Overview #
The Plugin Inventory in Xpulse lists every plugin on a site, including deactivated ones, and classifies each against the Xponent Stack. It powers the stack-alignment percentage on the dashboard and gives staff a fast answer to “what is this plugin and should it be here?” This article documents the five classifications so the labels mean the same thing to every reader.
The Five Classifications #
| Classification | Meaning | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Part of the Xponent Stack: licensed by us, supported, recommended | green |
| Optional | Useful additions we recognise and support on request | teal |
| Recognised | Known plugin, not part of the stack: works, but best-effort support | dark |
| Flagged | Known problem: duplicate of a stack plugin, conflicts, or avoid | red |
| Unclassified | Not in the registry yet: needs a decision | grey |
Every plugin in the registry is mapped to one of the first four. Anything not in the registry renders as Unclassified, which is the signal that the plugin needs an evaluation, not that it is bad.
What Each Classification Means in Practice #
Target #
The plugin is part of the Xponent Target Stack: Elementor Pro, JetEngine, Fluent Forms, FluentCRM, TutorLMS, and the other plugins we license and support on managed plans. Target plugins get priority support and are updated and verified by us.
Optional #
A plugin we recognise as useful and support on request, even though it is not a Target Stack member. Optional plugins are usually fine to keep, but check with us before relying on them for something critical.
Recognised #
A known, legitimate plugin that is simply not part of our stack. It will work on a managed site, but support is best-effort: we do not test every update against it the way we do for Target plugins.
Flagged #
The plugin is a known problem: typically a duplicate of a stack plugin (e.g., a second page-builder addon when Essential Addons is already in the stack), something that conflicts with our architecture, or a plugin we deliberately avoid. Flagged plugins should be deactivated or replaced with the stack equivalent.
Unclassified #
The plugin is not in the Xpulse registry. This is not a verdict: it is a prompt to classify it. If a client site has a plugin we have never seen, it lands here until we decide whether it moves to Recognised, Optional, or Flagged.
How the Registry Works #
Classification is driven by a slug-to-classification registry shipped with Xpulse. It can be extended by the team through the xpulse_plugin_classifications filter, so new plugins can be classified without a plugin update. The registry covers the plugin landscape we actually see on client sites (page builders, addons, forms, SEO, caching, security, and more).
Reading the Inventory #
- Includes deactivated plugins: the inventory lists everything installed, not just what is active, so nothing hides.
- Stack alignment percentage: the share of classified plugins that are Target or Optional feeds the alignment score on the dashboard.
- Sort order: Target first, problems and unknowns last, so the things that need attention surface at the bottom of the list.
The Xponent Standard #
| Practice | Why |
|---|---|
| Every plugin classified | No plugin on a managed site is “unknown” for long |
| Registry-driven, extensible | New verdicts ship via filter, no core update |
| Deactivated included | The inventory is complete, not just the active set |
| Unclassified = prompt, not verdict | Unknown plugins get evaluated, not condemned |