && ! is_dir( $target_dir ) ) {
 				WP_CLI::error( "Invalid {$type} slug specified. No such target directory '{$target_dir}'." );
@@ -890,22 +904,22 @@ private function scaffold_plugin_theme_tests( $args, $assoc_args, $type ) {
 		$main_file = "{$slug}.php";
 
 		if ( 'plugin' === $type ) {
-			if ( ! function_exists( 'get_plugins' ) ) {
-				require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php';
-			}
+			$this->maybe_load_plugin_functions();
 
-			$all_plugins = get_plugins();
+			if ( function_exists( 'get_plugins' ) ) {
+				$all_plugins = get_plugins();
 
-			if ( ! empty( $all_plugins ) ) {
-				$filtered = array_filter(
-					array_keys( $all_plugins ),
-					static function ( $item ) use ( $slug ) {
-						return ( false !== strpos( $item, "{$slug}/" ) );
-					}
-				);
+				if ( ! empty( $all_plugins ) ) {
+					$filtered = array_filter(
+						array_keys( $all_plugins ),
+						static function ( $item ) use ( $slug ) {
+							return ( false !== strpos( $item, "{$slug}/" ) );
+						}
+					);
 
-				if ( ! empty( $filtered ) ) {
-					$main_file = basename( reset( $filtered ) );
+					if ( ! empty( $filtered ) ) {
+						$main_file = basename( reset( $filtered ) );
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -972,12 +986,18 @@ static function ( $item ) use ( $slug ) {
 	private function check_target_directory( $type, $target_dir ) {
 		$parent_dir = dirname( self::canonicalize_path( str_replace( '\\', '/', $target_dir ) ) );
 
-		if ( 'theme' === $type && str_replace( '\\', '/', WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/themes' ) !== $parent_dir ) {
-			return sprintf( 'The target directory \'%1$s\' is not in \'%2$s\'.', $target_dir, WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/themes' );
+		if ( 'theme' === $type ) {
+			$themes_dir = str_replace( '\\', '/', $this->get_content_dir() . '/themes' );
+			if ( defined( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR' ) && $themes_dir !== $parent_dir ) {
+				return sprintf( 'The target directory \'%1$s\' is not in \'%2$s\'.', $target_dir, $themes_dir );
+			}
 		}
 
-		if ( 'plugin' === $type && str_replace( '\\', '/', WP_PLUGIN_DIR ) !== $parent_dir ) {
-			return sprintf( 'The target directory \'%1$s\' is not in \'%2$s\'.', $target_dir, WP_PLUGIN_DIR );
+		if ( 'plugin' === $type ) {
+			$plugin_dir = str_replace( '\\', '/', $this->get_plugin_dir() );
+			if ( defined( 'WP_PLUGIN_DIR' ) && $plugin_dir !== $parent_dir ) {
+				return sprintf( 'The target directory \'%1$s\' is not in \'%2$s\'.', $target_dir, $plugin_dir );
+			}
 		}
 
 		// Success.
@@ -1128,20 +1148,129 @@ protected function maybe_create_themes_dir() {
 	 * Creates the plugins directory if it doesn't already exist.
 	 */
 	protected function maybe_create_plugins_dir() {
+		$plugin_dir = $this->get_plugin_dir();
+		if ( ! is_dir( $plugin_dir ) ) {
+			if ( function_exists( 'wp_mkdir_p' ) ) {
+				wp_mkdir_p( $plugin_dir );
+			} else {
+				// Fallback when WordPress is not loaded.
+				// Uses 0755 to match WordPress's default directory permissions.
+				// phpcs:ignore WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_mkdir
+				mkdir( $plugin_dir, 0755, true );
+			}
+		}
+	}
 
-		if ( ! is_dir( WP_PLUGIN_DIR ) ) {
-			wp_mkdir_p( WP_PLUGIN_DIR );
+	/**
+	 * Loads WordPress plugin functions if available.
+	 *
+	 * Attempts to load the WordPress plugin.php file which contains get_plugins()
+	 * and other plugin-related functions. Silently fails if WordPress is not available.
+	 */
+	protected function maybe_load_plugin_functions() {
+		if ( ! function_exists( 'get_plugins' ) && defined( 'ABSPATH' ) && file_exists( ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php' ) ) {
+			require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php';
 		}
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Initializes WP_Filesystem.
+	 * Initializes WP_Filesystem or returns a fallback filesystem wrapper.
+	 *
+	 * When WordPress is available, uses WP_Filesystem for proper permissions/security.
+	 * When WordPress is not available, returns a fallback wrapper using native PHP functions.
+	 *
+	 * @return \WP_Filesystem_Base|Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback Filesystem handler object.
 	 */
 	protected function init_wp_filesystem() {
-		global $wp_filesystem;
-		WP_Filesystem();
+		// Check if WordPress filesystem functions are available.
+		if ( function_exists( 'WP_Filesystem' ) ) {
+			global $wp_filesystem;
+			WP_Filesystem();
+			return $wp_filesystem;
+		}
 
