Editorial checklist and pre-publish workflow for the WordPress editor. Create reusable checklists and get clear readiness feedback before publishing.
The Gutenberg editorial checklist for teams that want consistent publishing quality without a heavy workflow suite.
Editorial Workflow Manager helps content teams, editors, agencies, and multi-author WordPress sites follow a consistent pre-publish process directly inside the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg).
Create reusable editorial checklist templates, assign different checklists to different post types, and give authors a clear view of what is complete and what still needs attention before publishing.
No complex workflow builder. No front-end output. No hard publish blocking.
Just a focused editorial checklist workflow that helps your team publish with more consistency and fewer missed steps.
Make your publishing process repeatable
Turn your editorial standards into reusable checklists that appear directly where your team writes and edits content.
- Create reusable checklist templates.
- Mark checklist items as Required or Optional.
- Add helper text and optional reference links to individual items.
- Assign different checklist templates to different post types.
- Track checklist progress separately for every post or page.
- Duplicate existing templates to create new workflows faster.
Required items determine whether a post is shown as Ready or Incomplete, while optional items can provide additional guidance without affecting readiness.
Automate common content checks
Templates can include five lightweight automatic requirements alongside manual checklist items:
- Featured image present.
- Excerpt present.
- Configurable minimum word count.
- Category or tag present.
- Image alternative-text coverage for featured and content images.
Automatic requirements update live in the block-editor sidebar and count toward the same readiness status, post-list details, filters, recalculation tools, and dashboard totals. Existing templates remain unchanged until an editor enables the checks. Rules that a mapped post type cannot support are ignored rather than treated as failed.
See what is ready to publish
Editorial Workflow Manager gives authors and editors clear readiness feedback across the WordPress admin.
- Editorial Checklist sidebar inside the block editor.
- Ready / Incomplete status with required-item progress.
- Post Status panel summary while editing.
- Pre-publish warning when required items are still incomplete.
- Readiness column in WordPress post lists for mapped post types.
- Readiness filters for Ready, Incomplete, and Not calculated content.
- Missing required-item details directly in post lists.
- Bulk and all-post readiness recalculation for mapped post types.
- Editorial Readiness dashboard summary for managers.
The pre-publish warning is intentionally non-blocking. Your team stays informed without the plugin taking control of the WordPress publishing process.
Get started quickly
New installations include a guided setup experience designed to get teams working quickly.
- Quickstart wizard for choosing post types and assigning checklist templates.
- One-time editor tour introducing the checklist sidebar and readiness system.
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Curated starter templates you can use as-is or customize:
- Blog SEO
- News Fact-Check
- Accessibility Review
- Client Approval
You can edit, duplicate, and adapt these templates to match your own publishing standards.
Built for real editorial workflows
Use Editorial Workflow Manager for:
- Blogs and content teams — SEO review steps, featured images, categories, links, fact-checking, and publishing standards.
- News and editorial sites — source confirmation, fact-checking, legal review steps, and editor sign-off requirements.
- Agencies — client review steps, accessibility checks, brand requirements, and delivery standards.
- Multi-author sites — give every contributor the same clear publishing process.
- Custom post types — assign the appropriate checklist to each supported content type.
Key features
- Gutenberg-native workflow — the checklist lives directly inside the WordPress block editor.
- Reusable checklist templates — create a repeatable process once and use it across content.
- Required and Optional items — distinguish publishing requirements from helpful guidance.
- Automatic requirements — check featured images, excerpts, word count, category/tag presence, and image alternative text without manual confirmation.
- Helper text and reference links — give authors context without leaving the checklist.
- Checklist template duplication — clone and customize existing workflows.
- Per-post checklist progress — each post or page maintains its own completion state.
- Readiness tracking — see Ready or Incomplete status throughout the editor and post list.
- Non-blocking pre-publish guidance — warn authors about missing required items without preventing publication.
- Post-type mapping — use different checklists for different types of content.
- Starter templates — begin with practical workflows for blogging, fact-checking, accessibility, and client review.
- Quickstart onboarding — configure the plugin and open the editor with less setup friction.
- Accessible workflows — keyboard-friendly controls, visible focus states, contextual labels, and live status announcements.
- Backward-compatible upgrades — existing checklist data and legacy templates remain supported.
Lightweight by design
Editorial Workflow Manager focuses on one job: helping WordPress teams follow a consistent editorial checklist before publishing.
It does not add content to your site’s front end, and it does not try to replace WordPress with a complex project-management or enterprise workflow system.
Use it when you want a clear, practical publishing process directly inside Gutenberg.
Getting started
- Activate the plugin and complete the Quickstart wizard.
- Choose the post types where editorial checklists should appear.
- Confirm the starter template mappings, then open the editor.
- Follow the one-time sidebar tour in the block editor.
- Complete checklist items and watch the readiness/progress summary update.
- Adjust mappings later in Settings Editorial Workflow or edit templates in Checklist Templates.
