Contributors: mailborder
Donate link: https://donate.stripe.com/14AdRa6XJ1Xn8yT8KObfO00
Tags: menu, permissions, visibility, roles
Requires at least: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.8
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.0.4
License: GPLv3 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
Adds per-menu-item visibility controls (everyone / logged-in / logged-out + roles) for WordPress menus.
TokenLink Menu Permissions is a lightweight, zero-bloat WordPress plugin that lets you control which users can see specific menu items.
Each menu item in Appearance → Menus gains new visibility options:
- Everyone — visible to all visitors.
- Logged-in users only — visible only when a user is logged in.
- Logged-out users only — visible only to guests.
- Optionally restrict visibility to one or more specific user roles (Administrator, Editor, Subscriber, etc.).
If a parent menu item is hidden, all its child items are automatically hidden as well.
- Adds visibility controls directly in menu item settings.
- Supports per-item role-based visibility.
- Automatically hides child items of hidden parents.
- Role checkboxes are automatically disabled when not applicable.
- Works with all standard themes and
wp_nav_menu()implementations. - No external dependencies, scripts, or database tables.
- Fully compatible with caching and custom roles.
Designed for developers and site owners who want precision and performance without the bloat of large public plugins.
You can install TokenLink Menu Permissions using one of three methods:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for “TokenLink Menu Permissions”.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
- Navigate to Appearance → Menus.
- Edit any menu item to configure its visibility options, then Save Menu.
- Download the latest release from the WordPress Plugin Directory or from GitHub Releases.
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Choose the downloaded
tokenlink-menu-permissions.zipfile and click Install Now. - Click Activate Plugin once installed.
- Go to Appearance → Menus and edit menu items as needed.
- Download and extract the plugin ZIP file.
- Upload the folder
tokenlink-menu-permissionsto your/wp-content/plugins/directory via FTP or file manager. - Activate the plugin from Plugins → Installed Plugins.
- Go to Appearance → Menus to set visibility for each menu item.
📥 Latest GitHub Release:
https://github.com/jcbenton/tokenlink-menu-permissions/releases
Does this plugin modify or replace existing menus?
No. It only hides menu items based on the viewer’s status or role.
What happens to child menu items if the parent is hidden?
They’re automatically hidden to prevent orphaned links.
Can I restrict menu items by capability instead of role?
Not yet — role-based control provides clearer and safer access management.
Does this work with custom walker or mega-menu plugins?
Yes, as long as they rely on the core wp_nav_menu() function.
Is JavaScript required?
Only in the admin UI to gray-out role checkboxes. The front-end filtering is purely PHP.
Screenshots are located in the /assets/ directory.
Menu item visible to all visitors.
Parent “Account” menu item displayed to all users.
“Account” submenu item shown only to logged-in users.
“Account” parent item with a “Login” submenu displayed to logged-out visitors.
“Admin” menu item shown only to logged-in users with the Administrator role.
- Full WPCS compliance.
- Updated for WordPress coding standards compliance.
- Improved internal consistency and formatting.
- Code fix for WordPress standards.
- Initial public release.
- Added admin-UI role toggle JavaScript.
- Improved role handling and parent-child filtering.
No user action required for this update.
Developed by Jerry Benton
GitHub: https://github.com/jcbenton/tokenlink-menu-permissions
This plugin is free software, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v3 or later.
See https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html for full license text.