AI Search – Intelligent Search for WooCommerce and WordPress

Changelog

1.22.0

  • Domain Mismatch Detection: Admin warning when site domain differs from the registered AI Search Service domain
  • One-Click Reconnect: Button to easily reconnect and get a new token for the current domain
  • Automatic Origin Tracking: Plugin now stores the registered origin for future mismatch detection
  • Improved Migration Support: Better handling when moving sites between domains (staging to production, domain changes)

1.21.0

  • Reusable CPT/Taxonomy Selector Component: New shared UI component for Post Type, Taxonomy, and Term selection
  • Clear Embeddings by Post Type/Taxonomy: Delete embeddings for specific post types or taxonomy terms (not just all at once)
  • Improved Cache & Clean Tab: Added filtered clearing option alongside existing “Clear All” functionality
  • UI Component Architecture: Introduced components/ folder for reusable admin UI elements
  • Code Refactoring: Reduced code duplication between Generate Embeddings and Cache & Clean tabs
  • Taxonomy/Category Filter for Embeddings: Generate embeddings filtered by specific categories or taxonomies (not just post types)
  • Dynamic Taxonomy Loading: Taxonomies and terms load dynamically via AJAX based on selected post type
  • Improved Generate Embeddings UI: Cleaner form layout with loading states and better UX

1.20.0

  • Performance Optimization for Large Sites: Major improvements for sites with thousands of posts
  • Batched Processing: Posts are now processed in batches of 100 for optimal memory usage
  • Search Results Caching: Results are cached for 5 minutes to speed up repeated queries
  • Direct Database Queries: Optimized queries that fetch only necessary data
  • Memory Management: Automatic cleanup between batches to prevent memory exhaustion
  • New Default Threshold: Changed default similarity threshold from 65% to 30% for better out-of-box results
  • Improved Threshold Guidelines: Updated slider recommendations (30% now recommended as starting point)

1.19.0

  • Dedicated Admin Menu: AI Search now has its own top-level menu in WordPress admin (no longer under Settings)
  • Improved Menu Navigation: Settings pages and Setup Wizard now correctly highlight the AI Search menu
  • Contact the Author: New submenu link to contact the plugin author directly
  • URL Structure Update: All admin URLs now use admin.php?page=ai-search for better WordPress integration

1.18.0

  • REST API Settings Endpoint: New public endpoint at /wp-json/ai-search/v1/settings exposing plugin configuration for debugging (no sensitive data)
  • OpenAI Model Selection: Choose between text-embedding-3-small (default, recommended) and text-embedding-3-large when using your own OpenAI API key
  • Extended Threshold Range: Similarity threshold now supports 10-100% (previously 50-100%) for broader search flexibility
  • Updated Default Model: OpenAI embeddings now use text-embedding-3-small instead of the older text-embedding-ada-002

1.17.0

  • Hybrid Search: New feature combining AI semantic search with traditional keyword matching for improved accuracy
  • Search Configuration Tab: Dedicated settings tab for fine-tuning search behavior (similarity threshold and hybrid search)
  • Configurable Balance Slider: Adjust the weight between AI semantic search (0-100%) and keyword matching
  • Enhanced Keyword Matching: Keyword scoring now includes custom fields and WooCommerce fields configured in settings
  • Reusable UI Components: New slider components for threshold and hybrid balance configuration
  • Improved Search Accuracy: Better ranking when exact keyword matches are important alongside semantic understanding

1.16.0

  • Automatic Embedding Generation on Publish: Embeddings now generated automatically when posts/pages/custom post types are published
  • Improved Performance: Removed automatic embedding generation on every save – now only triggers on publish status transition
  • Universal CPT Support: Automatic embedding generation works seamlessly for all post types without additional configuration
  • Post Meta Box Enhancement: Content quality indicator and embedding preview available for published posts only
  • Better Resource Management: Reduced API calls by only generating embeddings when content is ready for public viewing
  • Setup Wizard Updates: Final step now includes similarity threshold configuration with better default value (0.65)
  • Admin Interface Improvements: Post Meta Box now provides clear status messages for unpublished posts
  • Case-Insensitive Search: All content and search queries converted to lowercase for consistent matching
  • Enhanced Similarity Display: AI Search badges now show percentage similarity scores on search results (editors/admins only)
  • Fallback Search Improvements: Fallback results now calculate and display actual similarity scores instead of showing 0%
  • Threshold Filtering on Fallback: All fallback search strategies now respect the similarity threshold setting
  • CSS Classes for Results: Added ai-search-similarity-{percentage} CSS classes to all search results for custom styling
  • Frontend Threshold Slider: Admins can test different threshold values directly on search results pages

1.15.0

  • Enhanced Setup Wizard: Expanded from 3 to 4 steps with new custom fields configuration
  • Custom Fields Step: New dedicated wizard step for choosing searchable content
  • Content Richness Emphasis: Added messaging that “richer content = better search results”
  • Post Type Selection: Choose which post types (posts, pages, custom types) are searchable during setup
  • WooCommerce Field Configuration: Configure product fields (SKU, categories, tags, attributes) in wizard
  • Streamlined Admin Menu: Simplified submenu to General Settings, Setup Wizard, and Support Forum link
  • Direct Support Access: Added WordPress.org support forum link directly in admin menu
  • Improved Quota Display: Quota tab now shows relevant message for users with their own OpenAI API key
  • Better Onboarding Flow: Setup wizard now guides users to configure content before generating embeddings
  • Brazilian Portuguese Translation: Added pt_BR translation file for readme

