How it looks
Preview it before anyone else does
The editor and the rendered listing sit side by side, so a broken heading or a section that never made it in is obvious while you are still writing rather than after a release.
WordPress.org listing
Readme checker
See how your plugin or theme readme.txt will look on WordPress.org, what headers are missing, and where SEO can improve.
- Live preview
- Header validation
- SEO checks
- Tag coverage
See your listing the way WordPress.org renders it
Paste a readme and the problems surface before you ship it.
Untitled
Nothing to preview yet — start typing on the left.
This preview is a from-scratch reimplementation of WordPress.org’s documented readme.txt rendering rules, not their own parser. It matches the spec closely but is not guaranteed pixel-for-pixel identical for every edge case.
Inside the Readme Checker
What you get
Paste your readme.txt and see it exactly as WordPress.org will render it, with the header fields validated and the search-facing copy scored while you edit.
How it reads
Copy that has to earn the click
Your name, short description and tags are what people read in search results. We check length, whether your lead tag actually appears, and whether the description says anything searchable.
- Header fields validatedRequired + optional
- Contributors, requires, tested up to, stable tag and licence checked against what WordPress.org expects, so a listing does not silently fail to update.
- Tested up to, checked liveAgainst core
- Compared against the current WordPress release, 7.1.1, rather than a number hardcoded months ago. An out-of-date value costs installs.
- Tag coverageMax 12
- Which of your tags appear in the name and description, and which are claimed but never mentioned. The gap is usually why a plugin ranks for nothing.
- Changelog and upgrade noticeFormat checked
- Both are read and previewed, so the sections users actually see on an update are not the ones you forgot to write.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the StatWP readme checker do?
It previews readme.txt the way WordPress.org typically renders it, flags missing required headers, and (on Power User) scores keyword coverage in the listing copy.
Does this replace the official WordPress.org validator?
No. Use it while you draft. Always confirm against WordPress.org plugin or theme submission rules before you upload.
Can I check theme and plugin readmes?
Yes. Switch between plugin and theme samples. Theme style.css headers and plugin readme.txt rules differ, and the checker follows each format.