Maintenance GENIUS Technical Documentation — Full Plugin Reference
The detailed reference guide: how every setting, every tab, every feature works — for those who want to understand it all in depth.
Maintenance GENIUS turns your maintenance page into a polished experience for your visitors — and above all into a controlled operation for you. The plugin neutralizes your cache plugins instead of just sending them a header, then checks with a real request that the HTTP 503 code is actually served.
This documentation covers installation, configuring each tab, access control by password and tokens, SEO protection, the 8-point diagnostic and troubleshooting.
Maintenance GENIUS installs like any WordPress plugin in under 2 minutes. Download the .zip file from the Downloads page, upload it in your WordPress admin and activate the plugin. No server configuration or third-party extension needed — the Maintenance GENIUS menu appears immediately in your sidebar.
How to install Maintenance GENIUS?
Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Choose the downloaded .zip file and click 'Install Now'. Activate the plugin. The 'Maintenance GENIUS' menu appears in the admin sidebar.
What are the requirements?
WordPress 6.4 or higher and PHP 7.4 or higher. The plugin is tested up to WordPress 7.1 and PHP 8.3. No third-party extension is required.
Do I need a license to use the plugin?
No. The plugin is entirely free with no site limit: no key, no watermark, no time limit. The PRO add-on is a separate add-on installed alongside the free plugin, without replacing it.
⚙️ Configuration
Maintenance GENIUS is configured entirely from the WordPress admin, in clearly organized tabs. Turn on maintenance mode in one click, customize the design with presets or your own colors and fonts, set up automatic HTTP 503 SEO and add the email notification form for your visitors.
How to activate maintenance?
Click the 'Maintenance Mode' toggle at the top of the plugin page. The site immediately enters maintenance mode for all non-logged-in visitors. WordPress administrators always see the site normally.
How to customize the design?
Design Tab → choose a preset (one click to apply) or configure manually: logo, colors (5 pickers), fonts (Google Fonts), entry animations. Preview via the floating button in the admin.
How to configure SEO?
SEO & Technical Tab → SEO & Search Engines section. The HTTP 503 code and Retry-After header are enabled by default. You can adjust the Retry-After duration in hours. The noindex/nofollow tag protects your SEO automatically.
How to configure email notifications?
General Tab → Email Notifications section. Enable the 'Notify Me' form. Customize the button text and confirmation message. Visitors leave their email and are automatically notified when the site reopens (auto-send in PRO).
🚀 Coming Soon Mode
Maintenance GENIUS is two plugins in one: Maintenance mode (HTTP 503) for existing sites under work, and Coming Soon mode (HTTP 200 + noindex) for pre-launch sites. Coming Soon mode includes the dedicated Horizon theme, a launch countdown, and "Notify me" email collection — build your audience before you even open.
What's the difference between Maintenance and Coming Soon?
Maintenance mode returns an HTTP 503 code: it tells search engines "site temporarily unavailable, come back later" — perfect for an existing site, your SEO stays intact. Coming Soon mode returns HTTP 200 with noindex: the page is served normally but not yet indexed — the correct behavior for a site that hasn't launched yet.
How do I activate Coming Soon mode?
General tab → "Maintenance / Coming Soon" mode selector → choose Coming Soon, then turn on the main toggle. The admin bar shows a green "COMING SOON MODE" badge to confirm the active mode. The Horizon theme, designed for launches, appears at the top of the theme grid.
How do I collect emails before launch?
General tab → Email notifications → enable the "Notify me" form. Curious visitors leave their address. On launch day, simply turn off the mode: every subscriber automatically gets a notification email — your opening already has an audience.
Can I show a launch countdown?
Yes — the 3-style countdown (free) works in both modes. Set your opening date in the Countdown accordion: it displays on the Coming Soon page and disables itself automatically on expiry. Tip: the Launch theme enables the countdown automatically.
🔐 Access Control
Control exactly who can see your site during maintenance: a hashed visitor password with SHA-256 signed cookies, named access tokens with individual expiry, and whitelists and blacklists by IP, user-agent, country or URL. All of it is included in the free version. The PRO add-on adds remote control.
How to share password access?
Access Tab → Visitor password access section. Set a password and share it. The visitor enters the password on the maintenance page and gets temporary access (24h default, configurable). You can revoke all accesses in one click.
How do I create an access token?
Access Tab → Custom access tokens section. Name the token (e.g.: 'Client ABC'), choose the expiration duration, and click 'Create'. A unique link is generated — share it with your client. Each token is independent and revocable.
How do I configure the whitelist/blacklist?
Access Tab → Whitelist and Blacklist sections. Add rules by IP, User-Agent, country or URL. Wildcards (*) are supported. The blacklist works even when maintenance is disabled — ideal for blocking permanent bots.
⭐ The PRO add-on
The free plugin covers the display of the maintenance page, without restriction. The PRO add-on is a separate add-on installed alongside it that covers the intervention itself: what happens when an update goes wrong.
What's the difference between Free and PRO?
Everything related to the maintenance page is free with no site limit: all presets and themes, the complete design studio, background image and video, Lottie, parallax, countdown, scheduling, bcrypt visitor password, access tokens, whitelists and blacklists, Turnstile, statistics, export and import, the 8-point diagnostic and GDPR mode. The PRO add-on adds the pre-intervention snapshot, breakage detection after an update, file rollback, verification before going back online and remote control.
Does PRO replace the free plugin?
No. It's a grafted add-on: the free plugin stays installed and active, and PRO sits on top. If you deactivate PRO, the free plugin keeps working normally.
What happens if the site doesn't come back after the rollback?
The site is re-tested after the restore. If it still doesn't respond correctly, maintenance stays in place and you get an email that says so explicitly. The system never declares a site restored without having verified it.
How much does PRO cost?
Solo: $79 CAD per year for 5 sites, or $9 per month. Agency: $199 CAD per year for unlimited sites, or $21 per month. Monthly or annual subscription. All prices are in Canadian dollars.
💬 Support & Troubleshooting
Need help? The support assistant built into the plugin gathers the technical context of your installation and prepares your request. Human support answers in French and English, within 24 to 48 business hours, at [email protected]. This section covers the most common problems: invisible maintenance page, emails not sent, settings export/import and cache conflicts.
The maintenance page is not displaying
Verify that maintenance mode is enabled (toggle ON). If you're logged in as admin, you'll always see the normal site — test in private browsing or log out. Clear the cache of your cache plugin (LiteSpeed, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache) and CDN cache if applicable.
Notify Me emails are not sending
Verify that your hosting supports wp_mail() or configure an SMTP plugin (WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP). Test sending with a plugin like WP Mail Log. Auto-send on reopening requires the PRO version.
How do I contact support?
Support & System tab → Guided assistance: the plugin gathers the technical context of your installation and prepares your request. Answers in French or English from Montréal.
How to export/import my settings?
Support tab, “Backup & Migration” section. Click “Export All Settings” to download a backup of all your settings. On the new site, install the plugin, then use “Import Settings” with that file: the current settings are replaced and statistics are kept.