diff --git a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/base-php.ts b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/base-php.ts
index a9ea3ba0af0..17ea3189924 100644
--- a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/base-php.ts
+++ b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/base-php.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,12 @@ import {
 	improveWASMErrorReporting,
 	UnhandledRejectionsTarget,
 } from './wasm-error-reporting';
-import { Semaphore, createSpawnHandler, joinPaths } from '@php-wasm/util';
+import {
+	Semaphore,
+	createSpawnHandler,
+	joinPaths,
+	phpVars,
+} from '@php-wasm/util';
 
 const STRING = 'string';
 const NUMBER = 'number';
@@ -267,7 +272,13 @@ export abstract class BasePHP implements IsomorphicLocalPHP {
 				}
 			}
 			if (typeof request.code === 'string') {
-				this.#setPHPCode(' ?>' + request.code);
+				const js = phpVars(request.variables || {});
+				const phpVariablesDeclarations = Object.entries(js)
+					.map(([key, value]) => `$${key} = ${value};`)
+					.join('\n');
+				this.#setPHPCode(
+					` ${phpVariablesDeclarations} ?>${request.code}`
+				);
 			}
 			this.#addServerGlobalEntriesInWasm();
 			const response = await this.#handleRequest();
diff --git a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/index.ts b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/index.ts
index c88a05501f3..074ddb5eb34 100644
--- a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/index.ts
+++ b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/index.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export type {
 	SupportedPHPExtensionBundle,
 } from './supported-php-extensions';
 export { BasePHP, __private__dont__use } from './base-php';
-export { loadPHPRuntime } from './load-php-runtime';
+export { currentJsRuntime, loadPHPRuntime } from './load-php-runtime';
 export type {
 	DataModule,
 	EmscriptenOptions,
diff --git a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/universal-php.ts b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/universal-php.ts
index 299878dd977..3c6ef962150 100644
--- a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/universal-php.ts
+++ b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/universal-php.ts
@@ -543,6 +543,11 @@ export interface PHPRunOptions {
 	 */
 	code?: string;
 
+	/**
+	 * The variables to pass to the PHP code.
+	 */
+	variables?: Record<string, any>;
+
 	/**
 	 * Whether to throw an error if the PHP process exits with a non-zero code
 	 * or outputs to stderr.
diff --git a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/write-files.ts b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/write-files.ts
index ff0d8a0162c..5810eac3a9f 100644
--- a/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/write-files.ts
+++ b/packages/php-wasm/universal/src/lib/write-files.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export interface WriteFilesOptions {
 export async function writeFiles(
 	php: UniversalPHP,
 	root: string,
-	newFiles: Record<string, Uint8Array | string>,
+	newFiles: Record<string, File | Uint8Array | string>,
 	{ rmRoot = false }: WriteFilesOptions = {}
 ) {
 	if (rmRoot) {
@@ -37,11 +37,22 @@ export async function writeFiles(
 			await php.rmdir(root, { recursive: true });
 		}
 	}
+	await php.mkdir(root);
 	for (const [relativePath, content] of Object.entries(newFiles)) {
 		const filePath = joinPaths(root, relativePath);
 		if (!(await php.fileExists(dirname(filePath)))) {
 			await php.mkdir(dirname(filePath));
 		}
-		await php.writeFile(filePath, content);
+		const finalContent =
+			content instanceof File
+				? new Uint8Array(await content.arrayBuffer())
+				: content;
+		await php.writeFile(filePath, finalContent);
 	}
+
+	const paths: Record<string, string> = {};
+	for (const [relativePath] of Object.entries(newFiles)) {
+		paths[relativePath] = joinPaths(root, relativePath);
+	}
+	return paths;
 }
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/index.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/index.ts
index 48623ec67cf..a326e1e703a 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/index.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import '@php-wasm/node-polyfills';
 
 export * from './lib/steps';
 export * from './lib/steps/handlers';
+export { linkSnapshot, setSnapshot } from './lib/steps/import-wordpress-files';
 export { runBlueprintSteps, compileBlueprint } from './lib/compile';
 export type { Blueprint } from './lib/blueprint';
 export type {
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/import-wordpress-files.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/import-wordpress-files.ts
index baf8daac7ce..d00f8eab14d 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/import-wordpress-files.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/import-wordpress-files.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import { StepHandler } from '.';
 import { unzip } from './unzip';
-import { dirname, joinPaths, phpVar } from '@php-wasm/util';
-import { UniversalPHP } from '@php-wasm/universal';
-import { wpContentFilesExcludedFromExport } from '../utils/wp-content-files-excluded-from-exports';
+import { basename, joinPaths } from '@php-wasm/util';
+import { UniversalPHP, currentJsRuntime } from '@php-wasm/universal';
 import { defineSiteUrl } from './define-site-url';
+import { runWpInstallationWizard } from './run-wp-installation-wizard';
+import { defineWpConfigConsts } from './define-wp-config-consts';
 
