Readme Detonator
by wolszewski · Security
This plugin will delete readme.html and license.txt from WordPress and increase security level of website.
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 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
10+
≈18 estimated
Momentum
-24%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “security” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
44 health vs 66 average across 1,779 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 6.7K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, well behind 7.1.
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 3194 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 7.1
3.7★ over 3 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
1 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3194 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “security” isn't earning a slot. You list it, but you're not in the first 24 results for that search. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 6 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 2.3K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
8.8y ago
latest release · v1.9 · 4 Feb 2018
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 20.
Install history since 30 Dec 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Krzysiek Dróżdż8.7y ago
Using this plugin makes no sense at all. Why? That’s why… 1. You don’t have to delete these files – all you have to do is to deny access to them – you can do this easily using .htaccess file. 2. Deleting these files won’t help you secure your site – any WP upgrade will restore them. 3. This plugins checks if these files exists every time your site is requested. There’s no need to do this. 4. There are some other actions this plugin tries to perform – for example it tries to scan users table, but… It doesn’t use WPDB class and it assumes that your user table is wp_users – so it ignores your custom DB prefixes. Don’t use this plugin… Put a simple rule in your .htaccess file instead.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mwesol10.8y ago
Really great tool! I installed it on my few sites and works like a charm.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bkolasinski10.8y ago
It’s works fine
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 0 at 90% or more
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! 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 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 782 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 1 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-11-02 20+ → 10+ down after 338 days in tier
- 2025-11-29 30+ → 20+ down after 236 days in tier
- 2025-04-07 40+ → 30+ down after 212 days in tier
- 2024-09-07 50+ → 40+ down after 234 days in tier
- 2024-01-17 60+ → 50+ down after 159 days in tier
- 2023-08-11 70+ → 60+ down after 252 days in tier
- 2022-12-02 80+ → 70+ down after 49 days in tier
- 2022-10-14 90+ → 80+ down after 9 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).
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ A -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A -
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Disable Comments 1M+ installs · 4.7★ A -
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Readme Detonator into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/readme-detonator" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Readme Detonator — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Readme Detonator: 10+ active installs, 3.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/readme-detonator
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