--- title: "Add a “Go to Settings” Link After Installing Any WordPress Plugin (Full Code)" url: https://adityaarsharma.com/go-to-plugin-settings-link-after-install/ date: 2026-07-10 modified: 2026-07-10 author: "Aditya R Sharma" description: "After you install or update a plugin, WordPress makes you hunt for its settings page. This snippet adds a correct “Go to settings” link (with a Plugins-page fallback) for any plugin, in any language — no hardcoded list." categories: - "Automation" - "WordPress" word_count: 2723 --- # Add a “Go to Settings” Link After Installing Any WordPress Plugin (Full Code) **The problem:** you install or update a plugin, WordPress hands you “Activate Plugin” and “Return to Plugin Installer” — and then leaves you to *hunt* for where that plugin’s settings actually live. This started as an answer to a question Rodolfo Melogli raised: after installing a plugin from a ZIP, why isn’t there a “Go to plugin settings” link, with a fallback to the Plugins page? Here is the **complete snippet** that does it — and does it for *any* plugin, in any language, without a hardcoded list. Grab the full code here: [the snippet on GitHub Gist](https://gist.github.com/adityaarsharma/46cec46c9dac76afa395866bb43fc805). *Last updated: July 2026.* ## Why the obvious fixes don’t hold up Every “just add a settings link” approach I tried first broke somewhere. These are the four dead ends, because the fix only makes sense once you’ve seen them fail: - **Hardcode a table of plugin → settings URL.** Fine for the top 20, useless for the long tail, and it drifts the moment a plugin renames its page. - **Match the word “Settings” in the admin menu.** Dies on any non-English admin, and false-matches WordPress’ own *Settings* menu. - **Guess `admin.php?page={slug}`.** Wrong for a large share of plugins. Akismet lives at `options-general.php?page=akismet-key-config`, ACF at `edit.php?post_type=acf-field-group`, Redirection under *Tools*. A guessed URL that 404s is worse than no link at all. - **Use `install_plugin_overwrite_actions`.** Tempting name, wrong hook — it fires on the overwrite *confirmation* screen, not the install/update *result*. The right hook is `install_plugin_complete_actions`, which fires after a normal install, an update, *and* a ZIP upload. ## The one reliable signal: the plugin’s own settings link Every plugin that has a settings page already adds its own link to its row on the Plugins list, through the `plugin_action_links_{$plugin_file}` filter. That link is authored by the plugin, points at the correct URL, and is completely independent of the admin language. So instead of guessing, the snippet **reads that**. It fires the filter, parses the returned HTML with `DOMDocument` (not regex), keeps only internal `wp-admin` URLs, throws away the core row-actions (activate / deactivate / delete / editor), and prefers the candidate whose URL contains the plugin’s own slug. Whatever survives is the plugin’s real settings URL — ground truth, not a guess. ## Learn it once, cache it, let it self-heal The catch: that filter only returns anything while the plugin is **loaded** (active). So the snippet learns the link at the two moments it can, and remembers it: - on `activated_plugin` — the instant a plugin activates; - on `load-plugins.php` — where every active plugin’s action links exist, so it back-fills the whole active set. Both write to a single option keyed by plugin file. Resolution priority is **learned cache → seed map → live best-effort**. The seed map (~22 popular plugins) is only a bootstrap so the very first click is right before the cache warms; the learned cache overrides it, so a stale seed URL self-corrects the first time you open the Plugins screen. Only the reliable action-link signal is ever cached — the fuzzy menu scan is used live but never stored, so it can’t poison the cache. ## Never show a dead link: activate first, then resolve After a ZIP install the plugin isn’t active yet, so its settings page doesn’t exist and its own link can’t be read. A “Go to settings” link there would be dead. So the result screen branches: - **Already active** (you just updated it) → *Go to settings*, straight to the resolved URL. - **Freshly installed, not active** → *Activate & open settings*: one nonce-protected click that activates the plugin, reads its now-available real link, and redirects you there. - **Always** → *Go to Plugins page*. The privileged step sits behind `admin_post` + `check_admin_referer` + a capability check, so a logged-out or low-role user can’t trigger anything. Here is the whole flow: `install / update result screen | Is the plugin active? |-- yes --> resolve URL (cache > seed > live) --> "Go to settings" |-- no --> "Activate & open settings" | --> activate_plugin() --> read the plugin's OWN link --> redirect there | always --> "Go to Plugins page" get_settings_url( plugin_file ): 1. learned cache (the plugin's own link, saved on activate + on the Plugins screen) 2. seed map (22 popular plugins - bootstrap only, cache overrides it) 3. live best-effort (read the action link now; else a strict full-slug menu scan)` ## The complete snippet ``` seed map > live best-effort. Only high-confidence signals are cached. */ if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) { exit; } // Guard so the same code is safe whether dropped in as a plugin, mu-plugin, or theme functions.php snippet. if ( ! class_exists( 'Aditya_Plugin_Install_Links' ) ) : final class Aditya_Plugin_Install_Links { const OPTION = 'aditya_plugin_settings_urls'; // [ plugin_file => admin-relative path ] public static function init() { add_filter( 'install_plugin_complete_actions', array( __CLASS__, 'install_actions' ), 10, 3 ); add_action( 'activated_plugin', array( __CLASS__, 'learn_one' ), 999, 1 ); add_action( 'load-plugins.php', array( __CLASS__, 'learn_active' ) ); add_action( 'admin_post_aditya_activate_goto_settings', array( __CLASS__, 'handle_activate_goto_settings' ) ); } /** * Seed map — bootstraps top plugins BEFORE their first activation. The learned cache (each plugin's * OWN link) overrides these, so any drift self-heals. Admin-relative paths. Extend freely. */ public static function seed_map() { return array( 'woocommerce/woocommerce.php' => 'admin.php?page=wc-settings', 'wordpress-seo/wp-seo.php' => 'admin.php?page=wpseo_dashboard', 'elementor/elementor.php' => 'admin.php?page=elementor', 'contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php' => 'admin.php?page=wpcf7', 'akismet/akismet.php' => 'options-general.php?page=akismet-key-config', 'classic-editor/classic-editor.php' => 'options-writing.php', 'jetpack/jetpack.php' => 'admin.php?page=jetpack', 'wpforms-lite/wpforms.php' => 'admin.php?page=wpforms-settings', 'all-in-one-seo-pack/all_in_one_seo_pack.php' => 'admin.php?page=aioseo-settings', 'wordfence/wordfence.php' => 'admin.php?page=Wordfence', 'seo-by-rank-math/rank-math.php' => 'admin.php?page=rank-math', 'litespeed-cache/litespeed-cache.php' => 'admin.php?page=litespeed-cache', 'wp-super-cache/wp-cache.php' => 'options-general.php?page=wpsupercache', 'w3-total-cache/w3-total-cache.php' => 'admin.php?page=w3tc_general', 'wp-rocket/wp-rocket.php' => 'options-general.php?page=wprocket', 'updraftplus/updraftplus.php' => 'options-general.php?page=updraftplus', 'wp-mail-smtp/wp_mail_smtp.php' => 'admin.php?page=wp-mail-smtp', 'google-site-kit/google-site-kit.php' => 'admin.php?page=googlesitekit-settings', 'google-analytics-for-wordpress/googleanalytics.php' => 'admin.php?page=monsterinsights_settings', 'wp-smushit/wp-smush.php' => 'admin.php?page=smush', 'redirection/redirection.php' => 'tools.php?page=redirection.php', 'advanced-custom-fields/acf.php' => 'edit.php?post_type=acf-field-group', ); } /** Absolute settings URL or '' if unknown. Priority: learned cache > seed > live best-effort. */ public static function get_settings_url( $plugin_file ) { if ( empty( $plugin_file ) ) { return ''; } $cache = get_option( self::OPTION, array() ); if ( is_array( $cache ) && ! empty( $cache[ $plugin_file ] ) ) { return admin_url( $cache[ $plugin_file ] ); } $seed = self::seed_map(); if ( isset( $seed[ $plugin_file ] ) ) { return admin_url( $seed[ $plugin_file ] ); } $rel = self::live_detect( $plugin_file ); return $rel ? admin_url( $rel ) : ''; } /** Learn just-activated plugin (cache ONLY the reliable action-link signal). */ public static function learn_one( $plugin_file ) { $rel = self::settings_from_action_links( $plugin_file ); if ( $rel ) { self::cache_set( $plugin_file, $rel ); } } /** On the Plugins screen, every active plugin's action links exist → cache them (reliable signal only). */ public static function learn_active() { if ( ! current_user_can( 'activate_plugins' ) ) { return; } $cache = get_option( self::OPTION, array() ); $cache = is_array( $cache ) ? $cache : array(); $changed = false; foreach ( (array) get_option( 'active_plugins', array() ) as $file ) { if ( ! empty( $cache[ $file ] ) ) { continue; } $rel = self::settings_from_action_links( $file ); if ( $rel ) { $cache[ $file ] = $rel; $changed = true; } } if ( $changed ) { update_option( self::OPTION, $cache, false ); } } private static function cache_set( $file, $rel ) { $cache = get_option( self::OPTION, array() ); $cache = is_array( $cache ) ? $cache : array(); $cache[ $file ] = $rel; update_option( self::OPTION, $cache, false ); } /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ * * Detection * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */ /** RELIABLE signal (cacheable): the plugin's OWN declared "Settings" action link. Language-independent. */ private static function settings_from_action_links( $plugin_file ) { $links = array(); $links = (array) apply_filters( "plugin_action_links_{$plugin_file}", $links, $plugin_file, array(), 'all' ); $links = (array) apply_filters( "network_admin_plugin_action_links_{$plugin_file}", $links, $plugin_file, array(), 'all' ); $admin = admin_url(); $net = network_admin_url(); $needles = self::slug_needles( $plugin_file ); $candidates = array(); foreach ( $links as $html ) { if ( ! is_string( $html ) || false === stripos( $html, 'href' ) ) { continue; } $dom = new DOMDocument(); libxml_use_internal_errors( true ); $dom->loadHTML( '
' . $html . '
' ); libxml_clear_errors(); foreach ( $dom->getElementsByTagName( 'a' ) as $a ) { $href = html_entity_decode( trim( $a->getAttribute( 'href' ) ), ENT_QUOTES ); if ( '' === $href || '#' === $href ) { continue; } if ( 0 !== strpos( $href, 'http' ) && 0 !== strpos( $href, '/' ) ) { $href = $admin . ltrim( $href, '/' ); } if ( 0 !== strpos( $href, $admin ) && 0 !== strpos( $href, $net ) ) { continue; // internal admin URLs only } if ( preg_match( '#(plugins\.php\?|plugin-editor\.php|action=(activate|deactivate|delete)|update\.php|tgmpa)#i', $href ) ) { continue; // skip core plugin-row actions } $candidates[] = $href; } } if ( empty( $candidates ) ) { return ''; } // Prefer a candidate whose URL mentions the plugin's full slug; else the first custom link (conventionally Settings). foreach ( $candidates as $c ) { foreach ( $needles as $n ) { if ( false !== stripos( $c, $n ) ) { return self::to_relative( $c ); } } } return self::to_relative( $candidates[0] ); } /** BEST-EFFORT (live only, never cached): strict full-slug menu scan. */ private static function settings_from_menu( $plugin_file ) { $needles = self::slug_needles( $plugin_file ); global $submenu, $menu; foreach ( array( (array) $submenu, (array) $menu ) as $group ) { foreach ( $group as $items ) { foreach ( self::rows( $items ) as $row ) { $page = isset( $row[2] ) ? (string) $row[2] : ''; if ( '' === $page ) { continue; } foreach ( $needles as $n ) { if ( false !== stripos( $page, $n ) ) { return ( false !== strpos( $page, '.php' ) ) ? $page : 'admin.php?page=' . $page; } } } } } return ''; } private static function live_detect( $plugin_file ) { $rel = self::settings_from_action_links( $plugin_file ); return $rel ? $rel : self::settings_from_menu( $plugin_file ); } /** Full-slug needles only (NOT generic tokens) — avoids "editor" matching site-editor.php etc. */ private static function slug_needles( $plugin_file ) { $slug = ( false !== strpos( $plugin_file, '/' ) ) ? dirname( $plugin_file ) : basename( $plugin_file, '.php' ); $slug = sanitize_title( $slug ); if ( strlen( $slug ) < 4 ) { return array(); } return array_values( array_unique( array( $slug, str_replace( '-', '_', $slug ), str_replace( '-', '', $slug ) ) ) ); } private static function rows( $items ) { return ( isset( $items[2] ) && is_string( $items[2] ) ) ? array( $items ) : (array) $items; } private static function to_relative( $url ) { $admin = admin_url(); if ( 0 === strpos( $url, $admin ) ) { return substr( $url, strlen( $admin ) ); } $net = network_admin_url(); if ( 0 === strpos( $url, $net ) ) { return substr( $url, strlen( $net ) ); } return $url; } /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ * * The install / update result screen * ------------------------------------------------------------------ */ public static function install_actions( $actions, $api, $plugin_file ) { if ( ! current_user_can( 'activate_plugins' ) ) { return $actions; } if ( ! function_exists( 'is_plugin_active' ) ) { require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php'; } $sep = ''; $is_active = $plugin_file && is_plugin_active( $plugin_file ); $can_set = $plugin_file && current_user_can( 'manage_options' ); if ( $can_set && $is_active ) { // Plugin is already active (e.g. updating an active plugin) → its settings page exists → link straight to it. $settings = self::get_settings_url( $plugin_file ); if ( $settings ) { $actions['aditya_settings'] = $sep . sprintf( '%s', esc_url( $settings ), esc_html__( 'Go to settings', 'aditya-plugin-links' ) ); } } elseif ( $can_set && ! $is_active ) { // Not active yet → don't offer a dead settings link. One click that activates THEN opens settings. $url = wp_nonce_url( admin_url( 'admin-post.php?action=aditya_activate_goto_settings&plugin=' . rawurlencode( $plugin_file ) ), 'aditya_activate_' . $plugin_file ); $actions['aditya_activate_settings'] = $sep . sprintf( '%s', esc_url( $url ), esc_html__( 'Activate & open settings', 'aditya-plugin-links' ) ); } $actions['aditya_plugins_page'] = $sep . sprintf( '%s', esc_url( self_admin_url( 'plugins.php' ) ), esc_html__( 'Go to Plugins page', 'aditya-plugin-links' ) ); return $actions; } /** Activate the plugin, then redirect to its settings (resolving it live now that the plugin is loaded). */ public static function handle_activate_goto_settings() { $file = isset( $_GET['plugin'] ) ? sanitize_text_field( wp_unslash( $_GET['plugin'] ) ) : ''; if ( '' === $file || ! current_user_can( 'activate_plugins' ) ) { wp_die( esc_html__( 'You are not allowed to do that.', 'aditya-plugin-links' ) ); } check_admin_referer( 'aditya_activate_' . $file ); if ( ! function_exists( 'activate_plugin' ) ) { require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/plugin.php'; } $res = activate_plugin( $file ); if ( is_wp_error( $res ) ) { wp_safe_redirect( self_admin_url( 'plugins.php?plugin_activation_error=1' ) ); exit; } // Plugin is loaded now → learn its real settings link, then send the user there. $rel = self::settings_from_action_links( $file ); if ( $rel ) { self::cache_set( $file, $rel ); } $url = self::get_settings_url( $file ); wp_safe_redirect( $url ? $url : self_admin_url( 'plugins.php' ) ); exit; } } Aditya_Plugin_Install_Links::init(); endif; ``` ## Install it - Paste it into your (child) theme’s `functions.php`, save it as an mu-plugin (`wp-content/mu-plugins/aditya-plugin-links.php`), or drop it into a code-snippets plugin set to run everywhere. - That’s the whole setup — no options, no config. The next time you install or update a plugin, the links appear on the result screen. - Optional: rename the `Aditya_Plugin_Install_Links` class and the `aditya_` prefixes to your own. It only hooks the `wp-admin` install and Plugins screens, so it does nothing on the front end and adds zero page-load overhead for visitors. ## How well does it really cover “any plugin”? Honest accounting, because “works with everything” is usually a lie: - **Plugins with a settings page — covered.** The destination is whatever the plugin itself declares as its settings link. Tested across 15+ plugins (WooCommerce, Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, Elementor, Contact Form 7, WPForms, Jetpack, LiteSpeed Cache, WP Mail SMTP, ACF, Akismet, Redirection and more) with no mismatches. - **Plugins with no settings page** (Hello Dolly, Classic Widgets) — the correct behaviour is *no* settings link. You just get “Go to Plugins page.” The snippet never invents a page that doesn’t exist. - **Non-English admins — fine.** Matching is on URLs, never on the word “Settings,” so a German or Japanese dashboard resolves identically. - **The known soft spot.** For the rare plugin that exposes several custom action links with *none* of them containing its slug in the URL, the snippet picks the first one — which by long-standing convention is Settings. A plugin that orders its links differently could send you to the wrong one of its *own* pages. That’s the one case the URL-slug heuristic can miss; extend the seed map for that plugin and the learned cache takes over. ## FAQ ### Does it work for ZIP uploads, not just the WordPress.org installer? Yes. `install_plugin_complete_actions` fires for a WordPress.org install, an update, and a manual ZIP upload alike. ZIP uploads were part of the testing. ### Will it ever send me to a 404? For an active plugin it links to the plugin’s own declared URL. For an inactive one it doesn’t offer a settings link at all until *after* activation, so there’s no dead settings link to click. Worst case, you land on the Plugins page. ### Is it safe to run? The activate-and-redirect path is a nonce-checked `admin_post` action that requires `activate_plugins` / `manage_options`. Nothing privileged is exposed to a logged-out or low-role user. ### Will it slow my site down? No. Every hook is on the `wp-admin` install and Plugins screens. The front end never loads it. ### Which plugins are in the seed map, and why? About 22 popular ones — purely so the first click is correct before the learned cache warms up. Once you activate a plugin or visit the Plugins screen, the plugin’s own link is cached and overrides the seed. Full code: [the snippet on GitHub Gist](https://gist.github.com/adityaarsharma/46cec46c9dac76afa395866bb43fc805). Drop it in, install your next plugin, and the “now where are the settings?” step is just gone. If you hit a plugin that resolves to the wrong page, that’s exactly the edge the learned cache is built to swallow — tell me and I’ll fold it into the seed.