 /**
  * @inheritDoc importWordPressFiles
@@ -38,94 +39,229 @@ export interface ImportWordPressFilesStep<ResourceType> {
  * `wp-content` and `wp-includes` directories, they will replace
  * the corresponding directories in Playground's documentRoot.
  *
- * Any files that Playground recognizes as "excluded from the export"
+ * Any files that Playground recognizes as "exceptd from the export"
  * will carry over from the existing document root into the imported
  * directories. For example, the sqlite-database-integration plugin.
  *
- * @param playground Playground client.
+ * @param php Playground client.
  * @param wordPressFilesZip Zipped WordPress site.
  */
 export const importWordPressFiles: StepHandler<
 	ImportWordPressFilesStep<File>
-> = async (playground, { wordPressFilesZip, pathInZip = '' }) => {
-	const documentRoot = await playground.documentRoot;
-
-	// Unzip
-	let importPath = joinPaths('/tmp', 'import');
-	await playground.mkdir(importPath);
-	await unzip(playground, {
-		zipFile: wordPressFilesZip,
-		extractToPath: importPath,
+> = async (php, { wordPressFilesZip, pathInZip = '' }) => {
+	await setSnapshot(php, wordPressFilesZip, pathInZip);
+	await linkSnapshot(php);
+};
+
+export async function setSnapshot(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	snapshotZip: File,
+	pathInZip = ''
+) {
+	const documentRoot = await php.documentRoot;
+	// Extract the snapshot to a temporary directory.
+	// Use a subdirectory of the document root to avoid a slow recursive
+	// copy operation across Emscripten filesystems – in Node.js,
+	// the /tmp directory is likely kept in MEMFS, while the document
+	// root is typically a NODEFS mount.
+	const snapshotPath = joinPaths(documentRoot, '.snapshot');
+	await unzipSnapshot(php, snapshotZip, pathInZip, snapshotPath);
+	await backfillWordPressCore(php, snapshotPath, documentRoot);
+	await removeContents(php, documentRoot, { except: ['.snapshot'] });
+	await moveContents(php, snapshotPath, documentRoot);
+	await removePath(php, snapshotPath);
+	await defineWpConfigConsts(php, {
+		consts: {
+			CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS: false,
+		},
 	});
-	importPath = joinPaths(importPath, pathInZip);
-
-	// Carry over any Playground-related files, such as the
-	// SQLite database plugin, from the current wp-content
-	// into the one that's about to be imported
-	const importedWpContentPath = joinPaths(importPath, 'wp-content');
-	const wpContentPath = joinPaths(documentRoot, 'wp-content');
-	for (const relativePath of wpContentFilesExcludedFromExport) {
-		// Remove any paths that were supposed to be excluded from the export
-		// but maybe weren't
-		const excludedImportPath = joinPaths(
-			importedWpContentPath,
-			relativePath
-		);
-		await removePath(playground, excludedImportPath);
+}
 
-		// Replace them with files sourced from the live wp-content directory
-		const restoreFromPath = joinPaths(wpContentPath, relativePath);
-		if (await playground.fileExists(restoreFromPath)) {
-			await playground.mkdir(dirname(excludedImportPath));
-			await playground.mv(restoreFromPath, excludedImportPath);
-		}
+async function unzipSnapshot(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	snapshotZip: File,
+	pathInZip = '',
+	targetPath: string
+) {
+	// await unzip(php, snapshotZip, targetPath);
+
+	// Find WordPress core files in the extracted snapshot.
+	let importedFilesPath = targetPath;
+	if (pathInZip) {
+		// If pathInZip is explicitly provided, use it.
+		importedFilesPath = joinPaths(targetPath, pathInZip);
+	} else if (
+		(await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wordpress'))) &&
+		!(await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content')))
+	) {
+		// If importing a WordPress.org zip, it may contain a top-level
+		// directory named "wordpress". If so, use that as the import path.
+		importedFilesPath = joinPaths(importedFilesPath, 'wordpress');
+	}
+
+	// If the imported files were in a nested directory in the zip,
+	// move them over to the document root.
+	if (importedFilesPath !== targetPath) {
+		await moveContents(php, importedFilesPath, targetPath);
+	}
+
+	// Ensure wp-config.php is present in the extracted snapshot.
+	if (!(await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config.php')))) {
+		const samplePath = joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config-sample.php');
+		const wpConfig = (await php.fileExists(samplePath))
+			? await php.readFileAsText(samplePath)
+			: `<?php
+				$table_prefix = 'wp_';
+				define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );
+				if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
+					define( 'ABSPATH', __DIR__ . '/' );
+				}
+				require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php';`;
+		await php.writeFile(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config.php'), wpConfig);
+
+		// Randomize the WordPress secrets in the freshly created wp-config.php.
+		await defineWpConfigConsts(php, {
+			consts: {
+				AUTH_KEY: randomString(40),
+				SECURE_AUTH_KEY: randomString(40),
+				LOGGED_IN_KEY: randomString(40),
+				NONCE_KEY: randomString(40),
+				AUTH_SALT: randomString(40),
+				SECURE_AUTH_SALT: randomString(40),
+				LOGGED_IN_SALT: randomString(40),
+				NONCE_SALT: randomString(40),
+			},
+		});
+	}
+
+	// Ensure the mu-plugins directory is present in the extracted snapshot.
+	if (await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content'))) {
+		await php.mkdir(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content', 'mu-plugins'));
 	}
 
-	// Carry over the database directory if the imported zip file doesn't
-	// already contain one.
-	const importedDatabasePath = joinPaths(
-		importPath,
-		'wp-content',
-		'database'
+	// The SQLite plugin used to be a regular plugin in old Playground exports.
+	// This won't work anymore. Let's be nice and clean it up if needed.
+	const sqlitePluginPath = joinPaths(
+		targetPath,
+		'wp-content/plugins/sqlite-database-integration'
 	);
-	if (!(await playground.fileExists(importedDatabasePath))) {
-		await playground.mv(
-			joinPaths(documentRoot, 'wp-content', 'database'),
-			importedDatabasePath
-		);
+	await removePath(php, sqlitePluginPath);
+}
+
+async function backfillWordPressCore(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	snapshotPath: string,
+	previousCorePath: string
+) {
+	const importedFiles = await php.listFiles(snapshotPath);
+	const snapshotType = detectSnapshotType(importedFiles);
+	if (snapshotType === 'wp-core') {
+		// Core files are already present in the snapshot, nothing to do.
+		return;
 	}
 
-	// Move all the paths from the imported directory into the document root.
-	// Overwrite, if needed.
-	const importedFilenames = await playground.listFiles(importPath);
-	for (const fileName of importedFilenames) {
-		await removePath(playground, joinPaths(documentRoot, fileName));
-		await playground.mv(
-			joinPaths(importPath, fileName),
-			joinPaths(documentRoot, fileName)
+	if (snapshotType === 'wp-content') {
+		// Bring over WordPress core files from the previous core path
+		await moveContents(php, previousCorePath, snapshotPath, {
+			except: ['wp-content', 'wp-config.php', basename(snapshotPath)],
+		});
+
+		const wpIncludesPath = joinPaths(snapshotPath, 'wp-includes');
+		if (!(await php.fileExists(wpIncludesPath))) {
+			// @TODO: Download the latest minified WordPress zip and source the files from there.
+			// @TODO: Include a Blueprint/manifest with the Playground export, and use it to source
+			//        the expected WordPress version.
+			throw new Error(
+				'Cannot initialize Playground with just the wp-content directory without loading WordPress core first. ' +
+					'Most likely you specified a zip file URL as a preferred WordPress version. ' +
+					'Either provide a zip file that contains the top-level WordPress files and directories, or ' +
+					'import your zip by explicitly listing the "importWordPressFiles" in the Blueprint.'
+			);
+		}
+		return;
+	} else {
+		throw new Error(
+			'WordPress snapshot must contain either the full WordPress core or just wp-config.php and the wp-content directory.'
 		);
 	}
+}
 
