Public URL control
URL Change Lockdown Keeps Routine Edits from Moving Public Addresses
An editor can improve a page without turning maintenance into a new-address decision.
Protected route ownership
Why ordinary editing leaves route identity alone
The Canonical Route Contract covers individual objects and site-wide settings that could move many public addresses at once.
Objects
Object ownership
Across editor, REST, MCP, import, WP-CLI, and plugin writes, post slugs, page hierarchy, term slugs, and term hierarchy remain protected.
Site-wide
Broad URL impact
Ordinary updates cannot change permalink structure, category base, or tag base. Those settings are locked because changing any of them would move many public URLs at once.
Intentional route change
Use a reviewed path when a public route must change
A necessary move needs one connected record from the observed baseline to the verified result.
Establish the baseline
Compare the established Canonical Route Contract with the route WordPress currently observes, and retain the audit evidence with the correction.
Match the preview to the object
Use the post or page preview for a post or page, or the taxonomy preview for a term. Keep the chosen preview tied to the destination you will review.
Read the descendants in scope
Read the affected child routes shown by the preview before you give the reason for the correction. The confirmation must cover the impact you reviewed.
Tie the reason to the evidence
Give a concrete reason and confirm against the exact preview you reviewed. A different or stale confirmation does not authorize the route change.
Run the matching migration
After approval, run the confirmed migration for the selected post or page or taxonomy family. Do not substitute another family.
Bridge the former destination
The former public address receives permanent redirects to its replacement, preserving the old entry point.
Read the observed result
Verify the route WordPress observes after the change and retain the audit receipt recording the migration result.
Prevent a half-finished result
If redirect creation fails, roll back the change so the route is not left in a partial state.
Exact boundaries
Know what route protection does not cover
Route identity, content links, stored metadata, and migration authority are separate controls.
Permission boundary
Every audit, preview, and migration requires the WordPress manage_options capability.
Editor-written references
URL Change Lockdown does not lock links in post content; those references remain outside its protected route surface.
Stored values
Values stored in post meta or custom fields remain editable; URL Change Lockdown does not lock them.
Runtime and migration stack
Dependencies
These requirements cover the WordPress and PHP runtime, optional MCP access, and permanent redirects for confirmed migrations.
WordPress 6.9 or later
WordPress 6.9 or laterProvides the post, page, taxonomy, and permalink surfaces that the plugin protects.
PHP 7.4 or later
PHP 7.4 or laterRuns the URL Change Lockdown plugin code.
Included in WordPress 6.9 or later
WordPress Abilities API in WordPress 6.9 or laterRegisters the plugin’s audit, preview, and migration controls as native abilities.
Optional for MCP client access
WordPress MCP AdapterProvides optional MCP access to the registered WordPress abilities.
Installed and active for confirmed URL migrations
Rank Math SEOProvides the SEO integration for old-address forwarding during confirmed route moves; route protection and audit remain available without it.
Stable package
Put the safeguard on the site
Download and install the stable self-hosted package to add the safeguard. Before approving a necessary migration, verify the active requirements in Dependencies.