Automattic

Daniel Bachhuber

Gary Jones

Tim Moore

A simple WordPress admin tool for inspecting rewrite rules. View a listing of all your rewrite rules, see which rewrite rules match a given URL (and the priorities they match in), or filter by different sources of rewrite rules. Perform a soft flush of your rewrite rules to regenerate them.
<a href="https://github.com/Automattic/Rewrite-Rules-Inspector/" rel="nofollow ugc">Developed on GitHub</a> — pull requests are always welcome. Please leave feedback, questions, bug reports, and feature requests in the GitHub issues.
<h3>Where to find it</h3>
Go to <code>Tools → Rewrite Rules</code> in the WordPress admin.
<h3>URL Tester</h3>
Quickly test any URL (or path) against your site’s rewrite rules:
<ul>
<li>See whether the URL would be a 404 or which rule would match first (the one WordPress uses).</li>
<li>View the list of all matching rules, in match priority order.</li>
<li>Inspect the query variables extracted from the match and the resulting final query WordPress would run.</li>
</ul>
Works with full URLs or paths and automatically handles sites installed in a subdirectory.
<h3>Permastructs</h3>
Browse a table of all permastructs that WordPress is aware of, including:
<ul>
<li>Name — the permastruct key (e.g. for posts, taxonomies, authors).</li>
<li>Structure — the permalink structure pattern used to generate rules.</li>
<li>Description — a human-friendly summary of what the permastruct controls.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Flush Rules</h3>
The “Flush Rules” button allows you to regenerate your site’s rewrite rules. Here’s exactly what happens when you click it:
<h4>What the Flush Rules Button Does</h4>
When you click the “Flush Rules” button, the following sequence occurs:
<ol>
<li>
Security Check: The system verifies you have the proper permissions (<code>manage_options</code> capability) and validates the security nonce to prevent unauthorized access.
</li>
<li>
Cache Clearing: WordPress deletes the cached rewrite rules from the options cache using <code>wp_cache_delete('rewrite_rules', 'options')</code>.
</li>
<li>
Rule Regeneration: WordPress calls <code>flush_rewrite_rules(false)</code> to regenerate all rewrite rules based on:
<ul>
<li>Current permalink structure settings</li>
<li>Custom post types and taxonomies</li>
<li>Any custom rewrite rules added by themes or plugins</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Hook Execution: The <code>rri_flush_rules</code> action hook is fired, allowing other plugins to perform additional cleanup or actions after the flush.
</li>
<li>
Success Feedback: You’re redirected back to the Rewrite Rules Inspector page with a success message confirming the rules have been flushed.
</li>
</ol>
<h4>When to Use Flush Rules</h4>
Use the “Flush Rules” button when:
<ul>
<li>Missing Rules: You see rules marked as “missing” (red background) in the inspector</li>
<li>Custom URLs Not Working: Your custom permalinks or post type URLs aren’t working properly</li>
<li>After Plugin Changes: You’ve activated/deactivated plugins that register custom rewrite rules</li>
<li>Permalink Structure Changes: You’ve modified your site’s permalink structure</li>
<li>Custom Post Type Issues: New custom post types or taxonomies aren’t generating proper URLs</li>
</ul>
<h4>Important Notes</h4>
<ul>
<li>Soft Flush: This performs a “soft” flush (using <code>flush_rewrite_rules(false)</code>), which is safer than a hard flush as it doesn’t force regeneration of all rules unnecessarily.</li>
<li>Permissions Required: Only users with <code>manage_options</code> capability can flush rules.</li>
<li>No Data Loss: Flushing rules doesn’t delete any content or settings, it only regenerates the URL routing rules.</li>
<li>Immediate Effect: Changes take effect immediately after flushing.</li>
</ul>

Rewrite Rules Inspector

Best option when working with permalinks and custom urls structs

A must have for permalinks work

Easy Testing what wordpress rewrite thinks about any url ;) 

Nice one!


Sometimes you get into a trap that logically leads nowhere and this plugin can help you find a way out of this vicious circle. Thanks.


Genius tool for debugging redirect errors

A simple admin tool for inspecting rewrite rules.

