audit_wordpress_plugin – Comprehensive WordPress Plugin Audit

Multi-step WordPress plugin analysis covering structure, security, dependencies, and quality with compliance reporting

Perfect For

Pre-Submission Plugin Review
Complete WordPress.org repository submission preparation with coding standards compliance and security verification.

Client Plugin Quality Assurance
Professional plugin assessment for client deliverables with detailed quality metrics and improvement recommendations.

Legacy Plugin Modernisation
Comprehensive assessment of inherited plugins to identify security issues, compatibility problems, and modernisation opportunities.

Security Compliance Auditing
WordPress security best practices verification with OWASP compliance checking and vulnerability assessment.

Performance Optimisation Planning
Database query analysis, loading performance assessment, and scalability evaluation for high-traffic environments.

Quick Start

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/my-wordpress-plugin"
- auditDepth: "comprehensive"
- wpVersion: "6.4"

Security-focused audit:

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/client-plugin"
- auditType: "security"
- includeSteps: ["structure", "security", "database"]

Comprehensive Audit Output

Executive Summary

  • Overall Plugin Assessment: Quality score with recommendations for WordPress.org submission readiness
  • Critical Issues Summary: High-priority security vulnerabilities and compliance violations requiring immediate attention
  • Compatibility Assessment: WordPress version compatibility, PHP version requirements, and theme compatibility analysis

Structure Analysis

  • Plugin Architecture: File organisation, class structure, and WordPress coding standards compliance
  • Hook Implementation: Action and filter usage analysis with best practice recommendations
  • Namespace Analysis: Function and class naming conventions with conflict prevention assessment

Security Assessment

  • WordPress Security Patterns: Nonce verification, capability checking, and data sanitisation analysis
  • SQL Injection Prevention: Database query security with prepared statement usage verification
  • XSS Prevention: Output escaping analysis and input validation assessment

Database Analysis

  • Query Performance: Database query optimisation opportunities and indexing recommendations
  • Schema Design: Custom table structure analysis and WordPress database integration patterns
  • Migration Handling: Database upgrade procedures and data migration safety assessment

Audit Example

Plugin Structure

my-plugin/
├── my-plugin.php (main plugin file)
├── includes/
│   ├── class-plugin-core.php
│   └── class-admin.php
├── admin/
│   ├── js/admin.js
│   └── css/admin.css
└── languages/
    └── my-plugin.pot

Assessment Results

  • Overall Score: 85/100 – Good quality with minor improvements needed
  • Security Issues: 2 medium-severity findings – missing nonce verification in admin forms
  • Coding Standards: 92% compliance – minor spacing and documentation issues
  • Performance: Excellent – efficient database queries and proper caching implementation
  • Compatibility: WordPress 5.8+ compatible, PHP 7.4+ required

Parameters

ParameterTypeDescriptionExample
projectPathstringWordPress plugin root directory“C:/wp-plugins/my-plugin”
auditDepthenumAnalysis thoroughness level“basic” | “detailed” | “comprehensive”
auditTypeenumFocus area for audit“security” | “performance” | “quality” | “full-audit”
includeStepsarraySpecific analysis steps to include[“structure”, “security”, “database”]
wpVersionstringTarget WordPress version“6.4”
phpVersionstringTarget PHP version“8.0”

Audit Steps Configuration

  • structure – Plugin organisation and WordPress coding standards compliance
  • dependencies – Third-party library analysis and version compatibility
  • security – WordPress security best practices and vulnerability assessment
  • database – Database query analysis and performance optimisation
  • quality – Code quality metrics and maintainability assessment

Advanced Configuration

WordPress.org Submission Preparation: Complete audit ensuring repository submission guidelines compliance.

// Complete submission-ready audit
houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/my-plugin"
- auditDepth: "comprehensive"
- auditType: "full-audit"
- wpVersion: "6.4"
- phpVersion: "8.0"

// Security-focused assessment
houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/secure-plugin"
- auditType: "security"
- includeSteps: ["security", "database"]
- wpVersion: "6.4"

Quality Assurance Workflow:

  1. Run comprehensive plugin audit for baseline assessment
  2. Address critical security and compatibility issues
  3. Use generate_unit_tests for testing coverage
  4. Generate documentation with generate_documentation
  5. Final audit verification before deployment

Pro Tips

WordPress.org Guidelines: The audit specifically checks WordPress.org plugin directory requirements including security, performance, and coding standards compliance.

Client Deliverables: Use comprehensive audit reports as professional documentation for client projects, demonstrating quality assurance and security due diligence.

Continuous Quality: Run regular audits during development to catch issues early and maintain high code quality throughout the development process.

Related Functions

  • analyze_wordpress_security – Focused WordPress security analysis with detailed vulnerability assessment
  • generate_wordpress_plugin – Create new plugins following audit-verified best practices
  • analyze_database_queries – Deep database query performance and security analysis
  • generate_unit_tests – Create comprehensive test suites for plugin functionality