-	// Remove the directory where we unzipped the imported zip file.
-	await playground.rmdir(importPath);
+function detectSnapshotType(files: string[]) {
+	if (files.includes('wp-includes') && files.includes('wp-admin')) {
+		return 'wp-core' as const;
+	}
 
-	// Adjust the site URL
-	await defineSiteUrl(playground, {
-		siteUrl: await playground.absoluteUrl,
-	});
+	if (
+		files.length === 2 &&
+		files.includes('wp-content') &&
+		files.includes('wp-config.php')
+	) {
+		return 'wp-content' as const;
+	}
 
-	// Upgrade the database
-	const upgradePhp = phpVar(
-		joinPaths(documentRoot, 'wp-admin', 'upgrade.php')
-	);
-	await playground.run({
-		throwOnError: true,
-		code: `<?php
-            $_GET['step'] = 'upgrade_db';
-            require ${upgradePhp};
-            `,
+	return 'unknown' as const;
+}
+
+async function moveContents(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	from: string,
+	to: string,
+	{ except = [] }: { except?: string[] } = {}
+): Promise<void> {
+	await php.mkdir(to);
+	const files = await php.listFiles(from);
+	for (const file of files) {
+		if (except.includes(file)) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		await php.mv(joinPaths(from, file), joinPaths(to, file));
+	}
+}
+async function removeContents(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	from: string,
+	{ except = [] }: { except?: string[] } = {}
+): Promise<void> {
+	const files = await php.listFiles(from);
+	for (const file of files) {
+		if (except.includes(file)) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		await removePath(php, joinPaths(from, file));
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Private API.
+ *
+ * Turns a static WordPress snapshot present in the document root
+ * into a configured, runnable WordPress site.
+ *
+ * @private
+ * @param php
+ */
+export async function linkSnapshot(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	// Enforce the required Playground and SQLite mu-plugins in
+	// the browser.
+	if (currentJsRuntime === 'WEB' || currentJsRuntime === 'WORKER') {
+		const documentRoot = await php.documentRoot;
+		// await installSqliteMuPlugin(php, documentRoot);
+		// await installPlaygroundMuPlugin(php);
+
+		// Run the installation wizard if the database is missing
+		const dbExists = await php.fileExists(
+			joinPaths(documentRoot, 'wp-content', 'database', '.ht.sqlite')
+		);
+		if (!dbExists) {
+			await runWpInstallationWizard(php, {});
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Adjust the site URL
+	await defineSiteUrl(php, {
+		siteUrl: await php.absoluteUrl,
 	});
-};
+}
 
 async function removePath(playground: UniversalPHP, path: string) {
 	if (await playground.fileExists(path)) {
@@ -136,3 +272,12 @@ async function removePath(playground: UniversalPHP, path: string) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+export function randomString(length: number) {
+	const chars =
+		'0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!@#$%^&*()_+=-[]/.,<>?';
+	let result = '';
+	for (let i = length; i > 0; --i)
+		result += chars[Math.floor(Math.random() * chars.length)];
+	return result;
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/run-wp-installation-wizard.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/run-wp-installation-wizard.ts
index fd803b50dbb..4e25c88f2ec 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/run-wp-installation-wizard.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/run-wp-installation-wizard.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { StepHandler } from '.';
  */
 export interface RunWpInstallationWizardStep {
 	step: 'runWpInstallationWizard';
-	options: WordPressInstallationOptions;
+	options?: WordPressInstallationOptions;
 }
 
 export interface WordPressInstallationOptions {
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export interface WordPressInstallationOptions {
  */
 export const runWpInstallationWizard: StepHandler<
 	RunWpInstallationWizardStep
-> = async (playground, { options }) => {
+> = async (playground, { options = {} }) => {
 	await playground.request({
 		url: '/wp-admin/install.php?step=2',
 		method: 'POST',
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/unzip.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/unzip.ts
index 0858a2548f1..79d9b8e2f4d 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/unzip.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/unzip.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
-import { phpVars } from '@php-wasm/util';
 import { StepHandler } from '.';
-import { runPhpWithZipFunctions } from '../utils/run-php-with-zip-functions';
+import { unzip as _unzip } from '@wp-playground/php-bridge';
 
 /**
  * @inheritDoc unzip
@@ -30,13 +29,11 @@ export interface UnzipStep<ResourceType> {
 	extractToPath: string;
 }
 
-const tmpPath = '/tmp/file.zip';
-
 /**
  * Unzip a zip file.
  *
  * @param playground Playground client.
- * @param zipPath The zip file to unzip.
+ * @param zipFile The zip file to unzip.
  * @param extractTo The directory to extract the zip file to.
  */
 export const unzip: StepHandler<UnzipStep<File>> = async (
@@ -44,33 +41,18 @@ export const unzip: StepHandler<UnzipStep<File>> = async (
 	{ zipFile, zipPath, extractToPath }
 ) => {
 	if (zipPath) {
-		// Compatibility with the old Blueprints API
-		// @TODO: Remove the zipPath option in the next major version
-		await playground.writeFile(
-			tmpPath,
-			await playground.readFileAsBuffer(zipPath)
+		zipFile = new File(
+			[await playground.readFileAsBuffer(zipPath)],
+			'file.zip'
 		);
 		console.warn(
 			`The "zipPath" option of the unzip() Blueprint step is deprecated and will be removed. ` +
 				`Use "zipFile" instead.`
 		);
-	} else if (zipFile) {
-		await playground.writeFile(
-			tmpPath,
-			new Uint8Array(await zipFile.arrayBuffer())
-		);
-	} else {
-		throw new Error('Either zipPath or zipFile must be provided');
 	}
-	const js = phpVars({
-		zipPath: tmpPath,
-		extractToPath,
-	});
-	await runPhpWithZipFunctions(
-		playground,
-		`unzip(${js.zipPath}, ${js.extractToPath});`
-	);
-	if (playground.fileExists(tmpPath)) {
-		await playground.unlink(tmpPath);
+
+	if (!zipFile) {
+		throw new Error('Either zipPath or zipFile must be provided');
 	}
+	return await _unzip(playground, zipFile, extractToPath);
 };
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/zip-wp-content.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/zip-wp-content.ts
index 9870ff76d79..1dc0bed3da8 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/zip-wp-content.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/steps/zip-wp-content.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { joinPaths, phpVars } from '@php-wasm/util';
 import { UniversalPHP } from '@php-wasm/universal';
 import { wpContentFilesExcludedFromExport } from '../utils/wp-content-files-excluded-from-exports';
-import { runPhpWithZipFunctions } from '../utils/run-php-with-zip-functions';
+// import { runPhpWithZipFunctions } from '../utils/run-php-with-zip-functions';
 
