Overview

Dprime Comment Guard protects the native WordPress comment form with layered checks that stay invisible to real visitors.

Before you start

WordPress 6.4 or newer
PHP 8.2 or newer

Installation

Upload the dprime-comment-guard folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
Activate Dprime Comment Guard in WordPress.
Open the plugin settings and review the available options.

Using the plugin

Honeypot field that only bots fill in, active from the moment you activate the plugin
Signed timing token that turns away submissions arriving too fast or too late
Rate limiting per IP address with a configurable window
Optional challenge question with the answer checked on the server, never sent to the browser
Optional Cloudflare Turnstile with fail closed verification
Link limit, minimum and maximum length rules, and a blocked terms list
Choice of what happens to caught comments: mark as spam, move to trash, or reject with a message
Option to remove the website field from the comment form
Option to disable pingbacks and trackbacks
Blocked counters per protection so you can see what is working
Skips logged in users by default
Editable visitor messages, ready for TranslatePress on multilingual sites

Styling and CSS classes

These public-facing class hooks are present in the plugin styles. Add custom CSS only after checking the result on a staging site.

.dp-acc-body.dp-acc-chev.dp-acc-head.dp-acc-item.dp-actions.dp-btn.dp-btn-danger.dp-btn-ghost.dp-btn-icon.dp-btn-primary.dp-btn-secondary.dp-btn-sm.dp-card.dp-card--nopad.dp-card-desc.dp-card-divider.dp-card-title.dp-cg-page.dp-check-group.dp-check-label.dp-code.dp-dot.dp-dot-acc.dp-dot-err

Data and cleanup

2 WordPress settings
External service: Cloudflare Turnstile

Retention: kept until the plugin is uninstalled. Uninstall policy: delete the plugin-owned data declared above.

Troubleshooting

Confirm the required WordPress, PHP, and companion-plugin versions above.
Save the plugin settings again, then repeat the exact action that failed.
Clear page, object, and browser caches when the issue affects front-end output.
Temporarily test with unrelated plugins disabled on a staging site to identify a conflict.
If the problem remains, record the steps, visible error, and relevant logs before contacting support.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work with any theme?

Yes. The plugin hooks into the native comment form that themes render through comment_form, and the added fields inherit the theme styling.

Will real visitors see a captcha?

Only if you enable the challenge question or Turnstile. The honeypot, timing token, rate limiting, and content rules work without asking visitors anything.

What happens to caught comments?

Definite bot signals follow your bot action: spam folder, trash, or outright rejection. Checks a real visitor could fail show a message with a back link so they can fix the comment and resubmit.

Does it work with page caching?

Yes. The timing token is the only cache sensitive part; keep its lifetime at or above your page cache lifetime and cached forms keep working.

Does it replace Akismet?

It works differently. Akismet scores content against a remote service, Comment Guard blocks the submission mechanics bots rely on. They can run side by side.

Does it slow the site down?

No. Checks run only when a comment is submitted. Nothing is added to normal page loads beyond one hidden field and a small style rule on pages with open comments.

Updates and access

Download the complete current package directly from Dprime Plugins. Install Dprime Core to receive eligible automatic updates and move older Dprime update addresses onto the current service.

Comment Guard help file