`. * **Delayed Resource Discovery:** Preconnects, preloads, and async scripts pushed below dozens of CSS stylesheets. * **Render-Blocking Bottlenecks:** External synchronous scripts blocking CSS and parser execution. **Capo solves this automatically.** By intercepting the page response via output buffering, Capo uses a deterministic, stable sorting algorithm to reorder `<head >` elements strictly according to browser critical rendering path priorities. ### The Capo Head Priority Spectrum Capo organizes elements into 11 strict priority tiers (Weight 10 down to 0): 1. **Weight 10 (Critical Meta & Viewport):** `<base>`, `<meta charset>`, `<meta name ="viewport">`, critical `http-equiv` headers (CSP, origin-trial, accept-ch). 2. **Weight 9 (Title):** `<title>`. 3. **Weight 8 (Preconnect):** `<link rel="preconnect">`. 4. **Weight 7 (Async Script):** `<script src="..." async>`. 5. **Weight 6 (CSS @import Styles):** `<style>` blocks containing `@import` rules. 6. **Weight 5 (Sync / Inline Scripts):** Synchronous/inline JavaScript (`<script>` without defer/async). 7. **Weight 4 (Stylesheets & Style Blocks):** `<link rel="stylesheet">`, `<style>` blocks. 8. **Weight 3 (Preload):** `<link rel="preload">`, `<link rel="modulepreload">`. 9. **Weight 2 (Defer Script):** `<script src="..." defer>`, `<script src="..." type ="module">`. 10. **Weight 1 (Prefetch / Prerender):** `<link rel="prefetch">`, `<link rel="dns- prefetch">`, `<link rel="prerender">`, `<script type="speculationrules">`. 11. **Weight 0 (Other Metadata):** OpenGraph, Twitter cards, Schema JSON-LD, RSS feeds, favicons, robots metadata. ### Features * **Zero Configuration:** Activate the plugin and your `<head>` is immediately optimized. * **Deterministic Stable Sort:** Equal-weight elements retain their exact relative order, preserving CSS cascade specificity and JavaScript dependencies. * **Full Cache Compatibility:** Works seamlessly with WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, and Cloudflare. * **Safe HTML Tokenizer:** Respects HTML comments, conditional comments (`<!--[ if ...]>`), CDATA blocks, and inline script markup. * **Site Health & Admin Diagnostics:** Real-time `<head>` hygiene warnings and diagnostic status in Tools > Site Health and Admin Toolbar. * **Testing & Bypass Mode:** Append `?capo=off` to any frontend URL to inspect the un-reordered head. ## Screenshots [⌊Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics.⌉⌊Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics.⌉[ Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics. [⌊Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code.⌉⌊Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code.⌉[ Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code. ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/capo-head-optimizer` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. 2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** screen in WordPress. 3. If you use a page caching plugin (e.g. WP Super Cache, WP Rocket), clear/flush your cache. ## FAQ ### Does Capo break script dependencies or stylesheet cascading? No. Capo uses a deterministic stable sort. If you have multiple stylesheets (all Weight 4) or multiple scripts (all Weight 5), they will maintain their exact original relative order. ### Does Capo work with page caching plugins? Yes. Page caching plugins capture the output buffer generated by WordPress. With Capo activated, the cached HTML stored on disk or in memory will already have its` <head>` sorted, incurring 0ms runtime overhead for cached visitors. ### How can I test the difference? You can view any page with `?capo=off` appended to the URL to bypass reordering and compare your raw `<head>` output against the optimized output. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “Capo – Head Optimizer” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Rick Viscomi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rviscomi/) [Translate “Capo – Head Optimizer” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/capo-head-optimizer) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/capo-head-optimizer/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/capo-head-optimizer/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/capo-head-optimizer/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/capo-head-optimizer/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 0.1.3 * Added support for Speculation Rules API (`<script type="speculationrules">`) classified as Weight 1 (Prefetch / Prerender) matching `@rviscomi/capo.js` v2.2.1. * Enhanced HTML tokenizer and attribute parsing to robustly preserve tags with ` >` inside quoted attributes, boolean attributes, and empty string attributes. * Added full support for HTML conditional comments (`<!--[if ...]