Hey fellow WordPress maintainers! After dealing with countless broken WordPress sites and locked-out admin panels over the years, I finally decided to create something that would make my life (and hopefully yours) easier. Enter WP Recovery Tools – a single-file emergency toolkit that might just save your bacon when everything goes sideways.

What is WP Recovery Tools?

It’s a standalone PHP script that helps you recover access and fix common WordPress issues without needing to access wp-admin or rely on working WordPress functions. Think of it as your emergency backdoor when the front door is jammed.

How to Use

1. Download the PHP script
2. (If not already, rename it from wp-recovery-tools.php to something like wp-recovery-tools_[random-string].php)
3. Upload it to your WordPress root directory (where /wp-config.php is)
4. Access it through your browser: Example: https://exmaple.com/wp-recovery-tools-0727248cdf916d5f.php
5. Delete it when you’re done!

Key Features

1. Recovery Mode Management

• Generate and manage recovery mode links
• Clear all existing recovery links if needed
• No need to mess with database queries or code snippets

2. User Management

• View all WordPress users and their roles
• Reset user passwords with a single click
• Create new admin users when you’re locked out
• Perfect for when you can’t access wp-admin or forgot credentials

3. Plugin Management

• See all installed plugins and their status
• Activate/deactivate plugins without accessing wp-admin
• Super helpful when a plugin breaks your site or causes the white screen of death

4. Theme Tools

• List all installed themes
• Check current active theme
• Switch themes when wp-admin is inaccessible
• Great for fixing broken themes or theme-related issues

5. Database & System Tools

• Database repair and optimization
• Clear cache and transients
• Reset permalinks
• View detailed system information

Security First

The script has several security features built-in:

• If no suffix found, forces you to rename the file with a unique suffix before using
• Provides recovery links that expire and have limited use
• Uses secure password generation
• Implements proper SQL escaping and input validation

Important Warnings and Disclaimers

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY

1. Backup Your Site First!
   • Seriously, don’t skip this. Take a full backup of your files and database before using any recovery tools
   • If something goes wrong, you’ll thank me later
2. No Warranty
   • This tool is provided as-is, without any warranty
   • While I use it regularly on production sites, your mileage may vary
   • Test it on a staging environment first if possible
3. Security Considerations
   • Don’t leave this file on your server after you’re done
   • Always make sure the file has random suffix (wp-recovery-tools-c60f10ea67c4db3d.php)
   • Keep the renamed filename secret – it’s your emergency access key

When to Use This Tool

This toolkit is perfect for when:

• You’re locked out of wp-admin
• A plugin or theme update broke your site
• You need to quickly add an admin user
• WordPress recovery mode isn’t working
• You need to deactivate a problematic plugin
• Database needs quick repairs
• You need system information for debugging

When Not to Use

• Don’t use it for regular WordPress maintenance
• Don’t leave it on your server permanently
• Not meant for regular user management
• Don’t use it if WordPress is working normally

Pro Tips

1. Keep a copy in your emergency toolkit
2. Test it on a development site first to get familiar with the features
3. Document the filename you choose – you don’t want to forget it during an emergency
4. Consider creating a separate backup admin user while everything is working
5. Bookmark this article for future reference

Technical Requirements

• WordPress 5.2 or higher
• PHP 7.0 or higher
• MySQL/MariaDB
• File access to your WordPress root directory

Final Thoughts

As someone who manages multiple WordPress sites, having this tool in my arsenal has saved me countless hours of troubleshooting and recovery work. Just remember – with great power comes great responsibility. Use it wisely, keep it secure, and always, ALWAYS have backups!

Happy recovering!

P.S. I’m actively maintaining this tool and adding new features. If you have suggestions or run into any issues, feel free to reach out!

Disclaimer: This tool is provided as-is without any warranties or guarantees. Always backup your site before using any recovery tools.

This code was inspired, well, by laziness.

It automatically creates a MySql database and User using the provided information; Downloads the latest version of WP and unzips it; Changes your config-wp.php to work with the newly created database. Uses SSH2 to connect to shell.

Feel free to use it as is or modify it to your needs. Please report bugs and fixes.

Tested on Plesk 12.0.18.

