Security & Best Practices

Novamira gives AI agents full, programmatic access to your WordPress site. This is powerful by design. This section explains exactly what the security model does and does not guarantee, so you can make informed decisions about how to use it.

For development and staging environments only. Always keep backups.

Security model overview

Novamira’s security model has multiple layers, each serving a specific purpose:

Layer What it does What it does not do
Authentication Requires WordPress Application Passwords over HTTPS. No anonymous access. Does not limit what an authenticated admin can do.
Permissions Every ability requires manage_options (administrator). Non-admin users cannot invoke any tool. Does not distinguish between different admin users or different tools.
Filesystem restrictions Filesystem abilities (Read, Write, Edit, Delete, List) are confined to ABSPATH by default. The Delete File ability blocks deletion of core directories. Does not apply to Execute PHP, which can access any path via native PHP functions.
Sandbox PHP file writes are confined to wp-content/novamira-sandbox/. Sandbox files are auto-loaded on every request. The sandbox is a convenience guardrail, not a security boundary. Code execution via Execute PHP bypasses it entirely.
Crash recovery Detects fatal errors from sandbox files and auto-recovers into safe mode. Does not prevent errors in the first place. Does not roll back changes.

What Novamira can do

When AI abilities are enabled and an admin user is authenticated, the AI agent can:

  • Execute any PHP code with full access to the WordPress environment, the database ($wpdb), all loaded plugins, and the complete PHP runtime.
  • Read any file on the server within the allowed base directory (ABSPATH by default).
  • Write, edit, or delete any non-PHP file within the allowed base directory.
  • Write PHP files to the sandbox directory (wp-content/novamira-sandbox/), where they are auto-loaded on every subsequent request.
  • Delete files and directories (except protected WordPress core directories).

This is stated plainly because transparency is a core principle. Novamira is a professional tool for developers who understand what full programmatic access means.

Key principles

  1. Off by default. AI abilities are disabled when the plugin is first activated. Enabling them requires an explicit action with a confirmation dialog.
  2. Transparent. Every capability is documented. Nothing is hidden or understated.
  3. You are in control. You choose the AI model, you provide the API key, you review the output. We provide the plugin. Novamira does not control, endorse, or guarantee AI behavior.
  4. Recommended for staging. Use Novamira on development or staging environments with backups. This is a professional recommendation, not a limitation enforced by the plugin.

In this section