WordPress

The OpenBotAuth WordPress plugin enables content owners to control how AI agents and bots access their content using RFC 9421 HTTP Message Signatures.

Features

• Signature Verification - Verify bot identity using Ed25519 cryptographic signatures
• Content Teasers - Show first N words to unverified bots
• Payment Flow - Return 402 Payment Required for premium content
• Rate Limiting - Per-agent rate limits to prevent abuse
• Access Control - Whitelist/blacklist specific bots
• Per-Post Policies - Override default policy on individual posts

Requirements

• WordPress 6.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Access to OpenBotAuth Verifier Service

Installation

Note: The plugin is currently under review at WordPress.org. For now, use manual installation.

Manual Installation

Option 1: Download and Upload

1. Download the plugin from GitHub:

   git clone https://github.com/OpenBotAuth/openbotauth.git
   cd openbotauth/plugins
   zip -r wordpress-openbotauth.zip wordpress-openbotauth

2. Upload via WordPress Admin:

   • Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
   • Choose the wordpress-openbotauth.zip file
   • Click Install Now
   • Click Activate

Option 2: Copy to Plugins Directory

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/OpenBotAuth/openbotauth.git

# Copy plugin to WordPress
cp -r openbotauth/plugins/wordpress-openbotauth /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/

Then activate via WordPress Admin → Plugins.

Configuration

Basic Setup

1. Go to Settings → OpenBotAuth
2. Configure the Verifier Service URL:

   Environment	URL
   Production (hosted)	https://verifier.openbotauth.org/verify
   Self-hosted	https://verifier.yourdomain.com/verify
   Local development	http://localhost:8081/verify

3. Set Default Policy:

   • Allow - All bots can access content
   • Teaser - Show preview to unverified bots (recommended)
   • Deny - Block unverified bots
4. Set Teaser Word Count (default: 100)
5. Click Save Settings

Per-Post Policies

Override the default policy for individual posts:

1. Edit a post or page
2. Find the OpenBotAuth Policy meta box in the sidebar
3. Check Override default policy
4. Configure:

   • Effect: Allow, Teaser, or Deny
   • Teaser Words: Number of words for preview
   • Price (cents): Require payment (e.g., 500 for $5.00)
5. Save the post

Advanced Policy Configuration

For advanced policies, edit the Policy JSON directly in settings:

{
  "default": {
    "effect": "teaser",
    "teaser_words": 100,
    "whitelist": [
      "https://trusted-bot.example.com/jwks.json"
    ],
    "blacklist": [
      "https://badbot.example.com/*"
    ],
    "rate_limit": {
      "max_requests": 100,
      "window_seconds": 3600
    }
  }
}

Policy Options

Field	Type	Description
effect	string	Default action: allow, deny, or teaser
teaser_words	number	Words to show in preview (0 = no teaser)
price_cents	number	Price in cents (0 = free, >0 = 402 response)
currency	string	Currency code (default: USD)
whitelist	array	Bot patterns to always allow
blacklist	array	Bot patterns to always deny
rate_limit.max_requests	number	Max requests per window
rate_limit.window_seconds	number	Time window in seconds

Response Headers

The plugin adds an X-OBA-Decision header to responses:

Value	Meaning
allow	Bot is verified and allowed full access
teaser	Unverified bot receives preview content
pay	Payment required (402 response)
deny	Bot is denied access (403 response)
rate_limit	Rate limit exceeded (429 response)

Hooks and Filters

Filter: openbotauth_policy

Modify policy before applying:

add_filter('openbotauth_policy', function($policy, $post) {
    if ($post->post_type === 'premium') {
        $policy['price_cents'] = 1000;
    }
    return $policy;
}, 10, 2);

Action: openbotauth_verified

Triggered when a bot is verified:

add_action('openbotauth_verified', function($agent, $post) {
    error_log("Bot {$agent['jwks_url']} accessed post {$post->ID}");
}, 10, 2);

Action: openbotauth_payment_required

Triggered when 402 is returned:

add_action('openbotauth_payment_required', function($agent, $post, $price) {
    // Track payment requests
}, 10, 3);

Troubleshooting

Verifier Connection Failed

Error: "Verifier service error: Connection refused"

1. Check verifier service is running
2. Verify URL in Settings → OpenBotAuth
3. Check firewall rules

Teaser Not Showing

1. Verify policy effect is set to teaser
2. Ensure teaser_words > 0
3. Log out of WordPress (logged-in users see full content)
4. Check X-OBA-Decision header in response

No X-OBA-Decision Header

1. Ensure you're testing on a singular post/page (not homepage)
2. Log out of WordPress
3. Check PHP error logs for verifier connection issues

Source Code

GitHub: OpenBotAuth/openbotauth

License

GPLv2 or later