Redirect Draft Content temporarily redirects draft requests to a published destination or a custom URL. This small Manage Content helper preserves editor previews and provides individual targets per content type.
A client urgently needed a reliable way to handle a transition involving more than 300 blog articles. I built Redirect Draft Content so visitors could reach a useful destination while articles were temporarily returned to draft status. It became a lifeline during the transition and worked beautifully in everyday use.
Version 0.9.0 · WordPress ≥ 7.1.2 · PHP ≥ 8.2 · GPL v2 or later
Contents: At a glance · Getting started · Features · FAQ · Changelog
- Temporary HTTP 302 redirects.
- Individual destinations and pause switches per content type.
- Published-target search, 30 results per page.
- Custom HTTP/HTTPS URLs and live previews.
- Exact route matching and protection against known draft loops.
- English, German and formal German.
- deckerweb Library 0.7.0 and deckerweb Updater 2.1.0.
- Disable the existing Redirect Draft Content snippet.
- Upload the test ZIP through Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin and activate it.
- Open Settings → Draft Redirect, review the retained destinations and save.
- Test a draft URL while logged out. Live previews also work before saving.
An existing plugin installation can be replaced using the ZIP. The rdc_targets option remains intact.
An administrator can configure a complete HTTP or HTTPS URL for each content type. Credentials and unsafe protocols are rejected. Preview the destination before saving. Unpublished or password-protected target items are not used. External redirect chains cannot be checked; choose a directly accessible destination.
Configure destinations in Settings → Draft Redirect on each site. Network activation loads the helper across sites without copying settings or adding network-wide redirects. New sites start without destinations. There is no telemetry. Update checks contact GitHub for technical release information; the optional online Library catalog starts disabled. Redirect processing requires no external request.
No. Redirects use HTTP 302. Search engines decide how to process temporary redirects; retaining an indexed URL is not guaranteed.
Posts, pages and publicly viewable custom post types, including hierarchical paths. Attachments and nonpublic types are excluded.
Yes. Users with edit_posts or permission to edit the requested draft are exempt. Preview, feed, REST, AJAX and write requests are excluded.
Yes. An administrator can configure a complete HTTP or HTTPS URL for each content type. Credentials and unsafe protocols are rejected. Preview the destination before saving.
Disable the old snippet before activating this plugin. The existing rdc_targets option is read directly, including settings for temporarily inactive content types. Existing rows remain enabled until paused.
Yes. Configure destinations in Settings → Draft Redirect on each site. Network activation loads the helper across sites without copying settings or adding network-wide redirects. New sites start without destinations.
Your rdc_targets settings and all content remain. Repository-specific updater caches are removed. Shared Library cleanup respects other installed hosts; its optional settings deletion only applies to the last host.
- New: Temporary draft redirects for posts, pages and publicly viewable custom post types, with individual destinations and live previews.
- Improved: Search published targets, pause each content type and keep existing site settings.
- Improved: Local Shade artwork, a compact settings header and deckerweb Library 0.7.0.
- Fixed: Exact route matching, validated targets and protection against self-redirects.
- Misc: Development and test versions; not publicly released.
Developed and published by David Decker – DECKERWEB. This plugin is a small tool for temporary draft redirects.
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Copyright © 2026 David Decker – DECKERWEB. GPL-2.0-or-later. The shared Library and updater are by David Decker – DECKERWEB and bundled locally under the same license. Original helper behavior comes from the plugin author's supplied snippet. SVG artwork is original work under GPL-2.0-or-later; no fonts are bundled.