Using WordPress ‘plugins_api’ PHP filter

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The plugins_api WordPress PHP filter allows you to modify the response for the current WordPress.org Plugin Installation API request. By returning a non-false value, you can effectively short-circuit the WordPress.org API request. For $action values ‘query_plugins’ or ‘plugin_information’, an object must be passed. For ‘hot_tags’ or ‘hot_categories’, an array should be passed.

Usage

add_filter('plugins_api', 'my_custom_plugins_api', 10, 3);

function my_custom_plugins_api($result, $action, $args) {
    // Your custom code here
    return $result;
}

Parameters

  • $result (false|object|array): The result object or array. Default false.
  • $action (string): The type of information being requested from the Plugin Installation API.
  • $args (object): Plugin API arguments.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: plugins_api

Examples

Modify plugin information

In this example, we will modify the plugin information by changing the name and the author of the plugin.

add_filter('plugins_api', 'modify_plugin_information', 10, 3);

function modify_plugin_information($result, $action, $args) {
    if ($action === 'plugin_information') {
        $result->name = 'My Custom Plugin Name';
        $result->author = 'John Doe';
    }
    return $result;
}

Prevent plugin update

In this example, we will prevent a specific plugin from updating by checking the plugin’s slug and modifying the version property.

add_filter('plugins_api', 'prevent_plugin_update', 10, 3);

function prevent_plugin_update($result, $action, $args) {
    if ($action === 'plugin_information' && $args->slug === 'plugin-slug-to-disable') {
        $result->version = '1.0.0';
    }
    return $result;
}

Add custom tags to plugins

In this example, we will add custom tags to the plugins when $action is ‘hot_tags’.

add_filter('plugins_api', 'add_custom_tags', 10, 3);

function add_custom_tags($result, $action, $args) {
    if ($action === 'hot_tags') {
        $result[] = array('tag' => 'custom-tag', 'display_name' => 'Custom Tag', 'count' => 1);
    }
    return $result;
}