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 is a professional WordPress plugin that turns your maintenance page into a polished experience for your visitors. With its 7 admin tabs (General, Appearance, Access, Diagnostic, AI, Advanced, License), 14+ HD presets, built-in AI assistant and bcrypt security system, it covers every need — from full Coming Soon mode (HTTP 200, Horizon theme, pre-launch email collection) to advanced multi-site maintenance management.
This documentation covers installation, the configuration of each tab, access control by password and tokens, the exclusive PRO features (external monitoring, remote control, Turnstile CAPTCHA), GDPR/Law 25 compliance and troubleshooting. Select a section below or ask the AI assistant directly.
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 6.0 or higher and PHP 7.4 or higher. The plugin is tested up to WordPress 6.8 and PHP 8.3. No third-party extension required.
How to activate the PRO license?
After purchasing on client.1001web.ca, you receive a license key by email. In the WordPress admin, go to Maintenance GENIUS → ★ PRO tab → paste your key → click 'Activate'. The status changes to 'PRO Active' immediately.
⚙️ Configuration
Maintenance GENIUS configuration is done entirely from the WordPress admin via 7 clearly organized tabs. Activate maintenance mode in one click, customize the design with presets or your own colors and fonts, configure 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
Precisely manage who can see your site during maintenance. The visitor password (free) uses bcrypt hashing for maximum security, with SHA-256 signed cookies. The PRO version adds named access tokens with individual expiration, advanced whitelist/blacklist by IP, User-Agent, country or URL, and remote control (Remote UX).
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 to create an access token (PRO)?
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 to configure whitelist/blacklist (PRO)?
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.
⭐ PRO Features
The PRO version of Maintenance GENIUS unlocks advanced features built for professionals and agencies: 14+ HD presets with YouTube video, Lottie animations and 3D parallax, 3-step remote control, named access tokens, advanced whitelists/blacklists, Cloudflare Turnstile CAPTCHA, scheduled maintenance, unlimited AI assistant and priority support within 24h. $49 CAD annual license.
What's the difference between Free and PRO?
The free version includes: 5 complete themes, the 3-style countdown, visitor password (bcrypt), CSS colors and animations, 503 SEO, email notifications, the unlimited AI assistant free with your own Anthropic API key (BYOK), GDPR mode, the 5-step Wizard, and config export/import. PRO adds: 14+ customizable, savable HD presets, YouTube video, Lottie, 3D parallax, remote control (Remote UX), Turnstile CAPTCHA, access tokens, advanced whitelists/blacklists, CSV logs, scheduled maintenance, social media, and full 5-option export.
Design Tab → Background Video section. Paste the desired YouTube video URL. The video plays automatically on loop, muted and without controls. Royalty-free video recommendations are included in the interface.
🛡️ Security & GDPR
Maintenance GENIUS includes 6 layers of security you can verify in the AI tab ("Plugin Security" accordion): CSRF protection via WordPress nonces, sanitized inputs, systematic escaping, manage_options permissions, Options API (no direct SQL), and bcrypt-hashed passwords. GDPR mode disables every external request for full compliance with European GDPR and Quebec's Law 25.
Is the plugin secure?
Yes. The AI tab → "Plugin Security" accordion checks 6 points: CSRF Protection (WordPress nonces), Sanitization (sanitized inputs), Escaping (esc_html/esc_attr), Permissions (manage_options), no direct SQL (Options API), and hashed passwords (bcrypt). Cookies are SHA-256 signed with httponly, secure and samesite.
Is the plugin GDPR compliant?
Yes. GDPR mode (General tab) loads system fonts instead of Google Fonts — no requests to external servers. No third-party cookies, no tracking, no external analytics. Compliant with European GDPR and Quebec's Law 25.
How does Turnstile CAPTCHA work?
SEO & Technical Tab → Turnstile CAPTCHA section. Enter your site/secret keys from the Cloudflare dashboard (free). Turnstile protects the 'Notify Me' form and the password form without friction for real visitors — no puzzle to solve.
💬 Support & Troubleshooting
Need help? The built-in AI assistant instantly answers your questions about installation, configuration and troubleshooting. PRO clients get priority human support with a response within 24h via [email protected]. This section covers the most common issues: 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?
Use the built-in AI Assistant (orange button in the admin) for instant help. For human technical support: PRO clients → response within 24h via [email protected]. Free version → community support via the WordPress.org forum.
How to export/import my settings?
Help Tab → Backup & Migration section. Click 'Export' to download a JSON file containing all your settings. On the new site, install the plugin then click 'Import' and select the file. Everything is restored in one click.
🤖 AI Assistant
Maintenance GENIUS's AI assistant is powered by Anthropic's Claude Haiku 4.5. It instantly answers your questions about installation, configuration, presets, access control, bcrypt security, PRO features and troubleshooting. Use the purple bubble in the bottom right of the screen to ask your question — unlimited and free with your own API key.
🤖
Hello! I'm the Maintenance GENIUS AI assistant. Ask me anything about the plugin — installation, configuration, presets, access, security, PRO, etc.