 interface ZipWpContentOptions {
 	/**
@@ -59,14 +59,14 @@ export const zipWpContent = async (
 			  }
 			: {},
 	});
-	await runPhpWithZipFunctions(
-		playground,
-		`zipDir(${js.wpContentPath}, ${js.zipPath}, array(
-			'exclude_paths' => ${js.exceptPaths},
-			'zip_root'      => ${js.documentRoot},
-			'additional_paths' => ${js.additionalPaths}
-		));`
-	);
+	// await runPhpWithZipFunctions(
+	// 	playground,
+	// 	`zipDir(${js.wpContentPath}, ${js.zipPath}, array(
+	// 		'exclude_paths' => ${js.exceptPaths},
+	// 		'zip_root'      => ${js.documentRoot},
+	// 		'additional_paths' => ${js.additionalPaths}
+	// 	));`
+	// );
 
 	const fileBuffer = await playground.readFileAsBuffer(zipPath);
 	playground.unlink(zipPath);
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/run-php-with-zip-functions.ts b/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/run-php-with-zip-functions.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8323a2519f7..00000000000
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/run-php-with-zip-functions.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-import { UniversalPHP } from '@php-wasm/universal';
-// @ts-ignore
-import zipFunctions from './zip-functions.php?raw';
-export async function runPhpWithZipFunctions(
-	playground: UniversalPHP,
-	code: string
-) {
-	return await playground.run({
-		throwOnError: true,
-		code: zipFunctions + code,
-	});
-}
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/tsconfig.lib.json b/packages/playground/blueprints/tsconfig.lib.json
index 829b0bc14c8..c341779b2e0 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/tsconfig.lib.json
+++ b/packages/playground/blueprints/tsconfig.lib.json
@@ -5,6 +5,6 @@
 		"declaration": true,
 		"types": ["node"]
 	},
-	"include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
+	"include": ["src/**/*.ts", "src/lib/setup-mu-plugins.ts"],
 	"exclude": ["jest.config.ts", "src/**/*.spec.ts", "src/**/*.test.ts"]
 }
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/.eslintrc.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/.eslintrc.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ee9ffa963c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/.eslintrc.json
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+{
+	"extends": ["../../../.eslintrc.json"],
+	"ignorePatterns": ["!**/*"],
+	"overrides": [
+		{
+			"files": ["*.ts", "*.tsx", "*.js", "*.jsx"],
+			"rules": {}
+		},
+		{
+			"files": ["*.ts", "*.tsx"],
+			"rules": {}
+		},
+		{
+			"files": ["*.js", "*.jsx"],
+			"rules": {}
+		},
+		{
+			"files": ["*.json"],
+			"parser": "jsonc-eslint-parser",
+			"rules": {
+				"@nx/dependency-checks": [
+					"error",
+					{
+						"ignoredFiles": [
+							"{projectRoot}/vite.config.{js,ts,mjs,mts}"
+						]
+					}
+				]
+			}
+		}
+	]
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/README.md b/packages/playground/php-bridge/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..244c77f179c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# playground-php-bridge
+
+This library was generated with [Nx](https://nx.dev).
+
+## Building
+
+Run `nx build playground-php-bridge` to build the library.
+
+## Running unit tests
+
+Run `nx test playground-php-bridge` to execute the unit tests via [Jest](https://jestjs.io).
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/package.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a045577b51f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+	"version": "0.0.1",
+	"type": "module",
+	"private": true
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/project.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/project.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a4c24abc1df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/project.json
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+{
+	"name": "playground-php-bridge",
+	"$schema": "../../../node_modules/nx/schemas/project-schema.json",
+	"sourceRoot": "packages/playground/php-bridge/src",
+	"projectType": "library",
+	"targets": {
+		"build": {
+			"executor": "@nx/vite:build",
+			"outputs": ["{options.outputPath}"],
+			"options": {
+				"outputPath": "dist/packages/playground/php-bridge"
+			}
+		},
+		"test": {
+			"executor": "@nx/vite:test",
+			"outputs": ["{options.reportsDirectory}"],
+			"options": {
+				"passWithNoTests": true,
+				"reportsDirectory": "../../../coverage/packages/playground/php-bridge"
+			}
+		},
+		"lint": {
+			"executor": "@nx/linter:eslint",
+			"outputs": ["{options.outputFile}"],
+			"options": {
+				"lintFilePatterns": [
+					"packages/playground/php-bridge/**/*.ts",
+					"packages/playground/php-bridge/package.json"
+				]
+			}
+		}
+	},
+	"tags": []
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.spec.ts b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bc54832550b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { NodePHP } from '@php-wasm/node';
+import { withPlaygroundLibrary } from './index';
+
+const phpVersion = '8.0';
+
+describe('withPlaygroundLibrary()', () => {
+	let php: NodePHP;
+	beforeEach(async () => {
+		php = await NodePHP.load(phpVersion as any, {});
+		php.mkdir('/php');
+		php.setPhpIniEntry('disable_functions', '');
+	});
+	it('Should provide the variables', async () => {
+		const result = await withPlaygroundLibrary(
+			php as any,
+			`<?php echo json_encode($variable1); `,
+			{
+				variable1: {
+					key: 'value',
+				},
+			}
+		);
+		expect(result.json).toEqual({
+			key: 'value',
+		});
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.ts b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ed6fe1941fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { UniversalPHP, writeFiles } from '@php-wasm/universal';
+// @ts-ignore
+import playgroundLibrary from './playground-library.php?raw';
+
+interface UnzipOptions {
+	except?: string[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Unzip a zip file.
+ *
+ * @param php Playground client.
+ * @param zipPath The zip file to unzip.
+ * @param extractTo The directory to extract the zip file to.
+ */
+export async function unzip(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	zipFile: File,
+	extractToPath: string,
+	options: UnzipOptions = {}
+) {
+	return await withPlaygroundLibrary(
+		php,
+		`<?php unzip($zipFile, $extractToPath, $options);`,
+		{
+			zipFile,
+			extractToPath,
+			options,
+		}
+	);
+}
+
+export async function withPlaygroundLibrary(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	code: string,
+	inputs: Record<string, any> = {}
+) {
+	const vars: Record<string, any> = {};
+	const files: Record<string, File> = {};
+	for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(inputs)) {
+		if (value instanceof File) {
+			files[key] = value;
+		} else {
+			vars[key] = value;
+		}
+	}
+
+	const tmpRoot = `/tmp/${randomFilename(8)}`;
+	const tmpPaths = await writeFiles(php, tmpRoot, files);
+
+	try {
+		await php.writeFile(`/tmp/playground-library.php`, playgroundLibrary);
+		return await php.run({
+			throwOnError: true,
+			code: `<?php
+                require "/tmp/playground-library.php";
+            ?>${code}`,
+			variables: { ...vars, ...tmpPaths },
+		});
+	} finally {
+		await php.rmdir(tmpRoot);
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * @TODO: Rebase this PH and import this from @php-wasm/utils
+ */
+export function randomFilename(length: number) {
+	const chars =
+		'0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ';
+	let result = '';
+	for (let i = length; i > 0; --i)
+		result += chars[Math.floor(Math.random() * chars.length)];
+	return result;
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.spec.ts b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d3c3d8de2db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import { playgroundPhpBridge } from './playground-php-bridge';
+
+describe('playgroundPhpBridge', () => {
+	it('should work', () => {
+		expect(playgroundPhpBridge()).toEqual('playground-php-bridge');
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.ts b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a5e7884c786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/lib/playground-php-bridge.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export function playgroundPhpBridge(): string {
+	return 'playground-php-bridge';
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/zip-functions.php b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/playground-library.php
similarity index 71%
rename from packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/zip-functions.php
rename to packages/playground/php-bridge/src/playground-library.php
index a3fddee344a..908cc9d9e77 100644
--- a/packages/playground/blueprints/src/lib/utils/zip-functions.php
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/src/playground-library.php
@@ -58,17 +58,40 @@ function join_paths()
     return preg_replace('#/+#', '/', join('/', $paths));
 }
 
