The WordPress plugin directory has more than 70,000 plugins. That sounds like an advantage until you try to find one that does exactly what you want.
I usually find something that does most of what I need, along with twenty things I don’t. Then I have to work out which features are free, which require a subscription, and whether the plugin will fit the way I use my site.
And then there are the nags. Upgrade notices. Review requests. Offers for other products. I installed a tool to do a job, and now it wants a continuing conversation.
I have largely stopped searching. For features specific to my own site, I now have AI help me write a custom plugin.
A 3D viewer that fits my projects
I make 3D models and wanted a way to display them on my website. My requirements were fairly straightforward: support GLB and STL files, let me manage the models in WordPress, and give me a link I could send someone that would open a model in the viewer.
Those requirements became the RJW 3D Model Viewer.
The useful part of working with AI was being able to describe the workflow I wanted. I wanted to upload a model, display it, and share it. When I needed support for another format or a better way to generate a shareable link, I could ask for that specific change.
I didn’t have to wait for a plugin developer to decide that my particular requirement belonged on their roadmap.
Galleries without the extras
Galleries were another example. I had used 2J Gallery and FooGallery, but I only needed a small part of what gallery plugins offer.
I wanted to select photographs, arrange them in a suitable layout, and let visitors open them in a lightbox. Keyboard navigation was useful. An extensive collection of effects and elaborate presentation options was less interesting to me.
So I had AI help build RJW Galleries around the way I actually use photographs on the site.
This also exposed an important part of the process: the first version needed work. Existing galleries had to be accounted for, and problems showed up in the administration screens. Building the plugin was only part of the job. Checking it against my actual content was what made it useful.
An IP blocker with my rules
My IP Range Blocker addresses a different kind of requirement.
I wanted to restrict access to login and administration areas based on IP addresses, cloud-provider networks, and countries, while allowing people to browse the public site. I also wanted a record of suspicious login attempts.
That is a specific set of rules. A custom plugin lets me express those rules directly and adjust them when necessary.
Its author line credits “Bob, Claude, & Gemini,” which is a reasonable description of how it came together.
Security code does deserve extra scrutiny. A mistake in a gallery might spoil a layout. A mistake in an access-control plugin could lock me out or leave something accessible that should be protected. Having AI write the code doesn’t remove the need to understand the rules and test the results.
Smaller scope, more responsibility
I’m not claiming that everyone should replace their WordPress plugins with AI-generated code. There are good reasons to use established software, particularly for complicated systems that need continuing support.
But for my own, narrowly defined requirements, custom plugins have become a practical alternative.
There is a tradeoff. When I use a third-party plugin, its developer is responsible for maintaining it. When I build my own, that responsibility comes back to me. AI can help investigate bugs and make changes, but I still need backups, testing, and some understanding of what I am putting on my site.
What I gain is control over the scope. The plugin can do the job I need without accumulating features intended for an entirely different audience.
It can also leave me alone.
My 3D viewer has never asked me to rate it. My galleries don’t advertise a premium plan. My IP blocker doesn’t interrupt me with a limited-time offer.
That alone makes the WordPress dashboard a more pleasant place to work.