Remove a discovery tag built for software that no longer exists
Disable RSD Link removes the Really Simple Discovery tag from every page's head, a leftover pointer to XML-RPC built for desktop blogging clients nobody runs anymore.
- Removes the RSD <link> tag from every page.
- Built for Windows Live Writer and similar clients, long discontinued.
- One less line advertising how the site is built.
- Nothing on a modern site depends on it.
In every page's <head>
What does Disable RSD Link do?
When the remove_rsd_link module is active, TheOneWP removes the rsd_link action from wp_head, the WordPress core function that prints a <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml"> tag pointing to the site's XML-RPC endpoint. That tag exists so that desktop blogging clients like Windows Live Writer could automatically discover where to publish, a category of software that's effectively disappeared. As a result, removing it takes one more automatic pointer out of every page's head, with nothing on a modern site left depending on it.
A tag built for discontinued desktop software
A discovery mechanism built for a generation of software that's gone still quietly announces itself on every page.
It served desktop blogging clients that no longer exist
The RSD tag exists to help software like Windows Live Writer, once a common way to write blog posts from a desktop app, find a site's XML-RPC endpoint automatically.
What's left is a pointer with nowhere useful to go
Since that generation of software is gone, the tag still remains on every page, quietly pointing at an XML-RPC endpoint and telling anyone who looks a little about how the site is built.
Remove the pointer, lose nothing that matters
Because no legitimate modern client still relies on it, the module can take out this single, obsolete discovery tag safely.
One less automatic pointer
The RSD tag stops appearing in the head of every page, removing one more automatic reference to the site's internals.
Built for software nobody runs anymore
Since the desktop clients this tag served are effectively gone, removing it costs nothing on a modern site.
A smaller fingerprint
One less detail in the page head hinting at how the site is built and where it can be written to.
One obsolete tag, removed cleanly
Because the module addresses just one thing, every capability below is present in the plugin's registration logic and its settings field.
The rsd_link action
Removing WordPress core's rsd_link function, normally hooked to wp_head, stops its output from ever printing.
Pointed desktop clients to XML-RPC
The tag it removes carried a URL to the site's XML-RPC endpoint, specifically for RSD-aware blogging software to discover automatically.
Built for a generation of software that's gone
Windows Live Writer and its contemporaries, the clients this discovery mechanism served, are effectively discontinued today.
Every page, one tag
Since the tag appears in the head of every front-end page WordPress renders, its removal applies site-wide in one change.
Nothing modern relies on it
No current publishing workflow, plugin, or app depends on the RSD tag being present.
One line, one removal
The entire module is a single remove_action() call, adding no measurable weight of its own.
Where removing the tag helps most
The module supports any site trimming automatic head output that no longer serves a purpose.
General head cleanup
As part of a broader effort to reduce what a page's head reveals about the site's internals, trim an obsolete discovery tag.
Reducing fingerprinting surface
Remove one more automatic hint about the site's structure, alongside similar cleanups like disabling the REST API's own discovery links.
Sites doing routine WordPress hardening
Include it as one of several small, safe removals when going through a site's default head output.
A clean removal, no trade-off
Because nothing modern depends on it, the module removes something with no purpose today, at no cost to anything that actually matters.
One tag, one hook removal
The verified implementation is as minimal as a module can be.
One less tag per page
Even a small reduction in head markup adds up across every front-end page load.
A single hook removal
The entire module is one remove_action() call, adding no measurable overhead.
No ongoing processing
Once the action removal happens, nothing is left running, since the fix isn't a continuous check.
Less advertised, nothing else changed
Even though it's minimal, the code still removes a single automatic hint about the site's internals and touches nothing else.
Less advertised about the site's structure
Removing the RSD tag takes away one more automatic hint about how the site is built and what it exposes.
Administrator-only configuration
Only an administrator with access to TheOneWP settings can enable the module.
No effect on XML-RPC itself
This module only removes the discovery tag; a separate setting controls whether XML-RPC is actually reachable.
A read-only change to page output
The module only removes an existing WordPress hook; it doesn't accept or process any user input.