-function unzip($zipPath, $extractTo, $overwrite = true)
+function unzip($zipPath, $extractTo, $options = array())
 {
+    $except = array_key_exists('except', $options) ? $options['except'] : array();
     if (!is_dir($extractTo)) {
         mkdir($extractTo, 0777, true);
     }
     $zip = new ZipArchive;
     $res = $zip->open($zipPath);
-    if ($res === TRUE) {
-        $zip->extractTo($extractTo);
-        $zip->close();
+    try {
+        if ($res !== TRUE) {
+            throw new Exception("Unable to open zip file: $zipPath");
+        }
+
+        for ($i = 0; $i < $zip->numFiles; $i++) {
+            $filename = $zip->getNameIndex($i);
+            foreach ($except as $e) {
+                if (preg_match($e, $filename) === 1) {
+                    continue 2;
+                }
+            }
+            echo $filename . "\n";
+            $fileInfo = pathinfo($filename);
+            if (!empty($fileInfo['dirname'])) {
+                $dir = join_paths($extractTo, $fileInfo['dirname']);
+                if (!is_dir($dir)) {
+                    mkdir($dir, 0777, true);
+                }
+            }
+            $zip->extractTo($extractTo, $filename);
+        }
+        
         chmod($extractTo, 0777);
+    } finally {
+        $zip->close();
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..421e57804d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+	"extends": "../../../tsconfig.base.json",
+	"compilerOptions": {
+		"module": "commonjs",
+		"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
+		"strict": true,
+		"noImplicitOverride": true,
+		"noPropertyAccessFromIndexSignature": true,
+		"noImplicitReturns": true,
+		"noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": true
+	},
+	"files": [],
+	"include": [],
+	"references": [
+		{
+			"path": "./tsconfig.lib.json"
+		},
+		{
+			"path": "./tsconfig.spec.json"
+		}
+	]
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.lib.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.lib.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..672b0253c97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.lib.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+	"extends": "./tsconfig.json",
+	"compilerOptions": {
+		"outDir": "../../../dist/out-tsc",
+		"declaration": true,
+		"types": ["node", "vite/client"]
+	},
+	"include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
+	"exclude": ["jest.config.ts", "src/**/*.spec.ts", "src/**/*.test.ts"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.spec.json b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.spec.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ee9bf732a8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/tsconfig.spec.json
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+{
+	"extends": "./tsconfig.json",
+	"compilerOptions": {
+		"outDir": "../../dist/out-tsc",
+		"types": [
+			"vitest/globals",
+			"vitest/importMeta",
+			"vite/client",
+			"node",
+			"vitest"
+		]
+	},
+	"include": [
+		"vite.config.ts",
+		"src/**/*.test.ts",
+		"src/**/*.spec.ts",
+		"src/**/*.test.tsx",
+		"src/**/*.spec.tsx",
+		"src/**/*.test.js",
+		"src/**/*.spec.js",
+		"src/**/*.test.jsx",
+		"src/**/*.spec.jsx",
+		"src/**/*.d.ts"
+	]
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/php-bridge/vite.config.ts b/packages/playground/php-bridge/vite.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7d508e36fc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/php-bridge/vite.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/// <reference types='vitest' />
+import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
+// eslint-disable-next-line @nx/enforce-module-boundaries
+import { viteTsConfigPaths } from '../../vite-ts-config-paths';
+import { nxViteTsPaths } from '@nx/vite/plugins/nx-tsconfig-paths.plugin';
+
+export default defineConfig({
+	cacheDir: '../../../node_modules/.vite/playground-php-bridge',
+
+	plugins: [
+		nxViteTsPaths(),
+		viteTsConfigPaths({
+			root: '../../../',
+		}),
+	],
+
+	// Uncomment this if you are using workers.
+	// worker: {
+	//  plugins: [ nxViteTsPaths() ],
+	// },
+
+	// Configuration for building your library.
+	// See: https://vitejs.dev/guide/build.html#library-mode
+	build: {
+		lib: {
+			// Could also be a dictionary or array of multiple entry points.
+			entry: 'src/index.ts',
+			name: 'playground-php-bridge',
+			fileName: 'index',
+			// Change this to the formats you want to support.
+			// Don't forget to update your package.json as well.
+			formats: ['es', 'cjs'],
+		},
+		rollupOptions: {
+			// External packages that should not be bundled into your library.
+			external: [],
+		},
+	},
+
+	test: {
+		globals: true,
+		cache: {
+			dir: '../../../node_modules/.vitest',
+		},
+		environment: 'node',
+		include: ['src/**/*.{test,spec}.{js,mjs,cjs,ts,mts,cts,jsx,tsx}'],
+	},
+});
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/utils.ts b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/utils.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index ec870f6d84b..00000000000
--- a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/utils.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-export function randomString(length: number) {
-	const chars =
-		'0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!@#$%^&*()_+=-[]/.,<>?';
-	let result = '';
-	for (let i = length; i > 0; --i)
-		result += chars[Math.floor(Math.random() * chars.length)];
-	return result;
-}
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php
rename to packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php
rename to packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/playground/remote/src/lib/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php
rename to packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-mu-plugins.ts b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-mu-plugins.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b3e06efc69d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-mu-plugins.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import { joinPaths } from '@php-wasm/util';
+
+/** @ts-ignore */
+import transportFetch from './playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php?raw';
+/** @ts-ignore */
+import transportDummy from './playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php?raw';
+/** @ts-ignore */
+import playgroundMuPlugin from './playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php?raw';
+import { UniversalPHP, writeFiles } from '@php-wasm/universal';
+import { unzip } from '@wp-playground/php-bridge';
+
+export async function backfillPlaygroundMuPlugin(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	const muPluginsPath = joinPaths(
+		await php.documentRoot,
+		'wp-content/mu-plugins/'
+	);
+	await writeFiles(php, muPluginsPath, {
+		'0-playground.php': playgroundMuPlugin,
+		'playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php': transportDummy,
+		'playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php': transportFetch,
+	});
+}
+
+export async function backfillSqliteMuPlugin(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	await ensureSqliteMuPlugin(php);
+	await activateSqliteMuPlugin(php);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Ensure the SQLite integration plugin is installed.
+ * The prebuilt Playground WordPress zips include it,
+ * but this worker may also be initialized with a custom zip
+ * or an OPFS directory handle.
+ *
+ * The same logic is present in packages/playground/wordpress/build/Dockerfile
+ * be sure to keep it in sync.
+ */
+async function ensureSqliteMuPlugin(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	const documentRoot = await php.documentRoot;
+
+	const sqliteMuPluginPath = 'wp-content/plugins/sqlite-database-integration';
+	if (await php.fileExists(joinPaths(documentRoot, sqliteMuPluginPath))) {
+		// The SQLite plugin is present in the imported snapshot, we're good.
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	// Otherwise, let's download and install the SQLite plugin
+	const muPluginsPath = joinPaths(documentRoot, 'wp-content/mu-plugins/');
+	const plugin = await fetch(
+		'https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/sqlite-database-integration.zip'
+	);
+	await unzip(
+		php,
+		new File(
+			[await plugin.blob()],
+			'sqlite-database-integration.latest.zip'
+		),
+		// The zip file contains a directory with the same name as the plugin.
