Rename XMLRPC
by Jorge Bernal · Uncategorized
Make XML-RPC work if you rename the file. Some hosts block access to xmlrpc.php file making it impossible to use
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Health
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+23%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “xmlrpc” 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.
46 health vs 58 average across 25,738 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.3%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 30.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,771 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 5.7.21.
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 2014 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.7.21; the current branch is 6.8
4.3★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.14★ and held back under 25 reviews
1 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2014 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| xmlrpc 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
- “xmlrpc” 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 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 249 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
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
5.5y ago
latest release · v1.1 · 26 Apr 2021
2
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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 18 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 17 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ revixi53.5y ago
I simply renamed the physical file “xmlrpc2.php” (as the default name use in the script) and everything wen’t fine. Thanks a lot!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ branhampaul4.1y ago
This plugin helped me log-in through the WordPress Android app after it was giving me XML-RPC error. After installing, I changed the xmlrpc file in file manager by simply adding “2”. Thank you, Developer. You may want to update this plugin too.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ stopthepress4.7y ago
Yesterday my server provider migrated servers using now cPanel 100.0.11 Apache 2.4.52 and PHP 7.4. Now Windows Live Writer can’t upload a post anymore. I disabled ModSecurity in cPanel and same problem. Then installed this Rename Xmlrpc and same thing. This plugin does nothing. I’m stuck.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ trhdenmkj5.6y ago
Testet with WP Version: 5.7 But the Install instructions are wrong. The File must be renamed to ‘xmlrpc2.php’. Or you need to edit the plugin code.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brunozbak5.7y ago
It’s simple. And it WORKS! This is how EVERY plugin should be. Well done!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ eitarn6.6y ago
Thanks a lot for this! Rename your xmlrpc file to xmlrpc2 if you dont understand how to edit the plugin. Works with WordPress 5.3.2!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alhajibishop9.6y ago
I am having issues with the rename xmlrpc plugin. Was able to get it to work but when I log in from my app, it doesn’t refresh and was also unable to make a post. Anyway round this? Or is it from my own end? This topic was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by alhajibishop.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ timelle10.3y ago
My host provider blocks xmlrpc.php but I can solve this problem. Works with WP 4.5.3
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Make XML-RPC work if you rename the file. Some hosts block access to xmlrpc.php file making it impossible t..."
- ! 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 112 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
- 2025-05-12 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-11 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-10 2K+ → 1K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2025-05-08 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-07 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-06 1K+ → 2K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-05 2K+ → 1K+ down after 541 days in tier
- 2023-11-11 3K+ → 2K+ down after 311 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).
- D Disable XML-RPC 200K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag B
-
Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
Remove & Disable XML-RPC Pingback 7K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag D -
Stop XML-RPC Attacks 6K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A -
Remove XML-RPC Methods 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A -
Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Rename XMLRPC into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/rename-xml-rpc" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Rename XMLRPC — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Rename XMLRPC: 1K+ active installs, 4.3★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/rename-xml-rpc
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