Built entirely around one native WordPress hook
The supplied code integrates through APIs present in WordPress core; this page makes no compatibility claim beyond the verified implementation.
rsd_link on wp_head
This module removes the exact WordPress core function and hook that has printed the RSD tag since RSD support first came to WordPress.
Really Simple Discovery
A discovery format from the earlier blogging-software era, largely superseded by the REST API and modern publishing workflows.
XML-RPC
The endpoint the RSD tag points to; removing the tag doesn't affect whether XML-RPC itself is reachable.
TheOneWP versus common alternatives
Compare the verified Disable RSD Link implementation with a typical hand-written functions.php snippet.
| Capability | TheOneWP Disable RSD Link | Other common solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Removing the RSD tag | One toggle, applied instantly | Usually a manual functions.php snippet |
| Explaining why it's safe to remove | Documented historical context in the setting itself | Rarely explained, just copied from a tutorial |
| Scope | Exactly one tag, nothing else touched | Same, when the snippet is written correctly |
| Administration | One toggle inside TheOneWP settings | Requires editing a theme or plugin file directly |
Confirm the change in four steps
Since there's little to configure, confirming the tag is gone is essentially the whole process.
Enable Disable RSD Link
Activate the module from the TheOneWP settings; there's nothing else to configure.
Check a page's source
Confirm the RSD link tag no longer appears in the head of a front-end page.
Confirm nothing depends on it
Verify the site's normal publishing workflow, plugins and any connected apps continue working exactly as before.
Leave it on
Since there's no ongoing configuration, the module simply keeps working once enabled.
One of the safest cleanups available
In fact, this is about as low-risk as a WordPress change gets.
Enable it as routine cleanup
This is one of the lowest-risk removals available, since no modern software depends on the RSD tag.
Pair it with other discovery-link cleanups
Combine it with removing the REST API's own discovery signals for a more complete reduction in automatic advertisements.
Don't expect any visible change to the site
The tag isn't rendered anywhere on the page; only the HTML source changes.
No further configuration is needed
Since it's a single toggle, nothing remains to revisit once it's enabled.
Avoid assumptions that overstate its scope
The module's scope is intentionally narrow, and easy to overstate at a glance.
Assuming this disables XML-RPC
The module only removes the discovery tag pointing at XML-RPC; a separate setting controls whether XML-RPC itself stays reachable.
Expecting a visible change
Since the RSD tag doesn't render anywhere on the page, removing it only changes what's in the HTML source.
Looking for a settings screen that isn't there
Like other single-purpose modules, this one is a toggle by design, with no further configuration screen.
Disable RSD Link FAQ
These answers come directly from the plugin's registration logic and its settings field.
What does Disable RSD Link do?
It removes the Really Simple Discovery tag from every page's head, a link that points to the site's XML-RPC endpoint for desktop blogging clients to discover automatically.
What is the RSD tag for?
It was built to help desktop blogging software, like Windows Live Writer, automatically find where to publish to a WordPress site.
Is this still needed on a modern site?
No. Since the desktop blogging clients that relied on RSD discovery are effectively discontinued, nothing on a modern site depends on the tag being present.
Does this disable XML-RPC itself?
No. It only removes the discovery tag that points to XML-RPC; whether XML-RPC is reachable is a separate setting.
Will removing this tag change how my site looks?
No. Since the tag isn't rendered anywhere on the page, only the HTML source in the page head changes.
Does this affect the REST API's own discovery links?
No. Those are a separate set of signals, handled by a different module, since this one only removes the RSD tag WordPress core adds via rsd_link.
Are there any settings beyond turning the module on?
No. It's a single toggle with no additional configuration.
Does this affect the WordPress admin area?
No. The RSD tag only appears in front-end page output.
Is there any downside to removing it?
Essentially none on a modern site; the only clients that used it are no longer in common use.
Who can turn this module on?
Only an administrator with access to the TheOneWP settings screen.
Stop advertising a discovery mechanism nobody uses anymore.Remove the RSD tag for good.
Use Disable RSD Link to take one more obsolete pointer out of every page's head, with nothing modern left depending on it.