New Skill Proposal: wp-plugins-directory-guidelines

[davidperezgar]

Add a new skill called wp-plugins-guidelines that provides AI coding assistants with the complete WordPress.org Plugin Directory guidelines and GPL licensing requirements. This ensures that AI-generated plugins comply with directory submission rules from the start, avoiding common rejection reasons.

Problem

AI coding assistants frequently generate WordPress plugins that violate Plugin Directory guidelines — for example:

• Including trialware or time-locked features (Guideline 5)
• Tracking users without consent (Guideline 7)
• Sending executable code via third-party systems (Guideline 8)
• Bundling libraries already included in WordPress core (Guideline 13)
• Embedding external links/credits without user permission (Guideline 10)
• Using incorrect or incompatible licenses (Guideline 1 — GPL compatibility)
• Hijacking the admin dashboard with intrusive notices (Guideline 11)

These issues lead to plugin rejections during review, wasted developer time, and potential security/privacy concerns in production sites.

SKILL.md Scope

The SKILL.md would include:

• When to use: Triggered when creating a new plugin for WordPress.org directory submission, preparing a plugin for review, or when the user mentions "plugin guidelines", "directory submission", "GPL compliance", etc.
• Procedure: A checklist the agent follows to validate the plugin against all 18 guidelines before considering the plugin ready for submission.
• Key checks:
  • GPL-compatible license declared in plugin header and readme.txt
  • No tracking without explicit user consent
  • No remote executable code loading
  • WordPress default libraries used (jQuery, React, etc. from core, not bundled)
  • No trialware patterns
  • No admin dashboard hijacking (aggressive notices, banners, redirects)
  • Proper readme format (no spam, correct stable tag, etc.)
  • Version numbering follows WordPress conventions
  • Complete, functional plugin (no stubs/placeholders for submission)
  • Trademarks and copyrights respected in naming
• Verification: Steps to confirm compliance before submission.
• Failure modes: Common rejection patterns and how to fix them.

References

• The full text of the [Detailed Plugin Guidelines](https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/) (all 18 guidelines with their explanations), so the agent has complete context without needing to fetch external URLs.
• The complete GPL v2+ license text along with notes on what "GPL-compatible" means for plugin dependencies (themes, libraries, included frameworks, etc.).

Why This Matters

The Plugin Directory guidelines are one of the most common sources of friction for plugin developers. Having an agent skill that enforces these rules at development time would:

1. Prevent rejections — Catch guideline violations before submission
2. Save review team time — Fewer non-compliant submissions to process
3. Educate developers — The agent explains why something violates a guideline, not just that it does
4. Complement existing skills — Works alongside wp-plugin-development for code quality, while this skill focuses on directory/policy compliance

Additional Context

• Source: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/
• Block-specific guidelines could be added later as a separate reference file: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/block-specific-plugin-guidelines/
• This skill would require no scripts — it is purely Markdown-based knowledge and checklists.