In January 2019, I published my first WordPress plugin.
Seven years later, I published my third.
A lot changed in between. Not just the tools. The feeling, too.
Built by Hand
My first plugin was WP Eventbrite Embedded Checkout.
When I built it, I was sick. I could not do much, so I stayed in bed with my laptop and started writing code. By hand. Line by line, with the documentation open next to it.
It took me about a week to finish the first version.
Then I submitted it to WordPress.org, where every new plugin is reviewed by a person. The reviewer had comments about my code quality. About security. About my readme. We went back and forth several times before it was approved.
In 2022, I built my second plugin, NFT Gallery. The same way. Reading documentation. Writing every line myself.
Later, I did not have enough time to maintain it. Then Nick Weisser, the founder of Openstream, reached out and offered to contribute. I said yes. Today, the plugin has two contributors.
That is one of the things I love about the WordPress community. You share something small, and sometimes someone shows up to help carry it.
Falling Behind
After that, most of my time has gone to support.
At RebelCode, I work in support for two popular plugins, WP RSS Aggregator and Spotlight. Together, they run on many thousands of WordPress sites.
Every day, I help people get those plugins working on their sites. But I was not building my own.
Meanwhile, the way people build software changed quickly. AI tools went from a curiosity to everyday work.
I could feel I was falling behind.
And I knew reading about it was not enough. I had to experience it myself.
A Friend’s Question
The chance came from a friend.
They had built a form in Tally, a form builder, and needed to add it to their WordPress site.
A small request. But it sounded like something other people needed too.
So I decided to test it. Could I turn an idea into a real plugin with the help of Claude Code, an AI that writes code?
Building Again
I wrote a plan with Claude. Then I handed it to Claude Code. After a few hours on a Thursday evening, the first version of the plugin was running on my computer.
I made the decisions. I tested everything. Claude wrote the code, the readme, and even the screenshots for the listing.
Then I stopped, on purpose. I decided to wait until the weekend to wrap things up.
On Saturday, it was ready to submit.
And the first thing that happened was a rejection.
Not from the reviewer. From the submission form itself.
Plugin names can no longer start with “WP.” My first plugin’s name starts with “WP.” This one could not. Claude had told me it was fine. It was not.
So it became Embed for Tally. Then it joined the queue, behind 177 other plugins waiting for review.
On Monday, the reviewer replied. One issue.
The readme said it was “the easiest way to add a Tally form.” The directory does not allow claims like that.
I did not write that line. Claude did. But my name was on the plugin.
I changed it and sent it back. It was approved the same day. That afternoon, it was live.
In 2019, the first version alone took me a week. This time, a few hours on a Thursday evening and a weekend covered everything. The code, the listing, the submission. The rest was waiting in the queue.
The Expensive Part
Writing code used to be the expensive part. It took the most time, the most energy, the most learning.
Now, code is cheap.
The expensive part is the idea.
Knowing what is worth building.
Knowing who it is for.
Knowing what to leave out.
AI writes the code. I still test it, and I read every word before it goes out.
The Joy of Sharing
This is the part that surprised me most.
When building takes weeks or months, you only share the ideas you are sure about. Many good ideas never leave your notebook.
When building becomes easy, sharing becomes fun again. You can try an idea, put it in the plugin directory, and see if it helps someone.
And when it does, it feels good. Someone you have never met is using something you made.
Seven Years Later
Seven years ago, I wrote every line myself.
Today, I spend my time on the idea, and the code follows.
The tools changed. The reason did not.
I still build plugins to share them.
