Description

PRBLEM Safe Media Inspector is a conservative media auditing and cleanup assistant from PRBLEM for WordPress. It is designed to help administrators review media usage without making destructive assumptions.

The plugin does not start scans on activation, does not create recurring cron jobs, does not send telemetry, and does not automatically delete media.

Main features

Manual, batched image attachment scanning.
Conservative states: Used, Probably Used, Needs Review, and Probably Unused.
Checks for featured images, post content references, post meta, Site Icon, active theme settings, WooCommerce gallery references, and selected page-builder metadata.
Never Touch protection for individual attachments and file/folder rules.
Registered image-size inventory and storage analysis.
Manual Physical Orphans scan for generated WIDTHxHEIGHT image files left on disk.
Reversible Safe Delete workflow before permanent deletion.
Scan history and cleanup audit reports.
No telemetry and no remote service requirement.

Important: A “Probably Unused” or physical orphan result is a candidate, not a guarantee. Dynamic theme code, plugins, CSS, JavaScript, CDN rewrites, external services, and custom database structures may create references the plugin cannot detect. Review results and keep a current backup before permanent deletion.

Safety model

Safe Media Inspector is manual-first:

Nothing is scanned merely because the plugin was activated or an admin page was opened.
Media candidates are checked again before Safe Delete.
Never Touch items are excluded from cleanup actions.
Physical orphan candidates are moved to a recoverable holding area before permanent deletion.
Permanent deletion is a separate, explicit action.

Privacy

Safe Media Inspector does not send site, media, usage, or diagnostic data to PRBLEM or any other remote service. Scan results and settings stay in the WordPress database and local uploads directory.

The admin interface includes a small link to prblem.com. The plugin does not load remote scripts, styles, fonts, tracking pixels, or executable code from that website.

Installation

In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Upload the plugin ZIP and activate it.
Open Media Inspector in wp-admin.
Review Settings before the first scan.
Start a manual Media Health Scan when ready.
Use Physical Orphans only after reviewing the normal media scan and taking a backup.

FAQ

Does the plugin delete media automatically?: No. Activation and page views do not trigger deletion. Cleanup actions require an administrator to select or confirm them.
Does it run a cron job in the background?: No. The built-in scans are manual and processed in batches while the administrator is using the relevant screen.
Is “Probably Unused” safe to delete without review?: No. It means the supported checks did not find a reference. WordPress sites can use images through custom code or data structures the plugin cannot know about. Review and back up first.
What is Physical Safe Delete?: For eligible generated thumbnails, the plugin first moves the file from its normal uploads location into a private plugin holding directory under uploads. The file can be restored before permanent deletion.
What happens to plugin data when I uninstall it?: Data is retained by default. In Settings you can explicitly enable “Delete Safe Media Inspector data on uninstall” before deleting the plugin if you want its settings, scan history, reports, and custom database tables removed.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“PRBLEM Safe Media Inspector” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

PRBLEM

Translate “PRBLEM Safe Media Inspector” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.7.0

Replaced the short internal smi prefix with the unique prblsmi prefix across PHP classes, constants, functions, AJAX/admin actions, option names, database table names, script handles, admin slugs, and UI selectors.
No feature or cleanup-safety behavior changes. This release is focused on WordPress.org namespace/prefix compliance.

1.6.9

WordPress.org Plugin Check cleanup: translator comments for placeholder strings and fully escaped admin notices.
Replaced direct rename()/unlink() file operations with WordPress filesystem APIs.

1.6.7

Added a visible “Delete all permanently” action beside Restore all in the Safe Delete header.
Bulk permanent deletion re-checks permissions, trash state, image type, and Protect status for every attachment before deletion.
Items that cannot be safely removed are skipped and remain in Safe Delete.
Added a clear confirmation before the irreversible bulk action.

1.6.6

Added an immediate Undo / Restore action after Safe Delete so users do not need to search lower on the page.
Added a visible Safe Delete Queue shortcut beside the review summary and in the sticky bulk toolbar.
The last Safe Delete batch can be restored in one click for one hour; only still-trashed items from that batch are restored.
Added clearer recovery-focused styling without changing the underlying safety checks or permanent-delete rules.

