Title: JJCM Editor Theme Access for Kadence Author: José Mendes Published: October 8, 2026 Last modified: October 8, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/assets/icon.svg?rev=3735638) # JJCM Editor Theme Access for Kadence By [José Mendes](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jjcm1962/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence.2.1.2.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/) ## Description The Kadence theme uses its own internal capability check to decide whether to display its own Customizer panels (Header, Footer, Colors & Fonts, General, Posts/Pages Layout, Homepage Settings, etc.). In practice, that check is only satisfied by ` manage_options` — the standard `edit_theme_options` capability, which the Editor role normally lacks, is not enough: an Editor with only edit_theme_options still sees just the native WordPress panels (Site Identity, Menus, Widgets, Additional CSS), not Kadence’s own panels. This plugin solves that by granting `manage_options` to Editor users, but in a tightly scoped way: 1. **Only when the active theme is actually Kadence** (or a Kadence child theme). The plugin can stay installed and active on any WordPress site — it does nothing on sites using a different theme. There is no need to deactivate it when switching themes, or to install a different variant for other themes. 2. **Only at runtime.** The capability is never written to the role or to any database option — it is returned by the `user_has_cap` filter only for the duration of the current HTTP request. 3. **Only during verified Customizer requests**, with a nonce check on every possible path: native Customizer preview, AJAX save requests, and REST requests to `/wp/ v2/settings` or /wp/v2/themes. The mere presence of a URL parameter is never enough on its own — this prevents an Editor from obtaining manage_options on other wp- admin pages simply by tampering with the query string. Outside of those conditions, the Editor has `manage_options` nowhere else: they remain without access to Plugins, Users, or any other page that depends on that capability. **Nothing is written to the database** * There is no `add_cap()` call on the `WP_Role` object, in any activation, deactivation, or `admin_init` hook. * There is no `register_setting`, `update_option`, or update_user_meta anywhere in the plugin. * Deactivating the plugin immediately restores native WordPress behavior for all Editors; uninstalling leaves no residue in the database. **Extensibility** By default, the elevation applies to all Editors (within the conditions above). To restrict it to specific users, use the etak_grant_theme_access filter in a must- use plugin or in the theme’s `functions.php` — without modifying this plugin: ``` add_filter( 'etak_grant_theme_access', function ( $grant, $user ) { return in_array( $user->ID, array( 5, 12 ), true ); }, 10, 2 ); ``` You can also adjust the AJAX actions and REST routes recognized as Customizer/Kadence context through the `etak_customizer_ajax_actions` and `etak_customizer_rest_routes` filters — useful if your site has additional Kadence-related integrations using different actions or routes than the defaults. If your Kadence installation (or a variant of it) uses a different theme slug, adjust it with `etak_kadence_theme_slugs`: ``` add_filter( 'etak_kadence_theme_slugs', function ( $slugs ) { return array_merge( $slugs, array( 'my-kadence-slug' ) ); } ); ``` ## Installation 1. Upload the `editor-theme-access-for-kadence` folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install the plugin directly from the “Plugins” screen in WordPress. 2. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress. 3. No further configuration is needed. Users with the Editor role can now open and save every Kadence Customizer panel. ## FAQ ### Why does the plugin grant manage_options, instead of just edit_theme_options? Because Kadence, for its own panels (Header, Footer, Colors & Fonts, General, Posts/ Pages Layout, Homepage Settings), internally checks a capability that only `manage_options` satisfies. `edit_theme_options` alone only reveals the native WordPress panels ( Site Identity, Menus, Widgets, Additional CSS). ### Isn’t this dangerous — doesn’t an Editor become almost an Administrator? The elevation only exists during verified (nonce-checked) Customizer requests — never persistently or globally. An Editor does not gain manage_options by visiting Plugins, Users, or any other wp-admin page; only inside the Customizer screen itself and the requests it generates. That said, it is still a real elevation: an Editor with Customizer access can change any setting that lives there (including, for example,“ Additional CSS”, which accepts arbitrary CSS, or panels from other plugins that also depend on `manage_options` and appear in the Customizer). Weigh this trade- off before activating the plugin on a site with multiple Editors. ### Do I need to deactivate the plugin if I switch themes? No. The plugin checks, on every request, whether the active theme (`get_template()`) is `kadence`; if it isn’t, it does nothing at all. You can leave it always active, even on sites that don’t use Kadence, or switch themes without worrying about deactivating it first. ### Is the permission recorded in the database? No, under any circumstance. It is recalculated on every request through the `user_has_cap` filter. ### Can I restrict this to a specific Editor? Yes, via the `etak_grant_theme_access` filter (see the Description section) in a must-use plugin or the theme’s `functions.php` — no need to modify this plugin. ### Is this plugin official, or affiliated with Kadence WP? No. This is an independent, third-party plugin with no affiliation with Kadence WP. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “JJCM Editor Theme Access for Kadence” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ José Mendes ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jjcm1962/) [Translate “JJCM Editor Theme Access for Kadence” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 2.1.2 * Renamed to “JJCM Editor Theme Access for Kadence” (slug: jjcm-editor-theme-access- for-kadence), per WordPress.org plugin review naming guidelines. #### 2.1.1 * Renamed the main class to ETAK_Theme_Access to use a short, unique plugin prefix( WordPress.org coding standards). * Removed the manual load_plugin_textdomain() call — translations for plugins hosted on WordPress.org are loaded automatically since WordPress 4.6. #### 2.1.0 * The elevation now only applies when the active theme is actually Kadence (or a child theme), checked via get_template(). The plugin can stay active on any site, with no effect on themes other than Kadence. #### 2.0.0 * Architecture change: the elevation now includes manage_options (in addition to edit_theme_options and customize), since Kadence requires manage_options to display its own Customizer panels. The grant is strictly limited to nonce-verified Customizer/Kadence requests, and is never persisted to the database. #### 1.6.0 * Renamed from “Kadence Editor Theme Access” to “Editor Theme Access for Kadence”. #### 1.5.0 * Removed per-user ID filtering; edit_theme_options is granted to all Editors. #### 1.4.0 * Added environment variable and text file as configuration sources for the authorized editor list. #### 1.3.0 * Authorized editor list defined outside the database. #### 1.2.0 * (Reverted) Settings page under Users Kadence Access. #### 1.1.0 * Simplified the edit_theme_options grant. #### 1.0.0 * First public release. ## Meta * Version **2.1.2** * Last updated **15 hours ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 5.8 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.1.3** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [capabilities](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/capabilities/)[customizer](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/customizer/) [editor](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/editor/)[kadence](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/kadence/) [theme options](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/theme-options/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ José Mendes ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jjcm1962/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/jjcm-editor-theme-access-for-kadence/)