Question 1

Where can I get it right now?

Accepted Answer

It's currently in review with WordPress.org (submissions typically take a few business days to a couple of weeks). Once it's approved, the install link will appear directly on this page — no separate announcement needed, just check back here.

Question 2

Does this work alongside Yoast SEO / Rank Math / All in One SEO?

Accepted Answer

It's designed to avoid printing duplicate meta/OG/canonical/schema tags if another SEO plugin already prints its own — but running two full SEO plugins at once isn't recommended by any of them, this one included. Pick one.

Question 3

Where does my data go if I uninstall it?

Accepted Answer

Nowhere, by default. Deleting the plugin preserves your redirects, 404 log, and settings unless you explicitly check "Remove all plugin data" on the Settings page first. Per-page SEO titles/descriptions you've written are never deleted, checkbox or not.

Question 4

Does the sitemap handle very large sites?

Accepted Answer

/sitemap.xml is a single flat file capped at 2000 URLs — there's no sitemap-index/pagination for sites larger than that. That's a deliberate simplification; sites with more than ~2000 published posts/pages need a different tool.

Question 5

Does it send any data externally?

Accepted Answer

No. No telemetry, no external API calls, no premium upsell tier, no license key. Everything runs locally on your own server, same philosophy as the browser extension.

Question 6

Will this time out on a large site?

Accepted Answer

It's designed not to — backups and restores run as a series of small, time-boxed batches across many requests rather than one long operation. If a batch is interrupted (browser closed, a network blip), the job resumes automatically within a few minutes; a "Resume" button on the Backup History page is also available if you don't want to wait.

Question 7

What happens if a restore fails partway through?

Accepted Answer

A full safety backup of your current site is taken automatically before any restore begins, and the restore won't start if that safety backup fails. If the restore itself fails partway through, that safety backup is your way back to where you started.

Question 8

Does "used media only" really find everything?

Accepted Answer

It's best-effort: it finds media referenced in post content, featured images, and formally attached files. It cannot detect media referenced only in custom fields, page-builder JSON, theme customizer settings, or hardcoded template files. When in doubt, use "All media" — it's the default for exactly this reason.

Question 9

Does it send any data externally?

Accepted Answer

Not by default. Backups are generated and stored locally on your own server, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you configure a cloud storage destination yourself and select it for a backup — that's entirely opt-in.

Question 10

Are my cloud storage credentials stored securely?

Accepted Answer

Yes — S3 secret keys and Google Drive/Dropbox tokens are all encrypted before being saved, using a key derived from your site's own WordPress security keys. If those keys are ever rotated, you'll see a clear "please reconnect" message rather than a silent failure.

Question 11

Why is caching off by default?

Accepted Answer

Caching changes how your site behaves under the hood, so turning it on is left as an explicit choice rather than a surprise the moment the plugin is activated.

Question 12

Will a logged-in visitor (like me, editing the site) ever see a cached page?

Accepted Answer

No. Caching never applies to logged-in visitors in either direction.

Question 13

What happens when I publish or edit something?

Accepted Answer

The entire cache is cleared automatically, so the next visitor always gets current content. The same happens on a new/approved comment, a theme switch, or a plugin/widget change.

Question 14

Does the performance audit slow my site down?

Accepted Answer

No — it only runs when you click "Run Audit." It isn't running in the background on every page load, and the toolbar indicator doesn't do any extra work of its own.

Question 15

Why does query time sometimes show as 0?

Accepted Answer

Query timing requires the SAVEQUERIES constant enabled in your wp-config.php — without it, WordPress doesn't track how long each query took. Query count itself is always accurate regardless.

Question 16

Does this plugin store submissions in a way that scales?

Accepted Answer

Yes — entries are stored in their own dedicated database tables with an indexed per-field-value table, not as WordPress posts/postmeta, mirroring the exact architecture choice both WPForms and Gravity Forms made to avoid slow filtering/searching at scale.

Question 17

Is spam protection on by default?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A honeypot field and a submission-speed check are both active automatically with no setup required.

Question 18

Can I accept payments through a form yet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, via Stripe — add a Payment field and configure your keys under Kernel Forms → Payments. Card data is entered directly with Stripe and never touches this site's server. PayPal support is planned.

Question 19

Does it send any data externally?

Accepted Answer

Only what a payment or CAPTCHA/Akismet integration you've explicitly configured requires — there's no telemetry, and nothing is sent anywhere for a form with none of those enabled.

Question 20

Will this delete my media immediately?

Accepted Answer

No. Scanning only identifies candidates — nothing is touched until you explicitly select items and click "Quarantine Selected," which sends them to WordPress's trash, not straight to permanent deletion.

Question 21

What if the scan misses something and I don't notice before quarantining it?

Accepted Answer

Quarantined items stay in trash for a configurable retention period and can be restored anytime before that. The automatic purge also re-checks whether an item has become referenced again before deleting it.

Question 22

Does this work on large sites?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the scan runs in small batches over multiple requests rather than trying to process your whole site in one go.

Question 23

My host has trash disabled — what happens?

Accepted Answer

Quarantining is refused with a clear message rather than silently deleting the item, since this plugin relies on WordPress's own trash for the ability to restore.

Question 24

Will deleting a theme break my site?

Accepted Answer

The Themes page never lists your active theme or the parent of any installed theme, and every deletion saves a zip backup first.

Question 25

Does this plugin send any data anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. It never phones home or sends any data off your site.

Question 26

Does this create a fully working copy of my site right now?

Accepted Answer

Yes — cloning your core files, content, themes, plugins, and database produces a genuinely independent, fully working staging site you can log into and use exactly like your live site.

Question 27

Will this ever overwrite my live site?

Accepted Answer

Only when you explicitly choose to push. A push is always blocked unless a fresh, successful safety backup of your live site exists — if one doesn't, you're prompted to run one first. Database pushes never touch your live site's URL, and never touch user accounts/passwords unless you explicitly unlock that option.

Question 28

What if my host doesn't have git installed?

Accepted Answer

Cloning, protection, and every other feature still work normally. Without git, a files push falls back to copying every current staging file over live instead of a precise diff — still functional, just without incremental diffing.

WordPress Plugins

Available plugins

Kernel SEO Manager

Site Backup Manager

Cache & Speed Manager

Kernel Forms

Media Cleanup Manager

Staging Manager

Feedback & support