You Are Now Able to Close Your Own Plugins

Edit: We tweaked the page to try and make it more clear that your pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party is OPEN (which is why you have the option to close it — can’t close a closed plugin right?). If you have recommendations or suggestions about a better way to phrase things, please leave a comment with your ideas 🙂

I am well aware of the confusion caused by releasing this today, but this isn’t a joke.

Starting April 2020 you have the ability to close your own plugin without having to email us and explain why!

How do I close a plugin?

Log in with a committer account and go to the ADVANCED tab on your plugin. There, you will see a CLOSE THIS PLUGIN section that looks like this:

Read the warning. If you understand that the change is permanent, and you still want to close the plugin, press the button. Like magic, your plugin will be closed.

Who can close a plugin?

Anyone who has COMMIT access to a plugin. So now is the time for you to check who you gave commit access to, and prune the list. Please keep in mind, if you are managing a company plugin, it needs to be owned by a company account who has commit access. This is for your own legal protection.

Can I reopen the plugin?

Not without emailing the plugins team (plugins@wordpress.org) and explaining why you changed your mind.

The purpose of this requirement is to limit abuse (it does warn you the closure is intended to be permanent) and create a better experience for users. If people are constantly closing and reopening plugins, it makes users doubt the stability and security of the plugin.

What if I don’t have access to a commit account? How can I close my plugin?

Email plugins@wordpress.org and explain what the situation is, we’ll help you sort it out.

#close, #features