+		muPluginsPath
+	);
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+export async function activateSqliteMuPlugin(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	const docroot = await php.documentRoot;
+	const muPluginsPath = joinPaths(docroot, 'wp-content/mu-plugins/');
+	const sqlitePluginPath = joinPaths(
+		muPluginsPath,
+		'sqlite-database-integration'
+	);
+	if (!(await php.fileExists(sqlitePluginPath))) {
+		console.log(
+			'sqlite-database-integration not found in mu-plugins, skipping'
+		);
+		return;
+	}
+	await php.mkdir(sqlitePluginPath);
+	await php.writeFile(
+		joinPaths(muPluginsPath, '0-sqlite.php'),
+		'<?php require_once __DIR__ . "/sqlite-database-integration/load.php"; '
+	);
+	const dbPhp = (
+		await php.readFileAsText(joinPaths(sqlitePluginPath, 'db.copy'))
+	)
+		.replace(
+			"'{SQLITE_IMPLEMENTATION_FOLDER_PATH}'",
+			"__DIR__.'/mu-plugins/sqlite-database-integration/'"
+		)
+		.replace(
+			"'{SQLITE_PLUGIN}'",
+			"__DIR__.'/mu-plugins/sqlite-database-integration/load.php'"
+		);
+	php.writeFile(joinPaths(docroot, 'wp-content/db.php'), dbPhp);
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-snapshot.ts b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-snapshot.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..73ec6c26a73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-libs/setup-snapshot.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+import { joinPaths } from '@php-wasm/util';
+import { UniversalPHP } from '@php-wasm/universal';
+import {
+	runWpInstallationWizard,
+	defineWpConfigConsts,
+} from '@wp-playground/blueprints';
+import { unzip } from '@wp-playground/php-bridge';
+
+export async function unzipSnapshot(php: UniversalPHP, snapshotZip: File) {
+	const targetPath = await php.documentRoot;
+	await unzip(php, snapshotZip, targetPath);
+
+	// Ensure the mu-plugins directory is present in the extracted snapshot.
+	if (await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content'))) {
+		await php.mkdir(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content', 'mu-plugins'));
+	}
+
+	// The SQLite plugin used to be a regular plugin in old Playground exports.
+	// This won't work anymore. Let's be nice and clean it up if needed.
+	const sqlitePluginPath = joinPaths(
+		targetPath,
+		'wp-content/plugins/sqlite-database-integration'
+	);
+	await removePath(php, sqlitePluginPath);
+
+	// If the snapshot contains a wp-content directory, we're done.
+	const files = await php.listFiles(targetPath);
+	const filesSet = new Set(files);
+	if (filesSet.has('wp-content')) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// wp-content not found, let's find the WordPress core files in
+	// the extracted snapshot.
+	// @TODO do not infer the path from the snapshot contents.
+	//       Instead, let the consumer of this API provide the path.
+	let pathInZip = '';
+	if (filesSet.size === 1 && !filesSet.has('wp-content')) {
+		// If there's only one directory in the snapshot, use that as the import path.
+		pathInZip = files[0];
+	} else if (filesSet.has('wordpress')) {
+		// If importing a WordPress.org zip, it may contain a top-level
+		// directory named "wordpress". If so, use that as the import path.
+		pathInZip = 'wordpress';
+	} else if (filesSet.has('build')) {
+		// WordPress CI artifacts are in a "build" directory.
+		pathInZip = 'build';
+	}
+	const importedFilesPath = joinPaths(targetPath, pathInZip);
+	await moveContents(php, importedFilesPath, targetPath);
+	await removePath(php, importedFilesPath);
+
+	if (!(await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-content')))) {
+		throw new Error(
+			'The snapshot does not contain a wp-content directory.'
+		);
+	}
+}
+
+export async function backfillWordPressCore(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	wpCoreZip: File
+) {
+	const documentRoot = await php.documentRoot;
+	const files = await php.listFiles(documentRoot);
+	if (files.includes('wp-includes') && files.includes('wp-admin')) {
+		// Core files are already present in the document root, nothing to do.
+		return;
+	}
+
+	const filesSet = new Set(files);
+	const noop = '#^$#';
+	await unzip(php, wpCoreZip, documentRoot, {
+		except: [
+			// Do not overwrite wp-content files if it's already present.
+			filesSet.has('wp-content') ? '#^wp-content#' : noop,
+			// Do not overwrite wp-config.php if it's already present.
+			filesSet.has('wp-config.php') ? '#^wp-config.php$#' : noop,
+		],
+	});
+}
+
+export async function backfillWpConfig(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	const targetPath = await php.documentRoot;
+
+	// Ensure wp-config.php is present in the extracted snapshot.
+	if (!(await php.fileExists(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config.php')))) {
+		const samplePath = joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config-sample.php');
+		const wpConfig = (await php.fileExists(samplePath))
+			? await php.readFileAsText(samplePath)
+			: `<?php
+				$table_prefix = 'wp_';
+				define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );
+				if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
+					define( 'ABSPATH', __DIR__ . '/' );
+				}
+				require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php';`;
+		await php.writeFile(joinPaths(targetPath, 'wp-config.php'), wpConfig);
+		await defineWpConfigConsts(php, {
+			consts: {
+				// Randomize the WordPress secrets in the freshly created wp-config.php.
+				AUTH_KEY: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				SECURE_AUTH_KEY: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				LOGGED_IN_KEY: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				NONCE_KEY: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				AUTH_SALT: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				SECURE_AUTH_SALT: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				LOGGED_IN_SALT: crypto.randomUUID(),
+				NONCE_SALT: crypto.randomUUID(),
+			},
+		});
+	}
+}
+
+async function moveContents(
+	php: UniversalPHP,
+	from: string,
+	to: string,
+	{ except = [] }: { except?: string[] } = {}
+): Promise<void> {
+	await php.mkdir(to);
+	const files = await php.listFiles(from);
+	for (const file of files) {
+		if (except.includes(file)) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		await php.mv(joinPaths(from, file), joinPaths(to, file));
+	}
+}
+
+export async function backfillDatabase(php: UniversalPHP) {
+	// Run the installation wizard if the database is missing
+	const dbExists = await php.fileExists(
+		joinPaths(
+			await php.documentRoot,
+			'wp-content',
+			'database',
+			'.ht.sqlite'
+		)
+	);
+	if (!dbExists) {
+		await runWpInstallationWizard(php, {});
+	}
+}
+
+async function removePath(playground: UniversalPHP, path: string) {
+	if (await playground.fileExists(path)) {
+		if (await playground.isDir(path)) {
+			await playground.rmdir(path);
+		} else {
+			await playground.unlink(path);
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-thread.ts b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-thread.ts
index 5740db87800..758effe06fe 100644
--- a/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-thread.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-thread.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import {
 	SupportedPHPVersion,
 	SupportedPHPVersionsList,
 	rotatePHPRuntime,
-	writeFiles,
 } from '@php-wasm/universal';
 import { createSpawnHandler } from '@php-wasm/util';
 import {
@@ -26,20 +25,19 @@ import {
 	bindOpfs,
 	playgroundAvailableInOpfs,
 } from './opfs/bind-opfs';
-import {
-	defineSiteUrl,
-	defineWpConfigConsts,
-	unzip,
-} from '@wp-playground/blueprints';
-
-/** @ts-ignore */
-import transportFetch from './playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php?raw';
-/** @ts-ignore */
-import transportDummy from './playground-mu-plugin/playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php?raw';
-/** @ts-ignore */
-import playgroundMuPlugin from './playground-mu-plugin/0-playground.php?raw';
+
 import { joinPaths } from '@php-wasm/util';
-import { randomString } from './utils';
+import { defineWpConfigConsts } from '@wp-playground/blueprints';
+import {
+	backfillDatabase,
+	backfillWordPressCore,
+	backfillWpConfig,
+	unzipSnapshot,
+} from './worker-libs/setup-snapshot';
+import {
+	backfillPlaygroundMuPlugin,
+	backfillSqliteMuPlugin,
+} from './worker-libs/setup-mu-plugins';
 
