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Dev Tools is a five-tab page for inspecting and editing core WordPress configuration files directly from the admin dashboard. It provides structured views into wp-config.php, .htaccess, PHP runtime info, database queries, and environment variables.
Dev Tools was added in v2.4.0.
Dev Tools exposes and modifies critical server configuration files. Use it with care in production environments. Always have a recent backup before editing wp-config.php or .htaccess.

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wp-config.php tab

The wp-config.php tab reads all define() constants from your wp-config.php file, groups them by category, and lets you edit or add constants without touching the file directly.

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Constant groups

Constants are organized into six groups:
GroupConstants
databaseDB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_HOST, DB_CHARSET, DB_COLLATE
debugWP_DEBUG, WP_DEBUG_LOG, WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY, SCRIPT_DEBUG, SAVEQUERIES
saltsAUTH_KEY, SECURE_AUTH_KEY, LOGGED_IN_KEY, NONCE_KEY, and the four _SALT variants
urlsWP_HOME, WP_SITEURL
memoryWP_MEMORY_LIMIT, WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT, WP_CACHE, WP_LANG
customAll other define() calls not in the groups above
Salt values are masked in the UI (showing only the first and last four characters) to prevent accidental exposure.

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Editing a constant

1

Find the constant

Expand the relevant group accordion and locate the constant you want to change.
2

Click the edit icon

Click the pencil icon on the constant row. An inline editor appears with the current raw value.
3

Update the value

Enter the new value. The editor accepts raw PHP values — strings should be quoted, booleans use true/false, integers are unquoted.
4

Save

Click Save. The wp-config.php file is updated in place. The file must be writable by the web server.
A writable indicator at the top of the tab shows whether wp-config.php can be written. If it is not writable, changes cannot be saved via this interface.

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.htaccess tab

The .htaccess tab shows the full content of the root .htaccess file in a Monaco Editor (VS Code engine) with Apache syntax highlighting.
  • The file path and size are shown in the header.
  • A writable badge indicates whether the file can be saved.
  • Edit the content directly in the editor and click Save to write changes to disk.
An invalid .htaccess file can make your entire site return a 500 Internal Server Error. Test changes on a staging environment first.

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PHP info tab

The PHP Info tab renders phpinfo() output as a structured table, grouped by PHP extension and configuration section. Each section is collapsible. Columns shown for each directive:
ColumnDescription
DirectiveThe PHP INI setting name
Local valueThe value effective for the current request
Master valueThe value from the global php.ini
The PHP version is shown at the top of the page.

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Query monitor tab

The Query Monitor tab displays all database queries executed during the current page load. It requires SAVEQUERIES to be set to true in wp-config.php. Each query row shows:
ColumnDescription
SQLThe full query string
TimeExecution time in milliseconds
CallerThe PHP function/method that triggered the query
SlowHighlighted in amber if the query took longer than 0.05 seconds
Enable SAVEQUERIES temporarily using the Debug Tools page, run the Query Monitor, then disable it again. Leaving SAVEQUERIES on in production adds overhead to every page load.

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Environment tab

The Environment tab shows all environment variables available to PHP via $_SERVER and getenv(), as well as any custom environment variables set in your server configuration. Variables are shown as a searchable key-value table. Sensitive values (passwords, keys) are not automatically redacted — treat this tab’s output as sensitive.

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Editing environment variables

If your server configuration supports it (e.g., via .htaccess SetEnv or wp-config.php putenv()), you can use this tab to view the current state. Direct editing of system environment variables is not supported; use your server’s configuration mechanism instead.

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