WordPress.org Plugin Submission & SVN Deploy

Model note: SVN deploy steps and asset setup are mechanical (haiku). Pre-submission rejection-pattern scan across a real codebase (17 patterns) requires code judgment — use sonnet. Responding to a human reviewer rejection also needs sonnet.

Get a plugin into the WP.org directory and keep releasing to it. Two distinct phases — know which one applies:

• Phase 1 — Initial submission. Plugin not yet in the directory. One-time human review, then SVN access is granted.
• Phase 2 — SVN deploy. Plugin already approved. Ship a new version into the existing SVN repo.

wp-org-submission is about the directory/SVN side. Sync the version sources first with [[wp-plugin-release]] — this skill assumes the codebase already carries the target version.

When to use

• "Submit this plugin to WordPress.org", "publish to the .org directory", "add my plugin to wp.org".
• "Deploy the new version to SVN", "push the release to wp.org", "tag a release on plugins.svn".
• "Set up screenshots / banner / icon", "why aren't my assets showing".
• "Fix a WP.org rejection", "respond to plugin review email", "they flagged trialware / source code / external service".
• Pre-submission hygiene sweep using the 17-issue rejection catalog (real reviewer quotes).

Not for: "will this pass WP.org review?", "check guideline violations", "is my plugin GPL-compliant?" — use the official wp-plugin-directory-guidelines skill for authoritative 18-guideline compliance review. This skill owns the workflow (SVN, assets, rejections); that skill owns the rules.

Phase 1 — Initial submission

The review is done by humans and can take days to weeks. Submitting a clean plugin avoids round-trips.

1. Slug availability — the directory slug is derived from the plugin name in the main file header. Pick a name not already taken at https://wordpress.org/plugins/<slug>/ (404 = free). Slug is permanent.
2. readme.txt valid — must parse in the official validator: https://wordpress.org/plugins/developers/readme-validator/. Required header fields, valid Stable tag, GPL-compatible License. See references/submission-checklist.md.
3. Guidelines compliance — sanitize input, escape output, nonce-protect actions, prefix all globals, no obfuscation/minified-only code, no external loading of scripts, no tracking or calling home without explicit opt-in consent, GPL-compatible code + assets only. Full checklist in references/submission-checklist.md. 17-issue catalog with exact reviewer quotes in references/review-issues-catalog.md.
4. Build a clean zip — source files (src/, composer.json, build configs) must be included; .wordpress-org/ and node_modules must not. Full include/exclude lists in §4 of references/submission-checklist.md.
5. Submit at https://wordpress.org/plugins/developers/add/. The reviewer replies by email. Fix what they flag, reply briefly (context only, no change list), attach the updated zip. On approval, SVN access is granted at https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/<slug>/.

Phase 2 — SVN deploy

WP.org distributes via Subversion, not git. The SVN repo has three top-level dirs:

<slug>/
├── trunk/        # current development copy of the plugin
├── tags/         # one immutable dir per released version (tags/1.2.0/)
└── assets/       # directory listing images — NOT shipped in the plugin zip

The Stable tag in trunk/readme.txt decides what users download — it must name a directory under tags/. Set Stable tag: 1.2.0 and ensure tags/1.2.0/ exists. (Pointing Stable tag at trunk is legal but discouraged — always release from a tag.)

Deploy = copy the production build into trunk/, then svn cp trunk tags/<version>, then commit. Use the helper:

scripts/svn-deploy.sh <slug> <path-to-built-plugin-dir> <version>

It checks out SVN, syncs trunk/ to the build (adding/removing files), copies trunk → tags/<version>, and prints the svn commit to run after review. Full manual walkthrough and the add/delete handling in references/svn-deploy.md.

Assets (banner, icon, screenshots) live only in assets/, never in the zip. Exact filenames and dimensions are mandatory — banner-772x250.png, banner-1544x500.png (retina), icon-128x128.png, icon-256x256.png, icon.svg, screenshot-1.png (matched to the 1. line under == Screenshots == in readme.txt). See references/svn-deploy.md.

Top rejection patterns

Most frequent — not exhaustive. Full 17-issue catalog with exact reviewer quotes in references/review-issues-catalog.md.

• Generic or trademarked slug; "WordPress"/"Woo" in the plugin name.
• Main PHP file name doesn't match the slug (plugin.php instead of <slug>.php).
• Invalid URLs in plugin header or readme.txt — verify with curl -I before submission.
• External service called but not documented in == External services ==.
• Unsanitized $_GET/$_POST, unescaped output, missing nonces + capability checks.
• Loading JS/CSS from a CDN instead of bundling; inline <style> / <script> tags.
• No source for compiled output — src/ not in zip and no public repo linked.
• .wordpress-org/ or node_modules/ in the zip.
• Generic function/class prefix or mixed prefixes across one plugin.
• Trialware (Guideline 5) — features gated behind license key or Pro plan check. See references/trialware-compliance.md.
• Admin notices on every screen, persistent nags, full-page upsell flows (Guideline 11).
• Stable tag names a tag that doesn't exist under tags/ → users get nothing.

References

• references/submission-checklist.md — comprehensive pre-submission checklist (identity, readme.txt, guidelines, zip hygiene, security pattern, automated checks).
• references/review-issues-catalog.md — 17-issue catalog with exact reviewer quotes and corrective actions, sourced from 8 real submissions.
• references/trialware-compliance.md — Guideline 5 freemium pattern, audit checklist, and step-by-step licensing-layer removal.
• references/svn-deploy.md — complete SVN workflow, asset spec, Stable-tag mechanics, hotfix flow.
• scripts/svn-deploy.sh — git/build → SVN trunk+tag deploy helper.
• Official: wp-plugin-directory-guidelines (WordPress/agent-skills) — authoritative source for the 18 WP.org Plugin Directory guidelines; use it for GPL/naming/trialware rule interpretation when our 17-issue catalog conflicts or is ambiguous.