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Blind Mode

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Blind Mode for WordPress

A development visibility gate that makes your WordPress site disappear until you intentionally go live. Public requests return 404. Admin access stays stable. Preview access is time-limited and controlled by a secret key.

Boring by design
Blind Mode is intentionally lean: no dashboards, no templates, no tracking. It’s an on/off visibility gate designed to prevent accidental exposure while you build.
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Designed for development & dark launches. Not a security suite.

Overview

Blind Mode solves a simple (and very common) WordPress problem:

“I want to build on my real domain, but I don’t want the site to exist yet.”

  • Public visitors get 404 Not Found
  • Login/admin entry points are hidden for non-allowed visitors
  • REST endpoints and feeds are blocked
  • XML-RPC is disabled
  • Admins keep normal access while logged in
  • Clients/testers can use a time-limited preview link

Blind Mode is a visibility control. It prevents accidental exposure during development.

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.0+
  • PHP 7.4+
  • Access to install an MU plugin

WooCommerce is not required.

How to install Blind Mode

Blind Mode is distributed as a standard WordPress plugin ZIP — with a required must-use (MU) enforcement file that you move after installation.

ZIP contents

After installing the plugin, both files will exist on your server:

  • ll-blind-mode.php — MU visibility gate (must be moved)
  • ll-blind-mode-settings.php — admin settings UI

Step 1: Install the plugin ZIP

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
  2. Upload the Blind Mode ZIP file
  3. Activate the plugin

This installs both files into your /wp-content/plugins/ directory.

Step 2: Move the MU enforcement file

  1. Open your site using FTP, SFTP, or a hosting file manager
  2. Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
  3. Locate ll-blind-mode.php
  4. Create /wp-content/mu-plugins/ if it does not exist
  5. Move ll-blind-mode.php into /wp-content/mu-plugins/
Why this step exists
MU plugins load before normal plugins and cannot be disabled accidentally. This guarantees Blind Mode enforcement even if themes or plugins break.

Step 3: Confirm it’s active

  1. Go to Settings → Blind Mode
  2. Ensure Blind Mode is enabled
  3. Confirm a Secret Key is generated
  4. Open an incognito window and visit your site
  5. You should see 404 Not Found
Important
Bookmark your secret admin access URL before logging out. While Blind Mode is enabled, /wp-login.php is hidden from the public.

Where the settings live

WordPress Admin → Settings → Blind Mode

Support

Documentation covers standard usage. For license or installation issues, contact LinkLens Labs support.