-		return $wp_filesystem;
+		// Return a fallback filesystem wrapper using native PHP functions.
+		return $this->get_fallback_filesystem();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets a fallback filesystem wrapper when WordPress is not available.
+	 *
+	 * Provides a compatible interface with WP_Filesystem using native PHP functions.
+	 *
+	 * @return Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback Filesystem wrapper object.
+	 */
+	protected function get_fallback_filesystem() {
+		return new Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets the plugin directory path with fallback.
+	 *
+	 * @param string|null $base_dir Optional base directory to use as fallback.
+	 * @return string Plugin directory path.
+	 */
+	protected function get_plugin_dir( $base_dir = null ) {
+		if ( defined( 'WP_PLUGIN_DIR' ) ) {
+			return WP_PLUGIN_DIR;
+		}
+		// Fallback when WordPress is not loaded.
+		if ( null !== $base_dir ) {
+			return $base_dir;
+		}
+		// Default fallback to current directory.
+		$cwd = getcwd();
+		return false !== $cwd ? $cwd : '.';
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets the content directory path with fallback.
+	 *
+	 * @return string Content directory path.
+	 */
+	protected function get_content_dir() {
+		if ( defined( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR' ) ) {
+			return WP_CONTENT_DIR;
+		}
+		// Fallback when WordPress is not loaded.
+		if ( defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
+			return ABSPATH . 'wp-content';
+		}
+		$cwd = getcwd();
+		return false !== $cwd ? $cwd : '.';
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Parses arguments with defaults, compatible with wp_parse_args.
+	 *
+	 * Note: The fallback implementation uses array_merge which only works
+	 * with array arguments. WP-CLI always passes associative arrays to
+	 * $assoc_args, so this limitation is acceptable.
+	 *
+	 * @param array<string,mixed> $args     Arguments to parse.
+	 * @param array<string,mixed> $defaults Default values.
+	 * @return array<string,mixed> Merged array of arguments with defaults.
+	 */
+	protected function parse_args( $args, $defaults ) {
+		if ( function_exists( 'wp_parse_args' ) ) {
+			return wp_parse_args( $args, $defaults );
+		}
+		// Fallback implementation for when WordPress is not loaded.
+		// array_merge produces same result as wp_parse_args for arrays.
+		return array_merge( $defaults, $args );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets WordPress version with fallback.
+	 *
+	 * @return string WordPress version or fallback value.
+	 */
+	protected function get_wp_version() {
+		if ( function_exists( 'get_bloginfo' ) ) {
+			return get_bloginfo( 'version' );
+		}
+		// Fallback to a recent stable version when WordPress is not loaded.
+		return self::FALLBACK_WP_VERSION;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -1205,7 +1334,11 @@ private static function canonicalize_path( $path ) {
 	 */
 	private function get_theme_name( $theme ) {
 		if ( true === $theme ) {
-			$theme = wp_get_theme()->template;
+			if ( function_exists( 'wp_get_theme' ) ) {
+				$theme = wp_get_theme()->template;
+			} else {
+				WP_CLI::error( 'Cannot determine active theme without WordPress being loaded. Please specify the theme explicitly.' );
+			}
 		}
 		return strtolower( $theme );
 	}
diff --git a/src/Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback.php b/src/Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..45aefd23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback.php
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Fallback filesystem class for when WordPress is not available.
+ *
+ * Provides a compatible interface with WP_Filesystem using native PHP functions.
+ */
+class Scaffold_Filesystem_Fallback {
+
+	/**
+	 * Default directory permission mode.
+	 * Uses 0755 to match WordPress's wp_mkdir_p() default.
+	 */
+	const DIR_MODE = 0755;
+
+	/**
+	 * Creates a directory.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $path Directory path.
+	 * @return bool True on success, false on failure.
+	 */
+	public function mkdir( $path ) {
+		if ( file_exists( $path ) ) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_mkdir
+		return mkdir( $path, self::DIR_MODE, true );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Checks if a file or directory exists.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $path File or directory path.
+	 * @return bool True if exists, false otherwise.
+	 */
+	public function exists( $path ) {
+		return file_exists( $path );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Writes content to a file.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $file    File path.
+	 * @param string $contents File contents.
+	 * @return bool True on success, false on failure.
+	 */
+	public function put_contents( $file, $contents ) {
+		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_file_put_contents
+		$result = file_put_contents( $file, $contents );
+		return false !== $result;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Copies a file.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $source      Source file path.
+	 * @param string $destination Destination file path.
+	 * @param bool   $overwrite   Whether to overwrite existing file.
+	 * @return bool True on success, false on failure.
+	 */
+	public function copy( $source, $destination, $overwrite = false ) {
+		if ( ! $overwrite && file_exists( $destination ) ) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		// Ensure the destination directory exists.
+		$dir = dirname( $destination );
+		if ( ! file_exists( $dir ) ) {
+			$this->mkdir( $dir );
+		}
+		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_copy
+		return copy( $source, $destination );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Changes file permissions.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $file File path.
+	 * @param int    $mode Permission mode (octal).
+	 * @return bool True on success, false on failure.
+	 */
+	public function chmod( $file, $mode ) {
+		// phpcs:ignore WordPress.WP.AlternativeFunctions.file_system_operations_chmod
+		return chmod( $file, $mode );
+	}
+}