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Troubleshooting

Running into problems? Here are some common issues and how to resolve them.

The Test button says my credentials don't work​

Double-check that:

  • The email matches exactly what you used to sign up at respectify.ai
  • The API key was copied in full, with no extra spaces
  • Your Respectify account has credit: if the email and key work but there's no credit, Test says so and links to your billing page

If you've lost your API key, you can create a new one in your dashboard.

The plugin won't install or activate​

The plugin requires PHP 8.1 or later (from version 0.3.0). If WordPress reports that your PHP version is too old, ask your hosting provider to upgrade PHP; you can check the current version in Tools → Site Health → Info → Server.

Comments aren't being checked​

Comments that pass your checks won't show anything special: they'll just be published. What you're more likely to see if something is wrong is an error when commenting. But if you're seeing comments being published that clearly violate your settings, check the following:

  • The plugin is activated (Plugins → Installed Plugins)
  • You've entered valid credentials and the Test button shows success
  • You clicked Save Changes after entering your credentials
  • At least one check is enabled (Assess Comment Health, Check Topic Relevance, Check for Dogwhistles or Check for Spam)
  • The specific kinds of problem you care about aren't turned off (e.g., if you want to catch logical fallacies, make sure Assess Comment Health is ticked and Logical fallacies isn't set to Off; see Comment Health)
  • Jetpack Comments is not active: it bypasses the WordPress hooks Respectify uses, so Respectify can't check those comments. The Respectify settings page warns you if it is active, with a button to disable it

If comments that Respectify approved are still waiting in your moderation queue, check Settings → Discussion: WordPress may be set to hold all comments for manual approval, or to require a previously approved comment before auto-approving a commenter. The Respectify settings page warns you about either, with a button to change it.

If you're testing on a local development site, check that your server can make outbound HTTPS connections.

Comments are being held for moderation​

When Respectify can't be reached or returns an error, the plugin holds the comment in your WordPress moderation queue instead of losing it, and tells the commenter it couldn't be processed. You'll see a notice in your WordPress admin with the error and when it happened, and the site admin email gets a message (at most once a day). Click Check Settings in the notice, then use Test to check your credentials and credit. The notice clears when you save new credentials.

Comments are taking a long time to post​

The Respectify API is fast: it should take about a second per comment. Users should click Post, have time for a single breath, and either see their comment published or see feedback. If it's taking more than two seconds, that's slower than expected.

If comments are slow:

  • Check your server's connection to external services
  • Contact your hosting provider if you're on shared hosting with restrictive outbound connections

Something else is wrong​

Enable WordPress debug logging to see what's happening:

// Add to wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Then check wp-content/debug.log. With WP_DEBUG on, the plugin logs each step of checking a comment (for example "Evaluating comment with Respectify API..." and "Final decision"), and any exception it hits. It never logs comment text.

Getting help​

If you're still stuck:

  • Email support@respectify.ai
  • Include your WordPress version, PHP version, and any error messages you're seeing