WordPress Daily Routine

A plugin blocks or corrupts responses from the WordPress REST API.

Plugin Breaks REST API

Key Points: The REST API fails, preventing block editor, app connections, or plugin features from working.

Gutenberg won’t load, the block editor spins endlessly, or mobile apps can’t connect — often, a plugin has hijacked or broken the REST API responses.

📉 Why It Happens

• Plugin outputs HTML or whitespace in REST responses
• Unauthorized REST routes or incorrect permissions
• Plugin modifies rest_pre_dispatch without fallbacks

🛠️ Diagnostic Steps

1. Visit /wp-json/ and look for PHP warnings or output before the JSON
2. Temporarily disable plugins to find the offender
3. Use browser DevTools Network tab to inspect failing REST calls

✅ Fix Approach

Good plugins respect the REST API spec — avoid those that inject output or disable access without clear fallback logic.