1.6.5

Fixed Safe Delete items remaining visible in the active review-candidate list after they were moved to the recoverable WordPress Trash state.
Safe Delete remains reversible: files are not permanently removed until the separate permanent-delete action is confirmed.
Restored attachments can reappear from the stored scan snapshot without forcing a new scan.

1.6.4

Compact Inspect / Protect / Unprotect actions now use aligned, low-profile buttons for a cleaner candidate list.
Fixed Protect state appearing to disappear after a new media scan.
Protect is now kept as a persistent cleanup guard and no longer changes an attachment’s scan classification to Used.
Protected candidates remain visibly Protected after rescanning when they are still review candidates.
Bulk selection, Safe Delete, and permanent-delete guards continue to exclude protected attachments.

1.6.2

Refreshed the dashboard with a restrained arcade-vintage PRBLEM visual language.
Added an animated green audit-progress ring that reports scan completion rather than a misleading health score.
Moved Used, Probably used, Needs review, and Probably unused counts into centered, color-coded circular indicators.
Kept all scanning, safety, deletion, and storage behavior unchanged.

1.6.1

Final WordPress.org packaging alignment with the PRBLEM product family.
Aligned the plugin folder, main file, and translation text domain to prblem-safe-media-inspector.
Added Settings and PRBLEM.com links to the Plugins screen.
Tightened database identifier preparation for WordPress 6.2+ Plugin Check compatibility.
Kept the existing manual-first safety model unchanged: no automatic scans, cron jobs, telemetry, or automatic deletion.

1.6.0

WordPress.org release-candidate hardening pass.
Updated compatibility metadata for WordPress 7.1.
Added explicit uninstall cleanup setting; plugin data remains preserved by default.
Hardened physical Safe Delete, restore, and permanent-delete path validation.
Physical file operations now reject unsafe relative paths and symbolic-link candidates.
Permanent attachment cleanup is logged only after WordPress confirms deletion.
Added scan-run validation for manual media batches.
Expanded readme with privacy, safety model, FAQ, uninstall behavior, and review guidance.
No automatic scans, cron jobs, telemetry, or automatic deletion.

1.5.0

Added History & Reports with recent media and physical scan history.
Added cleanup audit trail for Safe Delete, restore, and permanent deletion actions.
Added conservative before/after reporting that separates recoverable held space from permanently removed space.
No automatic scans, cron jobs, or automatic deletion.

1.4.1

Fixed the Physical Orphans progress panel appearing active before a scan was started.
The upload scanner now stays visually idle after page load and only shows progress after an explicit Scan Physical Files click.
Added a clear message when the latest physical scan is incomplete instead of implying that a background scan is running.

1.4.0

Added a manual Physical Orphans scanner for generated WIDTHxHEIGHT image files left on disk.
Scans uploads in small batches with no cron jobs or automatic background work.
Separates eligible, review, protected, and currently registered files.
Safe Delete revalidates metadata and common WordPress references before moving a physical thumbnail.
Added recoverable Physical Safe Delete with restore and explicit permanent deletion.
Original images are never classified as physical orphan thumbnails by filename detection.

1.3.0

Refined the admin interface to a quieter, more WordPress-native PRBLEM design.
Improved Dashicon/text vertical alignment across trust labels, buttons, links, and notices.
Added Storage Intelligence with manual analysis of originals, generated files, and unregistered image sizes found in attachment metadata.
Added Safe, Balanced, and Deep Scan profiles.
Added minimum-age safety hold and Never Touch file/folder pattern rules.
Added quick selection for probably-unused, large, and older candidates.
Added WooCommerce gallery reference detection and optional deep page-builder/meta URL checks.
Added Restore All for Safe Delete.

1.2.0

Simplified the admin UI for a calmer, more familiar WordPress feel.
Added Select All and bulk selection for review candidates.
Added bulk Never Touch protection.
Added Safe Delete with a fresh safety check before moving attachments to WordPress Trash.
Added Restore and separate permanent-delete controls.

1.1.0

Added PRBLEM-branded admin workspace.
Added safety status strip and clearer scan summary.
Added dashboard candidate preview with up to 30 thumbnails.
Added scanned/candidate storage summary and prblem.com brand link.

1.0.0

Initial release.
Manual batched scan.
Conservative usage classification.
Never Touch protection.
Registered image-size inventory.