>`) and CDATA sections in `<head>`. * Hardened Admin Toolbar diagnostic injection against regex backreference exploits using safe substring replacement. * Added pass-by-reference `$analysis` parameter and static accessor/reset methods to Parser for optimized memory lifecycle management. * Extended Site Health loopback check request timeout to 10 seconds via dynamic filter. * Consolidated test bootstrap harness and added CI matrix testing across PHP 7.4 through 8.3. #### 0.1.2 * Adhered strictly to WordPress.org Plugin Directory guidelines and security standards. * Changed debug performance HTML comment to opt-in by default and removed external URLs. * Added uninstall.php handler to clean up database options on deletion. * Fixed PHP 7.4 backwards compatibility in origin trial subdomain validation. * Removed insecure sslverify override from Site Health loopback check. * Enforced 5-tag maximum limit in readme metadata. #### 0.1.1 * Added `<head>` validation engine with Origin Trial binary token decoding and origin/expiry checks. * Added live page diagnostics to frontend WordPress Admin Toolbar with scrollable warnings dropdown. * Added HTML syntax highlighting and decoded token metadata table in WordPress Site Health. * Improved toolbar integration and output buffering lifecycle. #### 0.1.0 * Initial public beta release. * Output buffering engine for automatic `<head>` reordering. * 1:1 parity with `@rviscomi/capo.js` rules and validation engine. * Site Health integration and bypass mode (`?capo=off`). ## Meta * Version **0.1.3** * Last updated **1 day ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.4** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [head](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/head/)[performance](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/performance/) [seo](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/seo/)[speed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/speed/) [web vitals](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/web-vitals/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Rick Viscomi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rviscomi/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://rviscomi.dev/)

Title: Capo – Head Optimizer Author: Rick Viscomi Published: August 19, 2026 Last modified: August 19, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/capo-head-optimizer/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3655101) ![](https://ps.w.org/capo-head-optimizer/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3654916) # Capo – Head Optimizer By [Rick Viscomi](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rviscomi/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/capo-head-optimizer.0.1.3.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/) ## Description In standard WordPress sites, WordPress Core, themes, SEO plugins, analytics scripts, and third-party plugins inject elements into `wp_head()` in arbitrary order. This can lead to critical performance pitfalls: * **Delayed Title Tag Rendering:** SEO metadata and large JSON-LD blocks placed before ``. * **Delayed Resource Discovery:** Preconnects, preloads, and async scripts pushed below dozens of CSS stylesheets. * **Render-Blocking Bottlenecks:** External synchronous scripts blocking CSS and parser execution. **Capo solves this automatically.** By intercepting the page response via output buffering, Capo uses a deterministic, stable sorting algorithm to reorder `<head >` elements strictly according to browser critical rendering path priorities. ### The Capo Head Priority Spectrum Capo organizes elements into 11 strict priority tiers (Weight 10 down to 0): 1. **Weight 10 (Critical Meta & Viewport):** `<base>`, `<meta charset>`, `<meta name ="viewport">`, critical `http-equiv` headers (CSP, origin-trial, accept-ch). 2. **Weight 9 (Title):** `<title>`. 3. **Weight 8 (Preconnect):** `<link rel="preconnect">`. 4. **Weight 7 (Async Script):** `<script src="..." async>`. 5. **Weight 6 (CSS @import Styles):** `<style>` blocks containing `@import` rules. 6. **Weight 5 (Sync / Inline Scripts):** Synchronous/inline JavaScript (`<script>` without defer/async). 7. **Weight 4 (Stylesheets & Style Blocks):** `<link rel="stylesheet">`, `<style>` blocks. 8. **Weight 3 (Preload):** `<link rel="preload">`, `<link rel="modulepreload">`. 9. **Weight 2 (Defer Script):** `<script src="..." defer>`, `<script src="..." type ="module">`. 10. **Weight 1 (Prefetch / Prerender):** `<link rel="prefetch">`, `<link rel="dns- prefetch">`, `<link rel="prerender">`, `<script type="speculationrules">`. 11. **Weight 0 (Other Metadata):** OpenGraph, Twitter cards, Schema JSON-LD, RSS feeds, favicons, robots metadata. ### Features * **Zero Configuration:** Activate the plugin and your `<head>` is immediately optimized. * **Deterministic Stable Sort:** Equal-weight elements retain their exact relative order, preserving CSS cascade specificity and JavaScript dependencies. * **Full Cache Compatibility:** Works seamlessly with WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, and Cloudflare. * **Safe HTML Tokenizer:** Respects HTML comments, conditional comments (`<!--[ if ...]