Get a comprehensive WordPress plugin audit

Quick Start

Jump straight into a comprehensive plugin audit with these ready-to-use prompts:

Audit my WordPress plugin at C:/my-plugin-folder - give me the full comprehensive review

Security audit my WordPress plugin before submission: C:/wp-content/plugins/my-plugin

Check the code quality of my WordPress plugin project at C:/projects/contact-form-plugin

What It Does

Think of this as your plugin passing through a professional development team's review process. audit_wordpress_plugin orchestrates multiple specialized analysis functions to give you the kind of comprehensive review that enterprise teams expect.

This isn't just a single analysis - it's a complete audit workflow that automatically:

• Analyzes project structure - Organization, file naming, WordPress standards
• Checks dependencies - Conflicts, version compatibility, unused imports
• Runs security audit - OWASP compliance, WordPress-specific vulnerabilities
• Reviews database queries - SQL injection risks, performance patterns
• Assesses code quality - Maintainability, complexity, best practices
• Provides executive summary - Prioritized recommendations and action plan

The result is a professional-grade audit report that tells you exactly what needs attention before your plugin goes live or gets submitted to the repository.

Parameters

Customize your audit to focus on what matters most for your plugin:

Real-World Examples

Here's how to use the audit function for different scenarios:

Complete Pre-Submission Audit

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/wp-content/plugins/advanced-contact-form"
- auditDepth: "comprehensive"
- wpVersion: "6.4"
- phpVersion: "8.1"

Security-Focused Review

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/plugins/ecommerce-extension"
- auditType: "security"
- includeSteps: ["security", "database", "structure"]
- auditDepth: "comprehensive"

Performance-Focused Review

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/dev/performance-plugin"
- auditType: "performance"
- includeSteps: ["database", "quality", "dependencies"]

Quick Quality Check

houtini-lm:audit_wordpress_plugin with:
- projectPath: "C:/simple-utility-plugin"
- auditDepth: "basic"
- includeSteps: ["structure", "quality"]

What Gets Audited

Here's exactly what happens during each step of your comprehensive plugin audit:

📁 Structure Analysis

Reviews your plugin's organization and WordPress compliance:

• Plugin header information and metadata
• File and directory organization
• WordPress coding standards compliance
• Asset organization (CSS, JS, images)
• Internationalization file structure

🔗 Dependency Analysis

Identifies potential conflicts and compatibility issues:

• WordPress core dependencies
• Plugin-to-plugin conflicts
• PHP version compatibility
• JavaScript library conflicts
• Unused dependencies and bloat

🛡️ Security Audit

Comprehensive security review following WordPress and OWASP standards:

• Nonce verification implementation
• Capability and permission checks
• Input sanitization and output escaping
• SQL injection prevention
• XSS protection measures
• File upload security
• CSRF protection

🗄️ Database Analysis

Reviews database interactions for security and performance:

• Prepared statement usage
• Query performance and optimization
• Database table design
• Index usage and efficiency
• Data validation patterns

⚡ Code Quality Assessment

Evaluates maintainability, performance, and best practices:

• Code complexity and maintainability
• WordPress hook usage patterns
• Performance bottlenecks
• Documentation quality
• Error handling implementation
• Coding standards compliance

What You Get Back

Your comprehensive audit report includes everything you need to take your plugin to the next level:

📋 Executive Summary

A high-level overview perfect for project managers and stakeholders:

• Overall plugin assessment with readiness score
• Critical issues that must be addressed
• Priority recommendations ranked by impact
• Estimated effort for key improvements
• Repository readiness assessment

🔍 Detailed Findings by Category

In-depth analysis from each audit step:

• Structure issues with specific file recommendations
• Security vulnerabilities with risk levels and fixes
• Performance concerns with measurable impact
• Code quality metrics with maintainability scoring
• Dependency conflicts with resolution strategies

🎯 Actionable Recommendations

Specific guidance you can implement immediately:

• Code fixes with before/after examples
• Security improvements with implementation steps
• Performance optimizations with expected benefits
• Best practice adoption with WordPress standards
• Testing recommendations to validate changes

📊 Metrics and Scoring

Quantified assessment to track improvement:

• Security score - How safe is your plugin?
• Quality score - How maintainable is your code?
• Performance rating - How efficient is your plugin?
• Standards compliance - How well does it follow WordPress conventions?

Perfect Use Cases

Here's when this comprehensive audit becomes absolutely essential:

📤 WordPress.org Repository Submission

Get your plugin repository-ready with confidence. The audit catches the common issues that cause rejections, ensuring your first submission has the best chance of approval.

💼 Commercial Plugin Development

Before selling your plugin, ensure it meets professional standards. A comprehensive audit builds customer confidence and reduces support requests.

🔐 Enterprise Client Deliverables

When delivering custom plugins to enterprise clients, provide the audit report as documentation of quality assurance and security compliance.

🏥 Legacy Plugin Assessment

Inherited an old plugin that needs updating? The audit quickly identifies what needs attention and helps prioritize your modernization efforts.

🚀 Pre-Launch Quality Assurance

Before launching any plugin to production, run a comprehensive audit to catch issues that could impact performance or security in the wild.

📈 Continuous Improvement

Regular audits help maintain code quality as your plugin evolves. Track improvements over time and ensure new features don't introduce problems.

🎓 Learning and Development

Use audits on well-known plugins to learn best practices and understand what makes a plugin professional-grade.

Best Practices

Get the most value from your plugin audits with these proven approaches:

🎯 Timing Your Audits

• Early development - Basic audit to establish good patterns
• Feature complete - Comprehensive audit before final testing
• Pre-submission - Full security and compliance audit
• Post-launch - Regular quality monitoring audits

📋 Preparing for Audit

Ensure the most accurate results:

• Ensure your plugin directory structure is complete
• Include all dependencies and assets
• Have your main plugin file properly configured
• Include any documentation or README files

🔧 Acting on Results

Make the most of your audit findings:

• Prioritize by risk - Security issues first, then performance
• Fix incrementally - Address one category at a time
• Test after changes - Verify fixes don't break functionality
• Document improvements - Keep track of what you've addressed

🎨 Customizing Your Audit

Tailor the audit to your specific needs:

• Security focus - For plugins handling sensitive data
• Performance focus - For plugins with heavy processing
• Quality focus - For plugins with complex functionality
• Full audit - For repository submissions and commercial releases

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to resolve them: