To Free Up Resources, WordPress.org Plugin Review Team Begins Closing Unused Plugins

In an effort to free up resources on WordPress.org, the WordPress Plugin Review Team is closing unused plugins. An unused plugin is one that has been approved for the directory but no code was uploaded by the developer in six months or more.

An unused plugin reserves a URL slug on WordPress.org and prevents others from using it. It also takes resources away from active plugins. In addition, if plugin authors are submitting multiple plugins without taking advantage of the resources WordPress.org offers, submissions from that author will be suspended.

WordPress.org provides plugin authors free hosting as a convenience and is not a listing service. Mika Epstein, a member of the plugin review team, says that some people have taken advantage of the submission process to receive a code audit, “We’ve found out some people like to get a review as a ‘free’ security review instead of hiring people for that work.”

To find out what happens when a plugin is closed and how to close a plugin you maintain, check out this guide in the Plugin Developer FAQ. Also, if you want to use a plugin name that’s currently held by a closed, unused plugin, you can request to take over the slug by contacting the review team.