Plugin Check (PCP)

Description

Plugin Check is a tool for testing whether your plugin meets the required standards for the WordPress.org plugin directory. With this plugin you will be able to run most of the checks used for new submissions, and check if your plugin meets the requirements.

Additionally, the tool flags violations or concerns around plugin development best practices, from basic requirements like correct usage of internationalization functions to accessibility, performance, and security best practices.

The checks can be run either using the WP Admin user interface or WP-CLI:

• To check a plugin using WP Admin, please navigate to the Tools > Plugin Check menu. You need to be able to manage plugins on your site in order to access that screen.
• To check a plugin using WP-CLI, please use the wp plugin check command. For example, to check the “Hello Dolly” plugin: wp plugin check hello.php
  • Note that by default when using WP-CLI, only static checks can be executed. In order to also include runtime checks, a workaround is currently necessary using the --require argument of WP-CLI, to manually load the cli.php file within the plugin checker directory before WordPress is loaded. For example: wp plugin check hello.php --require=./wp-content/plugins/plugin-check/cli.php
  • You could use arbitrary path or URL to check a plugin. For example, to check a plugin from a URL: wp plugin check https://example.com/plugin.zip or to check a plugin from a path: wp plugin check /path/to/plugin

The checks are grouped into several categories, so that you can customize which kinds of checks you would like to run on a plugin.

Keep in mind that this plugin is not a replacement for the manual review process, but it will help you speed up the process of getting your plugin approved for the WordPress.org plugin repository, and it will also help you avoid some common mistakes.

Even if you do not intend to host your plugin in the WordPress.org directory, you are encouraged to use Plugin Check so that your plugin follows the base requirements and best practices for WordPress plugins.

Plugin Namer Tool

Plugin Check now includes an AI-powered Plugin Namer tool (accessible via Tools > Plugin Check Namer) that helps plugin authors evaluate plugin names before submission. This tool checks for:

• Similarity to existing plugins in the WordPress.org directory
• Potential trademark conflicts with well-known brands
• Compliance with WordPress plugin naming guidelines
• Generic or overly broad naming issues

The Plugin Namer provides instant feedback with actionable suggestions, helping you choose a clear, unique, and policy-compliant name that stands out in the plugin directory. This feature requires WordPress 7.0+ and configured AI connectors.

Important: The Plugin Namer tool provides guidance only and is not definitive. All plugin name decisions are subject to final review and approval by the WordPress.org Plugins team reviewers.

SVN Checker Tool

Plugin Check also includes an SVN Checker tool (accessible via Tools > Plugin Check SVN) that scans a plugin’s WordPress.org SVN repository for unexpected files, folders, and zip archives. This helps plugin authors and reviewers ensure that only the intended files are present in the plugin’s trunk, tags, and assets directories before or after a release.

Checks reviewed by AI

When AI analysis is enabled, Plugin Check can review selected results to help identify likely false positives. Related issues are grouped and analyzed with prompts tailored to the type of check, using the surrounding code as context. The AI review does not remove or change the original results, but adds an additional summary that highlights which findings may need human review before taking action.

Technical details