XTAL Search for WooCommerce

Description

XTAL Search connects WooCommerce to the hosted XTAL Search service. It syncs your catalog and ranks product results for natural-language searches while continuing to use your theme’s WooCommerce templates.

Features:

• Natural-language search – Handles queries such as “comfortable shoes for running”
• Catalog sync – Sends product changes to XTAL as they are published
• Theme-native results – Uses your existing WooCommerce product templates
• Native fallback – Uses WooCommerce search when the XTAL API is unavailable

How It Works:

1. Install and activate the plugin.
2. In the plugin settings, open the signup link next to API Key. The link carries this installation’s random site ID so XTAL creates the correct store and collection.
3. Complete signup and follow the emailed invite to generate and copy your API key.
4. Paste the key, enable XTAL Search, and save the settings.
5. Email hello@xtalsearch.com when the status panel asks you to activate the account.
6. After XTAL confirms activation, run the first catalog sync.
7. Product search pages use XTAL’s ranking and your theme’s WooCommerce templates.

External Service Connection

This plugin connects to the XTAL Search service at api2.xtalsearch.com. Activating the plugin alone does not contact XTAL. Opening the account signup link sends a random installation identifier (site_uuid) and the value platform=woocommerce to XTAL. Saving an API key sends the key to XTAL for validation and connection status. When XTAL Search is enabled, the plugin can send the service data listed below.

Data transmitted to xtalsearch.com:

• Product information (titles, descriptions, prices, images, SKUs)
• The XTAL API key, used to authenticate the store
• A random WordPress installation identifier (site_uuid), used during signup to create the correct store and collection
• Search queries entered by customers on your store
• Search result interactions, including product clicks, result positions, and add-to-cart actions
• Completed order events used for search attribution: order ID, total, currency, line items, and the searches attributed to those items
• A pseudonymous session identifier stored in the xtal_sid cookie, used to connect searches with later clicks or purchases
• Your IP address (for rate limiting and abuse prevention)

The plugin does not send customer names, email addresses, postal addresses, payment details, or WordPress account data. The xtal_sid cookie contains a random identifier, is not linked to a customer account, and expires after 30 days. IP addresses are processed transiently for rate limiting and abuse prevention and are not stored.

Disabling XTAL Search stops catalog syncs and storefront search, click, add-to-cart, and order events. Saving an API key still performs a connection check.

Pricing:

XTAL Search is a paid hosted service. Start with the signup link next to API Key in the plugin settings, then follow the emailed invite to generate your key. Paste the key, enable XTAL Search, and save; then email hello@xtalsearch.com to activate your store. See xtalsearch.com/pricing for current rates.

• Product Terms
• Privacy Policy

Support

Email hello@xtalsearch.com or visit our Help Center.

Privacy

When XTAL Search is enabled, the plugin sends product data and storefront search queries to xtalsearch.com. It also sends product clicks, result positions, add-to-cart actions, and completed order events containing order ID, total, currency, and line items. These events measure search attribution.

Events use a random identifier stored in the xtal_sid cookie for 30 days. The identifier is not linked to a customer account. The plugin does not send customer names, email addresses, postal addresses, payment details, or WordPress account data. IP addresses are processed transiently for rate limiting and abuse prevention and are not stored.

For detailed information about data handling, please see:
* XTAL Search Privacy Policy
* Product Terms

The plugin registers privacy policy content with WordPress, which you can view and include in your site’s privacy policy at Settings → Privacy.