When two plugins each try to control access to the same content — a membership plugin and a separate course plugin, for instance — their rules can contradict each other, producing access behaviour that matches neither plugin’s configuration on its own.
Identify both plugins actually controlling access here
Confirm which two (or more) plugins have their own access rules applied to the same content. This is usually a membership plugin plus a course or content-restriction plugin layered on top, and knowing both names upfront saves us a diagnostic step.
Access rule conflict between plugins
Two plugins fighting over the same access rule, reconciled into one clear, predictable outcome.
- Full backup taken before we start
- If we can’t fix it, you get your money back
- We never ask for your own password
This or something else?
| Two or more plugins are both controlling access to the same content with conflicting results | This fix covers it |
| Only one plugin controls access and it’s simply misconfigured | Course & lesson access permission errors, the single-plugin version |
| The conflict is specifically about drip timing, not general access | Content dripping schedule repair |
| You want one of the conflicting plugins removed entirely, not reconciled | Worth discussing directly, since removing a plugin outright is a bigger decision than reconciling the conflict |
What you are seeing
- Access behaviour that doesn’t match either plugin’s own settings
- A member correctly granted access by one plugin but blocked by another
- Inconsistent behaviour that seems to depend on which plugin evaluates first
- The issue possibly starting after either plugin’s update
Common causes
- Two plugins evaluating access independently with no awareness of each other
- A loading order determining which plugin’s rule takes precedence, inconsistently
- One plugin’s update changing its evaluation logic relative to the other
- Overlapping content restriction rules applied redundantly by both plugins
- A shared user role or capability modified by one plugin’s settings without the other plugin’s awareness
What we do
- Identify both (or all) plugins with active access rules on the affected content
- Determine how each evaluates access and where they conflict
- Reconcile the rules so one clear, predictable outcome results
- Verify the fix against a range of member levels and content types
- Document which plugin should be treated as the source of truth going forward
What is included
- The access conflict identified and reconciled
- Verified, predictable access across a range of member levels
- A written note on which plugin governs going forward
- The pre-fix backup, kept for 30 days
Not included
- Removing either plugin entirely — a separate, larger decision if that’s what you’d prefer
- Single-plugin access misconfiguration — a separate, more direct fix
- Drip timing conflicts specifically, if that’s the actual, narrower issue
- Ongoing monitoring for future plugin conflicts
Questions about this fix
Why would two plugins even end up both controlling the same content?
This often happens gradually — a membership plugin is installed first, then a course or content-restriction plugin is added later without fully accounting for the overlap, and both keep their own rules active.
Will you recommend removing one of the plugins?
If reconciling the rules genuinely isn't sustainable long-term, we'd tell you honestly and discuss whether consolidating onto one plugin makes more sense, though that's a separate decision from this fix.
How do you decide which plugin's rule should win?
We'd discuss this with you directly, since it depends on which plugin you actually intend to be the source of truth for access going forward.
Could this keep happening if I add a new plugin later?
Yes, adding another access-controlling plugin in the future carries the same risk — worth keeping in mind if you're evaluating new tools for the site.
Is this urgent if it's affecting paying members?
Yes, worth prioritising if members are being denied content they've paid for due to unpredictable, conflicting rules.
Related fixes
If this is the second time this year
A bad update breaking the site is a symptom of updates not being tested first. Care plans run every update on a staging clone before it reaches your live site, which is the actual fix for this happening again.
Your access, your rules
Create a separate admin account for us and delete it when we are done. For anything else, we get in touch and agree a method — never a form field on this site, never by reply to an email.
We back up first, always
Before anything is touched we take a full backup and keep it for 30 days. If a fix goes wrong, we put the site back exactly as it was.
If it is not what you bought
If the problem turns out smaller than what you ordered, we refund the difference. If it is bigger, we stop and send a quote before doing any extra work.
If we cannot fix it
You get back what we received. Diagnosis is on us — you only pay when the problem is actually solved. The payment processor takes its fee before the money reaches us, so we never hold it and it is not ours to return. That is true here as everywhere else.
If it comes back
Reply within seven days of delivery and we put it back on the bench at no cost. The fix is not finished until it holds.
What we are responsible for
If something goes wrong with a fix, our responsibility is limited to what you paid for it. We take a full backup first so mistakes can be undone, and we tell you before doing anything outside what you bought.