Title: Meadow Credentials Author: benlejones Published: July 15, 2026 Last modified: July 15, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/meadow-credentials/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3608231) ![](https://ps.w.org/meadow-credentials/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3608231) # Meadow Credentials By [benlejones](https://profiles.wordpress.org/benlejones/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/meadow-credentials.5.3.4.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meadow-credentials/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meadow-credentials/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meadow-credentials/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meadow-credentials/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/meadow-credentials/) ## Description Meadow Credentials turns course completions, uploaded evidence, and offline assessments into secure, verifiable digital certificates and Open Badges. It is built for organisations that handle sensitive learner data and need a credentialing system that takes UK GDPR and Cyber Essentials seriously. Define a qualification once as a framework of requirements, connect it to the events that already happen on your site, and let the engine issue, track, and (where needed) automatically revoke credentials. **Features** * Automatic credential issuance driven by your existing LMS events, with built- in support for LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LearnPress, LifterLMS, Sensei, and WordPress core actions. * A visual framework builder for defining multi-step qualification pathways with nested requirements, with no limit on the number of frameworks. * A certificate designer with custom branding, colours, logo, signature, and your own issuing company name. * Publicly verifiable certificates with shareable verification links. * A learner-facing digital wallet to display earned credentials. * A secure, encrypted document vault for sensitive evidence (passports, DBS checks, certificates), stored on disk with AES-256 encryption rather than in the database. * A supervisor approval workflow for documents that require manual verification, with per-document reviewer assignment. * Offline / practical assessments with grading and scoring. * Expiry tracking with a nightly compliance sweep that automatically suspends credentials backed by expired evidence. * Custom hook mapping: connect any recognised LMS, membership, or commerce action to a requirement. * GDPR-friendly evidence handling: approved and rejected files are permanently shredded from disk. **Shortcodes** * `[mtdc_qual_dashboard]` — the learner’s digital wallet of earned credentials. * `[mtdc_qual_progress id="123"]` — a progress checklist for a specific framework. * `[mtdc_submit_evidence]` — a front-end form for learners to upload evidence ( optionally scoped to one framework with `id="123"`). * `[mtdc_log_assessment]` — the assessor grading portal for practical assessments. ### External Services This plugin does not connect to any external or third-party service. Certificate verification QR codes are generated locally in the browser using a bundled open- source library. Updates are delivered through the standard WordPress.org update mechanism. ## Screenshots [⌊The framework builder for defining qualification pathways.⌉⌊The framework builder for defining qualification pathways.⌉[ The framework builder for defining qualification pathways. [⌊The certificate designer with custom branding and colours.⌉⌊The certificate designer with custom branding and colours.⌉[ The certificate designer with custom branding and colours. [⌊The supervisor approvals queue.⌉⌊The supervisor approvals queue.⌉[ The supervisor approvals queue. [⌊A learner's digital wallet of earned credentials.⌉⌊A learner's digital wallet of earned credentials.⌉[ A learner’s digital wallet of earned credentials. [⌊A verified, branded certificate.⌉⌊A verified, branded certificate.⌉[ A verified, branded certificate. [[ [[ [[ [[ ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory, or install it through the WordPress Plugins screen. 2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress. 3. Open **Meadow Credentials > Getting Started** and follow the on-screen setup checks. **Important — encryption key:** Sensitive evidence is encrypted using your site’s` AUTH_KEY`. For this to work, your `wp-config.php` must define a strong, unique ` AUTH_KEY`. The Getting Started screen will warn you if it is missing or insecure and link you to the official WordPress salt generator. **Recommended — email delivery:** Certificate award emails and revocation alerts are sent via WordPress email. For reliable delivery we strongly recommend a dedicated SMTP plugin (for example WP Mail SMTP, Post SMTP, FluentSMTP, or Brevo). The Getting Started screen will warn you if no mailer is detected. **Note for Nginx servers:** The secure vault is protected by an `.htaccess` rule, which Nginx ignores. The Getting Started screen runs a live exposure scan and, if your vault is reachable, provides the exact Nginx `location` block to hand to your host. ## FAQ ### How do I get support? Community support is provided through the WordPress.org support forum. For priority support or custom development work, visit [Meadow Technologies Support](https://meadowtech.net/mtcsupport). ### Which LMS platforms are supported? LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LearnPress, LifterLMS, and Sensei are detected automatically, alongside standard WordPress course/lesson completion actions. You can also map any recognised LMS, membership, or commerce action hook to a requirement from the System Hooks screen. ### Where are uploaded documents stored, and are they secure? Evidence files are encrypted with AES-256 and written to a protected vault directory outside your media library, with randomised filenames. The database stores only a reference to the file, never the file contents. ### What happens to evidence files after a document is approved or rejected? Once a supervisor approves or rejects a submission, the underlying file is permanently deleted (shredded) from disk and the database record is scrubbed. This keeps sensitive personal data from lingering after it has served its purpose. ### Are the certificates verifiable by third parties? Yes. Every issued credential has a public verification URL, and a machine-readable Open Badges (JSON) endpoint suitable for badge backpacks. ### Do credentials expire? They can. If a requirement is backed by evidence with an expiry date, a nightly sweep automatically suspends the credential when that evidence lapses and notifies the administrator. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “Meadow Credentials” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ benlejones ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/benlejones/) [Translate “Meadow Credentials” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/meadow-credentials) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/meadow-credentials/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/meadow-credentials/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/meadow-credentials/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/meadow-credentials/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 5.3.4 * Fixed: Approvals and Practical Assessments could return “Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page” even for administrators. These two submenu pages were registering themselves on `admin_menu` before their parent menu page had been created, which is a documented WordPress core race condition — both now register at a later hook priority so the parent always exists first. #### 5.3.3 * Changed: Renamed the Approvals and Practical Assessments admin page slugs (`mtdc- qual-approvals` `mtdc-qual-submissions`, `mtdc-qual-practical` `mtdc-qual-assessments`) to resolve a hosting-level access issue on some sites. #### 5.3.2 * Fixed: If a feature module (Approvals, Practical Assessments, or System Hooks) fails to load — for example because the includes/ folder was not uploaded completely— this now shows a clear admin notice naming the missing file, instead of failing silently and leaving a broken menu link. #### 5.3.1 * Removed: The Freemius SDK has been removed entirely. The plugin no longer initialises any third-party licensing or analytics library; updates are delivered solely through WordPress.org. #### 5.3.0 * Changed: Meadow Credentials is now entirely free — the document vault, supervisor approvals, practical assessments, expiry compliance, and custom hook mapping are available to everyone, with no locked or restricted functionality. * Fixed: Certificate verification page styles and the QR-code script now load through the WordPress enqueue system instead of inline tags. * Changed: Renamed several internal identifiers (shortcodes, admin page slugs) to use a consistent, unique plugin prefix and avoid naming collisions with other plugins — `[mt_qual_dashboard]` is now `[mtdc_qual_dashboard]`, `[mt_qual_progress]` is now `[mtdc_qual_progress]`, `[mt_submit_evidence]` is now `[mtdc_submit_evidence]`, and `[mt_log_assessment]` is now `[mtdc_log_assessment]`. #### 5.2.9 * Hardening: File writes now use the WordPress Filesystem API instead of direct PHP file functions. #### 5.2.8 * Hardening: Safe redirects, full input unslashing on nonce fields, and removal of debug logging, per an automated code-quality pass. #### 5.2.7 * Security: Custom hook mapping now uses a strict allowlist of recognised LMS, membership, and commerce hook prefixes. Unrecognised or core WordPress hooks are rejected by default, both when saving and when binding. #### 5.2.6 * Fixed: The pending-approvals count now also appears on the Approvals item inside the Meadow Credentials app sidebar, matching the WordPress admin menu. #### 5.2.5 * Security: Additional query-preparation and output-escaping hardening from an automated code review pass. #### 5.2.4 * Security: All admin scripts and styles now load through the WordPress enqueue system. * Security: Every request input ($_GET/$_POST/$_REQUEST/$_SERVER) is now unslashed and sanitized before use. * Security: Framework rule data is recursively sanitized before being stored. #### 5.2.3 * Fixed: Success and status messages on the evidence upload and approvals screens rendered their formatting markup as literal text. * Fixed: Removed stray developer annotations that could appear on some admin screens. * Fixed: Corrected the approval and rejection database updates that could fail on some configurations. #### 5.2.2 * Improved: Premium modules and premium-only logic were fully excluded from the free build via a Freemius file-exclusion convention, leaving no dormant premium code in the free version. (Superseded in 5.3.0 — all modules are now included and unlocked.) #### 5.2.1 * Changed: The free version now includes the complete framework builder with no framework limit. * Improved: Certificate QR codes are now generated locally in the browser — no external service is contacted. * Improved: All admin page scripts and styles are loaded through the WordPress enqueue system. * Security: Framework rule data is now deeply sanitized before saving. * Security: Custom hook bindings are validated against a denylist of core lifecycle hooks. #### 5.2.0 * New: Free plan — automatic LMS credential issuance, the full framework builder, certificate designer, verification links, and the learner wallet, free forever. * Improved: Activation now lands on the Getting Started page. * Fixed: Duplicate admin menu entry created by the licensing library. #### 5.1.0 * New: Full-screen admin interface with a dedicated navigation sidebar. * New: “Issuing Company Name” setting, used on certificates and award emails (falls back to your site title). * New: Email delivery (SMTP) check on the Getting Started screen. * New: Mobile-friendly certificates and front-end shortcodes. * Improved: Uploaded evidence is now stored as encrypted files in a protected on- disk vault instead of in the database. * Improved: Stronger AES-256 encryption key handling, fully backward compatible with previously stored data. * Security: Hardened evidence uploads — a document’s approval requirements are now resolved on the server and can no longer be altered from the browser. * Security: Uploaded files are validated by their actual content type, not just their file extension. * Security: Framework rules are validated before saving to prevent corrupted configurations. * Security: Approved and rejected evidence files are now permanently shredded from disk for GDPR compliance. ## Meta * Version **5.3.4** * Last updated **1 day ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.2 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.1** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [badges](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/badges/)[certificates](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/certificates/) [compliance](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/compliance/)[lms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/lms/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/meadow-credentials/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/meadow-credentials/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/meadow-credentials/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ benlejones ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/benlejones/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/meadow-credentials/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=benlejones%40outlook.com&item_name=Buy+the+Developer+a+Coffee+%28Meadow+Credentials%29¤cy_code=GBP)