Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), a popular WordPress plugin with over 2 million active installations, has been returned to WP Engine following a court-ordered preliminary injunction. The ruling required Automattic, led by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, to relinquish control of the plugin after months of controversy and heated debate within the WordPress community.
What Happened?
The saga began in October when WordPress.org assumed control of the free version of ACF, rebranding it as Secure Custom Fields (SCF). Automattic justified the move as a measure to address security concerns. However, this action was met with widespread criticism from developers, open-source advocates, and tech leaders, many of whom viewed it as a breach of trust.
The tension escalated in November when WordPress.org extended its control to ACF Pro. Under the SCF moniker, the new version included ACF Pro’s premium features—such as repeater fields, gallery support, and ACF Blocks—while removing licensing checks, documentation links, and attribution to WP Engine. This led to outrage and a flood of one-star reviews for the SCF plugin.
ACF Team Regains Control
On December 13, the ACF team announced via X (formerly Twitter) that they had regained access to their WordPress plugin listing. “53 minutes ago, we initiated publishing the genuine ACF on .org and are now awaiting .org to complete the review process to make it available,” the team stated. Later, they confirmed the restoration of their account and control over the plugin repository, assuring users that no action was required for those using ACF directly or via ACF Pro.
Liam Gladdy, a lead ACF developer, expressed gratitude toward the WordPress community: “Your reviews, comments, support tickets, social media posts, and everything else have been so lovely to see. Our community is what makes working on ACF such a joy.” Gladdy also hinted at exciting updates in 2025, promising new features for loyal users.
The Legal Implications
The court’s injunction compelled Automattic and Mullenweg to return control of ACF to WP Engine, among other directives, such as removing specific website elements targeting WP Engine and restoring account access. While Automattic complied within the 72-hour deadline, Mullenweg voiced his frustration, calling the order a “dangerous precedent” for open-source maintainers.
“I’m disgusted and sickened by being legally forced to provide free labor and services to WP Engine,” Mullenweg wrote on X. Despite his objections, he stated that Automattic had fully complied with the court’s requirements.
What Does This Mean for Users?
With ACF now back under the stewardship of WP Engine, users can expect continuity in plugin updates and support from the original development team. For those who stuck with ACF through the turmoil, this resolution restores trust in the plugin’s future.
The broader implications for the WordPress ecosystem, however, remain a topic of debate. The case underscores tensions between open-source principles and commercial interests, leaving many wondering how similar disputes will be handled moving forward.
WP Engine’s 2024 year-in-review post acknowledged community engagement but did not address the ACF takeover or the presence of SCF in the WordPress.org repository. For now, loyal ACF users can breathe a sigh of relief as the plugin returns to familiar hands, with promises of exciting innovations on the horizon.
We're pleased to share that our team has had account access restored on WordPress dot org along with control of the ACF plugin repo.
This means all ACF users can rest assured that the ACF team you trust is once again maintaining the plugin.
There’s no action required if you…
— Advanced Custom Fields (@wp_acf) December 14, 2024
