Kntnt WP Call-Home Controls

Kntnt WP Call-Home Controls removes the WordPress Events and News dashboard widget and blocks its news-feed and event requests. Hiding the widget alone may leave other code able to request those resources. This plugin removes it from site and network dashboards and intercepts the corresponding outgoing WordPress HTTP requests, while leaving update, translation, and plugin-directory traffic available.

How it works

• Removes dashboard_primary from dashboard meta boxes and widget lists, including network dashboards.
• Blocks WordPress.org /news/feed requests, planet.wordpress.org/feed, and paths beginning with /events/1.0 on api.wordpress.org.
• Returns a WP_Error with code kntnt_dashboard_call_home_blocked through pre_http_request for those requests.

The endpoint filter affects any caller using the WordPress HTTP API, including another plugin requesting these resources. This is a targeted dashboard control, not a general outbound firewall or a blocker for all telemetry. There is no settings screen.

Installation

Requires WordPress and PHP 8.0 or later, plus the plugin-specific dependencies described above.

As a must-use (MU) plugin

1. Download this repository using Code → Download ZIP and extract it.
2. Connect to your site using SFTP, SSH, or your hosting file manager.
3. Create wp-content/mu-plugins/ if it does not exist.
4. Copy kntnt-wp-call-home-controls.php directly into that directory. WordPress does not automatically load PHP files inside MU-plugin subdirectories.
5. The plugin loads automatically without activation and appears under Plugins → Must-Use.

As a regular WordPress plugin

If you prefer a regular plugin or do not have access to the MU-plugin directory, you can install this plugin normally:

1. Download the repository ZIP using Code → Download ZIP.
2. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin.
3. Select the ZIP, click Install Now, and then Activate Plugin.

You need permission to install plugins. Install only one copy: remove the MU copy before activating a regular copy, or deactivate and remove the regular copy before installing it as MU.

Updates and removal

This repository does not include an automatic updater. To update an MU installation, replace its PHP file. For a regular installation, upload the new ZIP and use WordPress’s replacement option. To remove an MU installation, delete its PHP file; for a regular installation, deactivate and delete it in Plugins. Follow any plugin-specific setup or removal steps above.

License

Copyright (C) 2026 Kntnt.

Licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later version (GPL-2.0-or-later). See LICENSE for the full GPL v2 text.