Hi @jamesszuch,
Sorry you ran into this trouble. But to clarify: Photo Engine cannot (and should not) override your firewall rules. If you add a firewall like Wordfence, it’s expected that it will block everything until you explicitly allow what you need. That’s not an issue in the plugin: it’s how firewalls work. It’s a bit like building a house, then closing all the roads to it, and blaming the builder when you can’t get in.
And this exact case is mentioned right at the start of the FAQ:
👉 https://meowapps.com/wplr-sync/issues/
Firewall & Security Plugins
Make sure you whitelist this URL on your site: /?wplr-sync-api
That’s the endpoint Wordfence is blocking. Once allow-listed, Photo Engine and Wordfence run fine together (many users do this). I even asked Wordfence for guidance to make this clearer:
https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wf-blocking-upload-with-wp-lr-sync-lightroom/.
So while I understand the frustration, this is really a configuration issue with the firewall, not the plugin itself. I’d really appreciate it if you could reconsider the one-star rating. And if you’d like, I’ll be glad to help step by step on the support forum.
Thanks for the clarification. To be clear, I never said this was a code defect in the plugin. My review was about the product experience as a whole.
Yes, the FAQ does mention firewall rules, but the explanation is thin, and the expectation for a paid plugin is that documentation should help a typical user configure it in a common environment that includes popular security plugins like Wordfence. At minimum, step-by-step guidance or clear examples would save customers the time and frustration of debugging on their own.
That’s why my review states: “If you have neither the skill, time, or inclination [to debug firewall issues], skip this.” I stand by that assessment. For a product, ease of configuration is part of its value, and better documentation would go a long way.
Just to clarify again: Photo Engine does work with Wordfence, but Wordfence blocks all REST API requests until specific endpoints are allow-listed. In this case, it’s /?wplr-sync-api. That’s why this is noted right at the beginning of the FAQ: https://meowapps.com/wplr-sync/issues/.
I understand your point that clearer step-by-step guidance for Wordfence would save time. That’s good feedback, and I’ll expand the documentation with specific Wordfence examples so future users don’t run into the same frustration.
That said, I do feel the review title “Won’t Work With Wordfence” is misleading. The plugin itself works fine; it’s just a matter of firewall configuration. Many users run both plugins successfully once the allow-rule is added.
I just checked (since I rarely get this complaint nowadays), and WP/LR Sync actually informs you when a transfer fails and it explains that the issue may be caused by a firewall, with a link to the FAQ for guidance.