Freemius

CodeAce

LinkMaster is your complete solution for WordPress URL management, offering advanced permalink customization, smart redirection, and a powerful broken link scanner. 
Perfect for site administrators who need precise control over their URLs to optimize for SEO, enhance user experience, and manage complex URL structures.
Unlike WordPress’s default permalink system, LinkMaster allows you to create unique, custom URLs for individual posts, pages, and custom post types without affecting your site’s overall URL structure. 
This flexibility is crucial for SEO, as it enables you to craft clean, descriptive URLs that search engines love. 
By using LinkMaster, you can ensure that your website’s URLs are SEO-friendly and properly redirected, which can improve your site’s search engine rankings and user navigation. 
For future updates and feedback, visit our website: <a href="https://getlinkmaster.com" rel="nofollow ugc">getlinkmaster.com</a>.
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>
Advanced Permalink Customization
<ul>
<li>Create custom permalinks for individual posts and pages</li>
<li>Full support for query parameters (e.g., /search?category=shoes) in URLs</li>
<li>Support for all file extensions (.html, .php, .xhtml, etc.)</li>
<li>Support for special characters in URLs 
Pro</li>
<li>Bulk permalink management tools with CSV import/export</li>
<li>URL pattern templates for consistent naming</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Smart Redirection System
<ul>
<li>301, 302, and 307 redirect support</li>
<li>Query parameter handling 
Pro</li>
<li>SEO-friendly link attributes (nofollow, sponsored)</li>
<li>Export/import feature for bulk redirects</li>
<li>Link expiration feature for temporary access links</li>
<li>Advanced click analytics and reporting</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Broken Link Scanner
<ul>
<li>Scan for broken links across posts, pages, and custom post types</li>
<li>Detect 404 errors and missing URLs</li>
<li>Generate a detailed report of broken links 
Pro</li>
<li>Export broken links for easy management</li>
<li>Scheduled automatic scanning to proactively find broken links</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Link Cloaking
<ul>
<li>Create branded short URLs for affiliate links</li>
<li>Hide affiliate IDs and long URLs</li>
<li>Manage all cloaked links from a central dashboard 
Pro</li>
<li>IP protection to block specific IPs from accessing links</li>
<li>Password protection for exclusive access to links</li>
<li>Link expiration dates for time-limited offers</li>
<li>Click limits to restrict the number of times a link can be accessed</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Link Click Statistics
<ul>
<li>Track click counts for all redirected links 
Pro</li>
<li>Detailed analytics on link performance</li>
<li>Export statistics for reporting</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Custom 404 Page Setup
<ul>
<li>Create custom 404 error pages</li>
<li>Redirect 404 errors to specific pages</li>
<li>Customize 404 page content and design</li>
<li>Log 404 errors for analysis</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Auto Link Injection (Premium Feature)
<ul>
<li>Automatically link keywords to specified URLs across your site</li>
<li>Set priority and linking rules for keywords</li>
<li>Control the maximum number of auto links per page</li>
<li>Exclude specific posts or pages from auto linking</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
SEO-Focused Features
<ul>
<li>Clean URL structures</li>
<li>Automatic canonical URL management</li>
<li>Search engine friendly redirects</li>
<li>Integration with popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Performance Optimized
<ul>
<li>Lightweight redirect handling</li>
<li>Cached URL lookups</li>
<li>Minimal database queries</li>
<li>No .htaccess modifications required</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
User Experience Enhancements
<ul>
<li>Interactive onboarding tour for new users</li>
<li>Link Health Score for visual feedback on link quality</li>
<li>Quick Help sections with best practices</li>
<li>Intuitive dashboard with clear feature explanations</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
No Server Configuration Required 
The plugin requires no modifications to <code>.htaccess</code> or server settings, ensuring hassle-free setup and usage.
Start managing your URLs with LinkMaster today and take control of your WordPress site’s URL structure for better SEO and user experience. 
For future updates and feedback, visit our website: <a href="https://getlinkmaster.com" rel="nofollow ugc">getlinkmaster.com</a>.
</li>
</ul>

LinkMaster – Link Management, SEO, Broken Links & Redirects

LinkMaster: Manage links with custom permalinks, SEO redirects, link cloaking, auto link injection and a broken link checker for WordPress.

Rewrite Rules Inspector vs LinkMaster – Link Management, SEO, Broken Links & Redirects