About this plugin
RoleGuard lets you assign time-limited roles to any WordPress user. When the clock runs out, the user is automatically reverted to their original role. No more forgotten elevated permissions, no more security risks from stale access.
Who is this for?
- Agencies managing freelance contractors who need temporary editor access
- Multi-author blogs bringing in guest contributors for a limited run
- Membership sites offering trial access to premium content
- Client sites where clients need temporary admin for review and approval
- LMS platforms with time-limited instructor or teaching assistant roles
- eCommerce stores granting seasonal staff temporary shop manager access
How it works
- Go to any user’s profile page
- Select a temporary role and expiration (quick presets: 7, 14, 30, or 90 days)
- RoleGuard stores the original role, applies the new one, and starts the countdown
- When time expires, the user’s role is automatically reverted to what it was before
Free Features
- Assign temporary roles with date-based expiration
- Quick presets: 7, 14, 30, or 90 days — or set any custom date
- Automatic role reversion via WP-Cron (hourly checks)
- Admin safety net: checks on admin page loads if cron hasn’t run in 2+ hours
- Email notifications to both users and admins on role expiry
- Advance warning emails (configurable: 1–30 days before expiry)
- “Temp Role” and “Expires” columns in the Users list (sortable, color-coded)
- Dedicated RoleGuard section on every Edit User profile screen
- Bulk action: revoke temporary roles for multiple users at once
- Privilege escalation prevention — cannot assign roles at or above your own level
- Up to 10 active temporary role assignments
- Settings page with active assignments dashboard
- Fully translatable with proper text domain
What makes RoleGuard different?
- Zero configuration — activate and start assigning, no setup wizard
- Security first — privilege escalation prevention built in from day one
- Reliable expiration — hourly cron + admin safety net means roles never get stuck
- Clean reversion — stores the exact original role, not just a fallback default
- Lightweight — no JavaScript frameworks, no external API calls, no bloat
RoleGuard Pro
Need more? RoleGuard Pro is a separate add-on that unlocks:
- Unlimited temporary role assignments (removes the 10-user limit)
- Full audit log with filtering, pagination, and export
- Bulk assignment page with CSV import
- Scheduled roles with future start dates
- Slack and Zapier webhook notifications
- Extended REST API for external integrations
- WordPress dashboard widget showing upcoming expirations
- License-gated — one clean upgrade, no feature nags