Contextual Related Posts Settings – Tools

The Tools page in Contextual Related Posts provides a set of utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot, and optimize the plugin’s performance and data. You can access this via Tools > Related Posts Tools in your WordPress admin area.

Below is a summary of each tool available, including Pro features.

Status

The Status section summarizes the current plugin and database state without changing anything. It shows the plugin and database schema versions, database server, WordPress posts table size and storage engine, FULLTEXT index status, cache state, and post meta migration status.

If a FULLTEXT index is missing, the report links to Recreate FULLTEXT index. When post meta still needs migration, it links to the migration tool. Contextual Related Posts Pro also adds custom-table status, including whether the tables and indexes exist, the number of indexed posts, and any pending synchronization work.

On multisite, the Network Admin Tools page shows network-wide plugin and database details. Open a site’s Tools page for table, cache, and migration details specific to that site.

Clear cache

Use this tool to clear the Contextual Related Posts cache. This is helpful if you want to refresh the related posts cache across your site immediately.

Recreate FULLTEXT index

Recreate the FULLTEXT index that Contextual Related Posts uses to find relevant related posts. This is useful if you suspect the index is corrupted or not performing optimally, or after a significant content update.

• Click the Recreate Index button to start the process.
• If the button fails, you can manually run the provided SQL queries in phpMyAdmin or Adminer.
• This process might take a long time on large sites.

Export/Import settings

Allows you to export the plugin settings as a .json file for backup or migration purposes, and import settings from another site.

• Export: Download your current settings for safekeeping or to migrate to another site.
• Import: Upload a previously exported settings file to restore or migrate your configuration.

Migration Status

Contextual Related Posts v4.2 changed how metadata was stored. Per‑post settings are no longer stored in a single crp_post_meta array. Each setting now lives in its own _crp_* meta key. This button allows you to migrate meta keys to the new format.

Custom Tables (Pro only)

Use this tool to reindex all posts in the custom tables. This is especially useful if you have just enabled the custom tables feature or suspect the tables are out of sync.

• On multisite installations, you can select specific sites to reindex.
• The tool displays the current status, including the number of entries in the content table, the number of published posts, and the index percentage.
• Option to Force complete reindex (deletes all existing data and reindexes all posts).
• Progress is shown with a status bar and percentage.

Clean Up Orphaned Records (Pro only)

Removes orphaned records from the custom tables. Orphaned records are entries that no longer correspond to existing posts, which can occur after bulk deletions or migrations.

• Click the Clean Up Orphaned Records button to run the cleanup.
• On multisite, you can target specific sites.

Recreate Custom Table FULLTEXT Indexes (Pro only)

Manually drop and recreate the FULLTEXT indexes on the custom tables. This is useful if you suspect the indexes are corrupted or not performing optimally.

• Click Recreate FULLTEXT Indexes to start the process.
• If the button fails, manual SQL queries are provided for use in phpMyAdmin or Adminer.

Recreate Custom Tables (Pro only)

Drops and recreates the custom table structure from scratch. All indexed data is permanently lost; run the reindex tool afterwards to repopulate the table.

• Click Recreate Custom Tables and confirm the prompt to proceed.
• If the button fails, manual SQL queries are provided for use in phpMyAdmin or Adminer.
• You can also run this via WP-CLI: wp crp tables recreate --force

Convert Custom Table to InnoDB (Pro only)

Converts the custom table storage engine to InnoDB and automatically regenerates the FULLTEXT indexes after conversion. This is recommended if the table is using MyISAM, which offers no crash recovery or row-level locking.

• The tool displays the current storage engine before you act.
• Click Convert to InnoDB & Regenerate Indexes and confirm the prompt to proceed.
• This operation may take some time on large tables.