Site access for VIP Support
Occasionally users with a vip_support custom user role will appear in the list of a site’s users. Members of the VIP Support Team will create temporary user accounts with the vip_support role, granting full access to a site’s WordPress Admin on an as-needed basis, to assist with issues reported by customers or by our internal monitoring. These temporary user accounts expire after 8 hours and are removed automatically.
Caution
Blocking the ability for users with a vip_support role to be created on a site, or to obfuscate the WordPress login portal, will also block the ability for WordPress VIP to provide comprehensive support in the event of an issue such as a site outage.
Sites with restricted permissions
To best support your site, vip_support users must have full access to the backend of the site. When restricting access to certain actions, follow WordPress best practices and check for capabilities with current_user_can() rather than checking a user’s role.
Sites with restricted access
Sites with restricted access implementations, including reverse proxies, must:
- Allow new users with the
vip_supportrole to be created - If necessary, provide instructions for accessing a customized WordPress log in portal.
Partial IP allow lists
For sites with partial IP allow lists, use the is_proxied_request() helper function to ensure that requests made from VIP’s proxy servers have access by checking for and allowing requests when true === A8C_PROXIED_REQUEST.
To manage access for VIP Support, add a version of the following conditional to a plugin in the /client-mu-plugins directory, along with an IP check and subsequent actions within the else block:
if ( is_proxied_request() ) {
// The request originates from WordPress VIP and should be allowed
} else {
// Restrict site access
}Single Sign On (SSO)
For WordPress sites that have Single Sign-On (SSO) enabled, if it is not possible to conditionally disable SSO login for vip_support users, then instructions for bypassing the SSO login must be provided to VIP Support. Enabling a URL parameter such as wp-login.php?normal that directs users to the WordPress login portal is the simplest method.
Last updated: September 30, 2025