BlackBox Debug Bar
by Greg Winiarski · Uncategorized
Also makes 2 other plugins · 5.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
BlackBox is a plugin for plugin and theme developers. It collects and displays useful debug information (errors, executed queries, globals, profiler).
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
80+
≈90 estimated
Momentum
-33%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “debug bar” and “debugging” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
48 health vs 58 average across 25,755 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 80 of 20.4K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 13+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 4990 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 15 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4990 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| debug bar your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| debugging your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “debug bar” and “debugging” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 169 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #17,400 to #18,100, alongside the other plugins at 80+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “80+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 90.
Install history since 21 Mar 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jolanxbl5.1y ago
The bar displays on the main site for people not signed in and visiting the site. Could not access the plugins section of WordPress to deactivate it; had to remove through File Manager. Status bar just sits at “Waiting for [site].com”
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anna Bansaghi8.4y ago
Immediate feedback on a great majority of errors. Added a conditional red background to the Errors, and with this modification I have never miss even a notice anymore. Thank you very much!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous User 1419842711.8y ago
Thank you for that tool! But I think, it’s very insecure, because you can also see every database query, even if you are not logged in. If a hacker is searching for your databases name, he might be very glad to find it so easy… :/
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andrew Schultz12.2y ago
Wow, such a handy tool to have! So easy to view your debug information without it messing up all the formatting of your pages!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Aleksandar Urošević12.7y ago
Simply – a must have! If your WP is slow, BlackBox will show you SQL queries and PHP errors. Also easy to debug on frontend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chris13.0y ago
I really love this plugin. In my mind every WordPress developer should have this one installed. It can point out errors, performance issues and in the end will increase the quality of your code!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Michael Cannon13.2y ago
https://github.com/michael-cannon/blackbox-debug-bar
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eugene.manuilov13.2y ago
This is very useful plugin, which helps a lot in dev. But it has to be integrated within standard admin bar and should not overlay it.
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "BlackBox is a plugin for plugin and theme developers. It collects and displays useful debug information (er..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 443 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 1 of 2 tags appear in the text; "debugging" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-26 90+ → 80+ down after 56 days in tier
- 2026-08-31 80+ → 90+ up after 22 days in tier
- 2026-08-09 90+ → 80+ down after 46 days in tier
- 2026-06-24 80+ → 90+ up after 20 days in tier
- 2026-06-04 90+ → 80+ down after 9 days in tier
- 2026-05-26 80+ → 90+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2026-05-21 90+ → 80+ down after 121 days in tier
- 2026-01-20 80+ → 90+ up after 53 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Black Bar 500+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags B -
Debug Bar Widgets 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Dev Studio — installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D -
Query Monitor 200K+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Fatal Error Notify 6K+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for BlackBox Debug Bar into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/blackbox-debug-bar" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="BlackBox Debug Bar — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> BlackBox Debug Bar: 80+ active installs, 4.6★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/blackbox-debug-bar
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