First Draft Feed
First Draft Feed is a WordPress block that renders a single post’s revision history as a readable, chronological feed. Each revision is a “moment” — timestamped, with a visual diff showing what changed. Readers follow…
Use with caution
First Draft Feed works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 5 months ago, and scores 42/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where First Draft Feed stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| diff | #71 |
| draft | >100 |
| feed | >100 |
| history | >100 |
| revisions | >100 |
About First Draft Feed
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
First Draft Feed is a WordPress block that renders a single post’s revision history as a readable, chronological feed. Each revision is a “moment” — timestamped, with a visual diff showing what changed. Readers follow the evolution of thinking, not just the finished product.
Who is this for?
- Writers who work in public and want to expose how their thinking evolved.
- Readers who want to follow a post’s development over time like a story.
- Site owners who want to control which posts expose their drafts and how much history is visible.
How it works
Drop the First Draft Feed block onto any post or page. It renders a feed of that post’s revision history, pulled from a custom REST API endpoint that safely surfaces WordPress revision data without requiring authentication.
Each revision card shows:
- Timestamp — when the revision was saved
- Word count delta — e.g. “+ 312 words”
- Visual diff — additions and removals highlighted in context, rendered as clean text (no raw HTML diffs)
The feed loads oldest-to-newest so readers experience the post as it was written.
Features
- Per-post opt-in — revisions are only exposed when the author explicitly enables the feed
- Author notes — optional context shown at the top of the feed
- Three diff styles — inline, split, or summary view
- Image tracking — images in revisions are preserved and diffed alongside text
- Collapsible cards — readers expand only what interests them
- Max revision limit — cap how many revisions appear (1-50)
- Toggle individual elements — show or hide diffs, word counts, and timestamps
- Block supports — wide/full alignment, background/text color, spacing, and font size
Source Code
The full source code is available on GitHub:
https://github.com/jnealey88/first-draft-feed
Installation
- Upload the
first-draft-feedfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Edit a post or page and insert the “First Draft Feed” block.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enable the revision feed on a post?
Insert the First Draft Feed block into your post, then toggle “Enable revision feed for this post” in the block sidebar settings.
Does this expose all my drafts automatically?
No. The revision feed is strictly opt-in. Each post must be individually enabled by the author. No revision data is exposed until you explicitly turn it on.
What post types are supported?
Any public post type that supports revisions — posts, pages, and compatible custom post types.
Can readers see my raw HTML?
No. The plugin strips all HTML from revision content and renders clean, readable text. Images are extracted and displayed separately.
Does this work with block themes and classic themes?
Yes. The block uses standard WordPress block supports (alignment, color, spacing, typography) and works in both the block editor and classic themes with block support.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Revision feed block with per-post opt-in.
- Three diff styles: inline, split, and summary.
- Author notes, word count deltas, and timestamps.
- Image tracking across revisions.
- Custom REST API endpoint for public revision data.
- Support for all public post types with revisions.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best First Draft Feed alternatives
All diff plugins →
FAQ
First Draft Feed: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 15, 2026
Is First Draft Feed free?
Yes. First Draft Feed is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is First Draft Feed safe to use in 2026?
First Draft Feed works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 5 months ago, and scores 42/100 on our health check.
How many websites use First Draft Feed?
First Draft Feed is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 236 times since it launched in May 2026. It was downloaded 49 times in the last 30 days.
Does First Draft Feed work with WordPress 7.1?
First Draft Feed is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.10, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does First Draft Feed need?
First Draft Feed requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was First Draft Feed last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on May 15, 2026 (5 months ago).
Who makes First Draft Feed?
First Draft Feed is developed and maintained by Justin Nealey.
What are the best alternatives to First Draft Feed?
The most popular alternatives to First Draft Feed are Audit Trail (20K+ installs), Email Post Changes (500+ installs) and Simple Editor Control (10+ installs).
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