>`), CDATA blocks, and inline script markup. * **Site Health & Admin Diagnostics:** Real-time `<head>` hygiene warnings and diagnostic status in Tools > Site Health and Admin Toolbar. * **Testing & Bypass Mode:** Append `?capo=off` to any frontend URL to inspect the un-reordered head. ## Screenshots [⌊Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics.⌉⌊Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics.⌉[ Capo reordering status visible in WordPress Site Health diagnostics. [⌊Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code.⌉⌊Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code.⌉[ Debug performance metrics comment in HTML source code. ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/capo-head-optimizer` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. 2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** screen in WordPress. 3. If you use a page caching plugin (e.g. WP Super Cache, WP Rocket), clear/flush your cache. ## FAQ ### Does Capo break script dependencies or stylesheet cascading? No. Capo uses a deterministic stable sort. If you have multiple stylesheets (all Weight 4) or multiple scripts (all Weight 5), they will maintain their exact original relative order. ### Does Capo work with page caching plugins? Yes. Page caching plugins capture the output buffer generated by WordPress. With Capo activated, the cached HTML stored on disk or in memory will already have its` <head>` sorted, incurring 0ms runtime overhead for cached visitors. ### How can I test the difference? You can view any page with `?capo=off` appended to the URL to bypass reordering and compare your raw `<head>` output against the optimized output. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “Capo – Head Optimizer” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Rick Viscomi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rviscomi/) [Translate “Capo – Head Optimizer” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/capo-head-optimizer) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/capo-head-optimizer/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/capo-head-optimizer/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/capo-head-optimizer/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/capo-head-optimizer/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 0.1.3 * Added support for Speculation Rules API (`<script type="speculationrules">`) classified as Weight 1 (Prefetch / Prerender) matching `@rviscomi/capo.js` v2.2.1. * Enhanced HTML tokenizer and attribute parsing to robustly preserve tags with ` >` inside quoted attributes, boolean attributes, and empty string attributes. * Added full support for HTML conditional comments (`<!--[if ...]>`) and CDATA sections in `<head>`. * Hardened Admin Toolbar diagnostic injection against regex backreference exploits using safe substring replacement. * Added pass-by-reference `$analysis` parameter and static accessor/reset methods to Parser for optimized memory lifecycle management. * Extended Site Health loopback check request timeout to 10 seconds via dynamic filter. * Consolidated test bootstrap harness and added CI matrix testing across PHP 7.4 through 8.3. #### 0.1.2 * Adhered strictly to WordPress.org Plugin Directory guidelines and security standards. * Changed debug performance HTML comment to opt-in by default and removed external URLs. * Added uninstall.php handler to clean up database options on deletion. * Fixed PHP 7.4 backwards compatibility in origin trial subdomain validation. * Removed insecure sslverify override from Site Health loopback check. * Enforced 5-tag maximum limit in readme metadata. #### 0.1.1 * Added `<head>` validation engine with Origin Trial binary token decoding and origin/expiry checks. * Added live page diagnostics to frontend WordPress Admin Toolbar with scrollable warnings dropdown. * Added HTML syntax highlighting and decoded token metadata table in WordPress Site Health. * Improved toolbar integration and output buffering lifecycle. #### 0.1.0 * Initial public beta release. * Output buffering engine for automatic `<head>` reordering. * 1:1 parity with `@rviscomi/capo.js` rules and validation engine. * Site Health integration and bypass mode (`?capo=off`). ## Meta * Version **0.1.3** * Last updated **1 day ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.4** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [head](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/head/)[performance](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/performance/) [seo](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/seo/)[speed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/speed/) [web vitals](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/web-vitals/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/capo-head-optimizer/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Rick Viscomi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rviscomi/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/capo-head-optimizer/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://rviscomi.dev/)