A WordPress plugin that generates an RSS feed of recently modified posts, ordered by last modified date.

Modified Posts Feed creates a custom RSS feed that displays your most recently edited posts at the top. Unlike the standard WordPress RSS feed which shows posts by publication date, this feed highlights content updates.

Ideal for content-focused sites that regularly update existing articles, documentation sites where accuracy matters, and any site where content evolves over time.

• Automatic sorting by last modified date
• Featured image support via Media RSS
• Performance optimized with transient caching and database indexing
• Multisite compatible
• Easy configuration via WordPress admin
• Customizable with filters and actions

1. Download the latest release
2. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
3. Choose the downloaded ZIP file and install
4. Activate the plugin

1. Upload the modified-posts-feed folder to /wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate through the Plugins menu in WordPress

After activation, your feed is available at:

https://yoursite.com/feed/modified-posts

Configure the plugin at Settings > Modified Posts Feed.

Feed URL Slug

• Default: modified-posts
• Customize the URL path for your feed
• Only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens allowed

Posts Per Page

• Default: 50
• Range: 1-500
• Recommended: 50-100

Post Types

• Default: post
• Select which content types to include (posts, pages, custom post types)

Featured Images

• Default: Enabled
• Include featured images using Media RSS format

Enable Caching

• Default: Enabled
• Stores generated feed in WordPress transients
• Significantly reduces server load

Cache Duration

• Default: 900 seconds (15 minutes)
• Range: 60-86400 seconds
• Cache automatically clears when posts are saved/deleted or settings change

Add Index on Activation

• Default: Enabled
• Adds database index to post_modified column
• Improves query speed 10-50x
• Recommended: Keep enabled

Remove Index on Deactivation

• Default: Disabled
• Removes database index when plugin is deactivated

Remove Index on Uninstall

• Default: Disabled
• Removes database index when plugin is permanently deleted

The plugin generates RSS 2.0 feeds with standard elements plus:

• <dc:modified> - Last modified date
• <media:content> - Featured image (if enabled)
• Posts ordered by modification date (newest first)

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.6 or higher

Does this replace the default WordPress feed?

No, your standard feed at /feed/ remains unchanged. This creates an additional feed.

What counts as "modified"?

WordPress updates the modification date when post content, title, excerpt, featured image, categories, tags, or custom fields change. Comments and view counts do not trigger updates.

Will this slow down my site?

No. The plugin includes transient caching, database indexing, and lazy loading for optimal performance.

Feed shows 404 error

Go to Settings > Permalinks and click "Save Changes" to flush rewrite rules.

Feed shows old content

Click "Clear Cache Now" in plugin settings.

The plugin is optimized for performance:

• Transient Caching: Stores generated feed to avoid repeated queries
• Database Index: Speeds up queries significantly
• Lazy Loading: Settings only load when needed
• HTTP Cache Headers: Proper Cache-Control and Last-Modified headers

Change feed slug: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_slug', function($slug) { return 'updates'; }); (end code)

Change posts per page: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_limit', function($limit) { return 100; }); (end code)

Include custom post types: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_post_types', function($post_types) { return array('post', 'page', 'portfolio'); }); (end code)

Disable caching: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_enable_cache', '__return_false'); (end code)

Change cache duration: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_cache_duration', function($duration) { return 1800; // 30 minutes }); (end code)

Toggle featured images: (php code) add_filter('modified_posts_feed_show_images', '__return_false'); (end code)

Modify feed query: (php code) add_action('modified_posts_feed_query', function($query) { $query->set('category_name', 'news'); }); (end code)

Add custom RSS elements: (php code) add_action('rss2_item', function() { echo 'custom:elementValue</custom:element>'; }); (end code)

Control index behavior programmatically:

(php code) // Prevent index creation update_option('modified_posts_feed_add_index', false);

// Remove index on deactivation update_option('modified_posts_feed_remove_index_on_deactivate', true);

// Remove index on uninstall update_option('modified_posts_feed_remove_index_on_uninstall', true); (end code)

• Added automatic rewrite flush on activation
• Added manual action buttons to settings page
• Added copy-to-clipboard for feed URL
• Improved documentation

• Initial release

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Website: PulpCovers.com

CC0-1.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Developed by PulpCovers.com