Requirements

1. Odin (former Parallels) Plesk
2. Root access
3. PHP 5+

<?php

///////////////////////
// CONFIG
///////////////////////

$rootuser = "root";     // the root user
$rootpass = "PASSWORD"; // the root password
$domainspath = "/var/www/vhosts"; //path to all your domains

///////////////////////
///////////////////////

$db_name = $_REQUEST['db'];
$domain = $_REQUEST['domain'];
$dir = $_REQUEST['dir'];
$user = $_REQUEST['user'];
$pass = $_REQUEST['pass'];
$del = $_REQUEST['del'];
?>

<style>
body {
font-family:sans-serif;
margin:1em;
font-size:1.2em;
color:grey
}

input {
font-size:1.2em;
padding:.3em;
border-radius:4px;
border:1px solid #DEDEDE
}

label {
margin-top:1em
}

input[type='text'] {
width:600px
}

label,input {
display:block
}

.small {
font-size:.5em;
text-transform:uppercase
}

input[type='submit'] {
padding:.5em 1em;
margin:1em 0;
background:#7c3
}

input[type='checkbox'] {
display:inline;
width:.8em;
height:.8em
}
</style>

<h1>Install WordPress &amp; Create Database</h1>
<form id="doit" method="post">
  <label>
    Create Database
    <input id="db" name="db" type="text" />
  </label>
  <label>
    Domain
    <input id="domain" name="domain" type="text" />
  </label>
  <label>
    Directory
    <input id="dir" name="dir" type="text" />
  </label>
  <label>
    Username
    <input id="user" name="user" type="text" />
  </label>
  <label>
    Password
    <input id="pass" name="pass" type="text" />
    <span class="small">(Must not contain username)</span>
  </label>
  <label>
    Delete folder contents? <input type="checkbox" name="del" value="Yes" />
  </label>
  <input type="submit" value="Install WP">
</form>

<?php

echo "<pre>";

if(empty($domain)){ die("API usage syntax example: ?db=mydb&domain=domain.com&dir=projects/company&user=user&pass=pass"); }
 

//////////////////////////////
// Connect to SSH
//////////////////////////////

//Incude SSH2 phpseclib to use shell commands
set_include_path(get_include_path() . 'SSH2' . PATH_SEPARATOR . 'phpseclib');
include('SSH2/Net/SSH2.php');
$ssh = new Net_SSH2('localhost');
if (!$ssh->login($rootuser, $rootpass)) {
    exit('SSH2 Login Failed');
}


/////////////////////////////
// CREATE USER
/////////////////////////////
echo $ssh->exec("/usr/sbin/useradd -g psacln -d /var/www/vhosts/".$domain."/httpdocs/".$dir." ".$user);
//CHMOD to User
echo $ssh->exec("chown -R ".$user.":psacln /var/www/vhosts/".$domain."/httpdocs/".$dir); 
//echo $ssh->exec("chown -R apache:psaserv /var/www/vhosts/".$domain."/httpdocs/".$dir); //CHMOD to Apache
echo $ssh->exec("chmod 775 /var/www/vhosts/".$domain."/httpdocs/".$dir);

/////////////////////////////
// Change Password
/////////////////////////////

$ssh->write("passwd ".$user."\n");
echo $ssh->read('New UNIX password:');
$ssh->write($pass."\n");
echo $ssh->read('Retype new UNIX password:');
$ssh->write($pass."\n");
echo $ssh->read('passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.');

echo "<p>===== End Create User =====</p>";

//////////////////////////
// Plesk DB Create
//////////////////////////

echo $ssh->exec('cd '.$domainspath);

echo $ssh->exec('/usr/local/psa/bin/database --create '.$db_name.' -domain '.$domain.' -print-id -server localhost -type mysql');
echo $ssh->exec('/usr/local/psa/bin/database --update '.$db_name.' -add_user '.$user.' -passwd '.$pass);
echo "<p>===== End DB Create =====</p>";
echo die();

////////////////////////////////////
// Download and Untar wordpress
////////////////////////////////////
$c = 'cd '.$domainspath.'/'.$domain.'/httpdocs/;';

if(!empty($dir)){
    $c .= 'mkdir -p '.$dir.';'
    .'cd '.$dir.';';
}

if(isset($del) && $del == 'Yes'){
    $c .='rm * -r;';  //DELETES EVEYTHING INSIDE 
}

$c .='wget --no-check-certificate https://www.wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz;'
    .'tar xfvz latest.tar.gz;'
    .'mv wordpress/* .;'
    .'rmdir wordpress;'
    .'rm latest.tar.gz;'
    .'cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php;'
    .'perl -pi -e "s/database_name_here/'.$db_name.'/g" wp-config.php;'
    .'perl -pi -e "s/username_here/'.$user.'/g" wp-config.php;'
    .'perl -pi -e "s/password_here/'.$pass.'/g" wp-config.php;'
    .'mkdir wp-content/uploads;'
    .'chmod 777 wp-content/uploads;';


$pc = str_replace(';', ';<br>', $c);
echo '<br>$ '.$pc;
echo $ssh->exec($c);

echo "<p>===== End WP download & wp-config =====</p>";
?>
</pre>