Title: MetaBench
Author: Silver222
Published: August 18, 2026
Last modified: August 18, 2026
---
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# MetaBench
By [Silver222](https://profiles.wordpress.org/silver222/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/metabench.1.0.1.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/metabench/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/metabench/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/metabench/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/metabench/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/metabench/)
## Description
MetaBench replaces the cramped core Custom Fields box with a panel built for
sites
that actually have a lot of metadata.
* **Search** across both keys and values, with matches highlighted as you type.
* **Filter** by value type — text, number, long text, array, JSON or empty.
* **Sort** by key, by value size, or by raw database order.
* **Edit in place**, with a textarea for long values and JSON editing for
serialised
arrays.
* **Rename, create and delete** fields, each independently switchable.
* Works on **posts and terms**, on whichever post types and taxonomies you
enable.
* Works in the **block editor and the classic editor** with no duplicated UI.
#### Permissions
For ordinary meta keys, every read and write goes through the per-key
capabilities
that core derives from `register_meta()` auth callbacks. A user who cannot edit
such a field through core cannot edit it through MetaBench either.
Protected keys — those beginning with an underscore, where ACF, SEO plugins and
WooCommerce keep their data — work differently, and the difference is worth understanding.
```
map_meta_cap() denies `edit_post_meta` on a protected key for *every* role,
```
including administrators, unless a plugin has registered an `auth_..._meta_...`
filter for that specific key. That blanket denial is aimed at untrusted REST and
XML-RPC callers, and it makes the core capability unusable as a gate for a deliberate
administrative tool.
MetaBench therefore gates protected keys separately. They are listed and
editable
only when **both**:
1. “Show protected fields” is switched on in the settings, and
2. the user holds `manage_options` (filterable via
metabench_protected_capability).
This is an intentional step past the core denial, kept as narrow and explicit as
possible. If you do not want that behaviour on your site, leave the setting off —
which is the default — and MetaBench will never touch a protected key.
#### Translations
MetaBench ships translated into German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese,
Dutch,
Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian and Simplified Chinese, covering
all 119 translatable strings.
Every string the JavaScript panel displays is defined in PHP and handed to the
browser through `wp_localize_script()`, so the whole interface translates from a
single `.po` file with no JavaScript build step and no separate JSON language packs.
To retranslate or add a locale, edit the `.po` file in `languages/` with Poedit
or any gettext editor, then recompile:
```
wp i18n make-mo languages/ languages/
wp i18n make-php languages/
```
After changing translatable strings in the source, regenerate the template with
wp i18n make-pot . languages/metabench.pot –domain=metabench.
#### For developers
Filters:
* `metabench_settings` — the effective settings array.
* `metabench_required_capability` — the capability gating the panel.
* `metabench_protected_capability` — the capability gating protected keys.
* `metabench_available_post_types` / `metabench_available_taxonomies` — the
choices
offered on the settings screen.
* `metabench_get_items` — the rows returned for an object.
* `metabench_validate_key` — return a `WP_Error` to block a write.
REST routes, all under `metabench/v1`:
* `GET /fields//`
* `POST /fields//`
* `POST /fields///`
* `DELETE /fields///`
## Installation
1. Upload the `metabench` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`.
2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen.
3. Visit **Settings MetaBench** and enable the post types and taxonomies you
want
the panel on.
## FAQ
### Do changes save when I update the post?
No. Each field saves immediately over the REST API, independently of the post.
That means you can fix one meta value without publishing unrelated draft edits,
but it also means there is no undo — the panel says so beneath the table.
### Why can I not see my ACF fields?
ACF stores its values in protected keys beginning with an underscore. Enable
“Show
protected fields” under Settings MetaBench, and note that only users with `manage_options`
will see them. Editing those by hand can desynchronise ACF’s own field references,
so change them only when you know what a key does.
### Why is one of my fields read only?
Either you lack the capability for that key, or the stored value is a
serialised
PHP object. Objects cannot round-trip through the JSON editor without risking data
loss, so MetaBench shows them but refuses to write them.
### Does it handle duplicate meta keys?
Yes. Rows are addressed by `meta_id`, so several rows sharing one key are
listed
and edited individually rather than collapsed into one.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“MetaBench” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this
plugin.
Contributors
* [ Silver222 ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/silver222/)
[Translate “MetaBench” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/metabench)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/metabench/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/metabench/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/metabench/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/metabench/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.1
* Hardened deserialization of stored meta values so a protected-key payload
can
no longer instantiate arbitrary PHP objects on read.
* Corrected a docblock that claimed object-cache caching the code doesn’t do.
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.1**
* Last updated **2 days 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
* [custom fields](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/custom-fields/)[developer](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/developer/)
[metadata](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/metadata/)[post meta](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/post-meta/)
[term-meta](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/term-meta/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/metabench/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/metabench/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/metabench/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Silver222 ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/silver222/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/metabench/)