 // post message to parent
 self.postMessage('worker-script-started');
@@ -100,19 +98,20 @@ const scopedSiteUrl = setURLScope(wordPressSiteUrl, scope).toString();
 const monitor = new EmscriptenDownloadMonitor();
 
 // Start downloading WordPress if needed
-let wordPressRequest = null;
+let snapshotRequest = null;
+let wpCoreRequest = null;
 if (!wordPressAvailableInOPFS) {
 	if (requestedWPVersion.startsWith('http')) {
 		// We don't know the size upfront, but we can still monitor the download.
 		// monitorFetch will read the content-length response header when available.
-		wordPressRequest = monitor.monitorFetch(fetch(requestedWPVersion));
-	} else {
-		const wpDetails = getWordPressModuleDetails(wpVersion);
-		monitor.expectAssets({
-			[wpDetails.url]: wpDetails.size,
-		});
-		wordPressRequest = monitor.monitorFetch(fetch(wpDetails.url));
+		snapshotRequest = monitor.monitorFetch(fetch(requestedWPVersion));
 	}
+
+	const wpDetails = getWordPressModuleDetails(wpVersion);
+	monitor.expectAssets({
+		[wpDetails.url]: wpDetails.size,
+	});
+	wpCoreRequest = monitor.monitorFetch(fetch(wpDetails.url));
 }
 
 const php = new WebPHP(undefined, {
@@ -238,44 +237,29 @@ try {
 	if (startupOptions.sapiName) {
 		await php.setSapiName(startupOptions.sapiName);
 	}
-	const docroot = php.documentRoot;
+	php.mkdir(php.documentRoot);
 
 	// If WordPress isn't already installed, download and extract it from
 	// the zip file.
 	if (!wordPressAvailableInOPFS) {
-		await unzip(php, {
-			zipFile: new File(
-				[await (await wordPressRequest!).blob()],
-				'wp.zip'
-			),
-			extractToPath: DOCROOT,
-		});
-
-		// Randomize the WordPress secrets
-		await defineWpConfigConsts(php, {
-			consts: {
-				AUTH_KEY: randomString(40),
-				SECURE_AUTH_KEY: randomString(40),
-				LOGGED_IN_KEY: randomString(40),
-				NONCE_KEY: randomString(40),
-				AUTH_SALT: randomString(40),
-				SECURE_AUTH_SALT: randomString(40),
-				LOGGED_IN_SALT: randomString(40),
-				NONCE_SALT: randomString(40),
-			},
-		});
+		if (snapshotRequest) {
+			const snapshotZip = new File(
+				[await (await snapshotRequest!).blob()],
+				'snapshot.zip'
+			);
+			await unzipSnapshot(php, snapshotZip);
+		}
+		const wpCoreZip = new File(
+			[await (await wpCoreRequest!).blob()],
+			'wp.zip'
+		);
+		await backfillWordPressCore(php, wpCoreZip);
 	}
 
-	// Always install the playground mu-plugin, even if WordPress is loaded
-	// from the OPFS. This ensures:
-	// * The mu-plugin is always there, even when a custom WordPress directory
-	//   is mounted.
-	// * The mu-plugin is always up to date.
-	await writeFiles(php, joinPaths(docroot, '/wp-content/mu-plugins'), {
-		'0-playground.php': playgroundMuPlugin,
-		'playground-includes/wp_http_dummy.php': transportDummy,
-		'playground-includes/wp_http_fetch.php': transportFetch,
-	});
+	await backfillWpConfig(php);
+	await backfillSqliteMuPlugin(php);
+	await backfillPlaygroundMuPlugin(php);
+	await backfillDatabase(php);
 
 	if (virtualOpfsDir) {
 		await bindOpfs({
@@ -286,11 +270,17 @@ try {
 	}
 
 	// Create phpinfo.php
+	const docroot = php.documentRoot;
 	php.writeFile(joinPaths(docroot, 'phpinfo.php'), '<?php phpinfo(); ');
 
 	// Always setup the current site URL.
-	await defineSiteUrl(php, {
-		siteUrl: scopedSiteUrl,
+	await defineWpConfigConsts(php, {
+		consts: {
+			WP_HOME: scopedSiteUrl,
+			WP_SITEURL: scopedSiteUrl,
+			// Needed when using the minified WordPress build.
+			CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS: false,
+		},
 	});
 
 	// Spawning new processes on the web is not supported,
diff --git a/packages/playground/remote/tsconfig.lib.json b/packages/playground/remote/tsconfig.lib.json
index 62d0b9580f3..ecb13161b91 100644
--- a/packages/playground/remote/tsconfig.lib.json
+++ b/packages/playground/remote/tsconfig.lib.json
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 			"@nx/react/typings/image.d.ts"
 		]
 	},
-	"include": ["src/**/*.ts", "service-worker.ts"],
+	"include": [
+		"src/**/*.ts",
+		"service-worker.ts",
+		"src/lib/worker-libs/setup-mu-plugins.ts"
+	],
 	"exclude": ["jest.config.ts", "src/**/*.spec.ts", "src/**/*.test.ts"]
 }
diff --git a/packages/playground/wordpress/build/Dockerfile b/packages/playground/wordpress/build/Dockerfile
index e682148c58d..019d735a273 100644
--- a/packages/playground/wordpress/build/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/playground/wordpress/build/Dockerfile
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ RUN mkdir wordpress/wp-content/mu-plugins
 # * Ensure it won't accidentally be disabled by the user
 # * Prevent it from blocking a multisite setup where disabling all the plugins is required
 # https://github.com/WordPress/sqlite-database-integration
+# The same logic is present in packages/playground/remote/src/lib/worker-thread.ts,
+# be sure to keep it in sync.
 RUN git clone https://github.com/WordPress/sqlite-database-integration.git \
     wordpress/wp-content/mu-plugins/sqlite-database-integration \
     --branch main   \
@@ -182,10 +184,10 @@ COPY --from=php /root/wordpress ./wordpress
 
 # === Postprocess WordPress ===
 
-# Disable load-scripts.php
-RUN cd wordpress && \
-    sed "s/<?php/<?php define( 'CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS', false );/" wp-config.php > wp-config.php.new && \
-    mv wp-config.php.new wp-config.php
+# Remove the wp-config.php file now that WordPress
+# is installed and let Playground generate a new one
+# on load.
+RUN rm wordpress/wp-config.php
 
 # Build the final wp.zip file
 RUN mv wordpress /wordpress && \
diff --git a/packages/playground/wordpress/tsconfig.lib.json b/packages/playground/wordpress/tsconfig.lib.json
index 672b0253c97..fc3aed667d6 100644
--- a/packages/playground/wordpress/tsconfig.lib.json
+++ b/packages/playground/wordpress/tsconfig.lib.json
@@ -5,6 +5,6 @@
 		"declaration": true,
 		"types": ["node", "vite/client"]
 	},
-	"include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
+	"include": ["src/**/*.ts", "../blueprints/src/lib/setup-mu-plugins.ts"],
 	"exclude": ["jest.config.ts", "src/**/*.spec.ts", "src/**/*.test.ts"]
 }
diff --git a/tsconfig.base.json b/tsconfig.base.json
index 266c10c2adc..958fe1bc026 100644
--- a/tsconfig.base.json
+++ b/tsconfig.base.json
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@
 			"@wp-playground/nx-extensions": [
 				"packages/nx-extensions/src/index.ts"
 			],
+			"@wp-playground/php-bridge": [
+				"packages/playground/php-bridge/src/index.ts"
+			],
 			"@wp-playground/remote": [
 				"packages/playground/remote/src/index.ts"
 			],