1.14.0

  • Quota Management Tab: New dedicated tab showing real-time usage statistics from AI Search Service
  • Usage Monitoring: Visual progress bars displaying total embeddings and daily usage against limits
  • Quota Status Indicators: Clear status badges showing if quotas are active or exceeded
  • Manual Refresh: On-demand quota data refresh with intelligent 6-hour caching
  • Detailed Error Messages: Enhanced error handling with specific API error messages
  • Last Updated Timestamp: Human-readable “last updated X ago” display for quota data
  • Quota Manager Class: New dedicated controller class for quota management (separation of concerns)
  • API Integration: Direct integration with /clients/quota endpoint using Bearer token authentication
  • Internationalization: All new quota strings fully translatable

1.13.0

  • Top-Level Admin Menu: AI Search moved from Settings submenu to main WordPress admin menu (position 58, before Settings)
  • Custom Menu Icon: Added plugin icon (SVG) to admin menu
  • Full i18n Support: All admin settings pages now fully translatable
  • Improved Admin UX: Better visibility and professional appearance in WordPress admin

1.12.0

  • Automatic Service Registration: Plugin now registers with AI Search Service immediately on activation
  • Setup Wizard Redirect: Users are automatically redirected to the setup wizard after plugin activation
  • Simplified Settings UI: Removed service token field from settings – connection is now managed automatically
  • Check Connection Button: Replaced “Validate Token” with cleaner “Check Connection” button showing usage stats
  • Streamlined Onboarding: Better first-time user experience with automatic configuration
  • Code Cleanup: Removed unused spelling suggestions and search highlighter classes

1.11.0

  • Percentage-Based Threshold Display: Similarity threshold now displays as percentage (20-100%) instead of decimal (0.2-1.0) for easier understanding
  • Public Badge Visibility Option: New admin setting to show AI Search badge to all visitors, not just editors/admins
  • Removed Analytics Feature: Simplified plugin by removing search analytics dashboard and tracking
  • Enhanced WooCommerce Documentation: Improved readme with eCommerce-specific keywords and use cases
  • Visual Improvements: Redesigned similarity threshold section with prominent visual indicators
  • No Emoji Policy: Removed all emojis from admin interface for professional appearance
  • Website Launch: Added link to https://wp-search.ai for documentation and demos

1.10.1

  • AI Search Result Badge: Visual badge displayed on search results powered by AI
    • Shows “AI Search Result” label with plugin icon
    • Only visible to editors and administrators
    • Tooltip explains visibility restriction
  • Similarity CSS Classes: Added CSS classes to search result posts
    • ai-search-result class for AI-powered results
    • ai-search-similarity-{0-100} class with exact similarity percentage
    • ai-search-match class when result meets configured threshold
    • ai-search-fallback class for non-AI fallback results
  • Removed Frontend Notices: Removed the intrusive search feedback notices that were shown to all users
  • Developer Enhancement: Similarity scores accessible via static properties for theme customization

1.10.0

  • Search Analytics Dashboard: Track and analyze search behavior
    • Log all search queries with result counts
    • Click-through tracking on search results
    • Popular queries and zero-result analysis
    • Time-based statistics and trends
    • CSV export functionality
  • “Did You Mean?” Spelling Suggestions: Intelligent spelling correction
    • Vocabulary built from post titles and taxonomies
    • Levenshtein distance-based word matching
    • Cached suggestions for performance
  • Search Term Highlighting: Visual feedback in search results
    • Highlights matching terms in titles and excerpts
    • Customizable highlight colors via filters
    • Dark mode support

1.9.2

  • Version Consistency: Fixed version mismatch between plugin header and internal constants
  • Internationalization Ready: Added text-domain ‘ai-search’ and domain path for translation support
  • Documentation Fix: Corrected similarity threshold range documentation (0.2-1.0)
  • Developer Filter: Added ai_search_searchable_post_types filter to customize which post types are searchable

1.9.0

  • Enhanced Fallback Search System: Introduced intelligent 4-tier fallback mechanism for zero-result searches:
    • WordPress default search fallback with result count display
    • Broader semantic search with relaxed similarity thresholds
    • Unprocessed content search for posts without embeddings
    • Smart query suggestion system for completely failed searches
  • User Feedback Notifications: Real-time search feedback system with dismissible notices:
    • Visual indicators showing which fallback method was used
    • Search result counts for transparency
    • Automatic cleanup of feedback transients
    • Contextual messaging for different search scenarios
  • Interactive Threshold Demo: Professional threshold demonstration interface:
    • Real-time product similarity visualization
    • Sample clothing store dataset with summer search scenario
    • Dynamic filtering based on threshold adjustments
    • Performance indicators showing recall rates and precision levels
    • Color-coded similarity scores and visual feedback
  • Token Validation System: Comprehensive service token management:
    • One-click token validation with detailed usage statistics
    • Real-time quota monitoring (daily/total limits)
    • Client information display including origin verification
    • Error handling for invalid or expired tokens
  • Setup Wizard Enhancement: Improved first-time user experience:
    • Step-by-step configuration process
    • Provider comparison with clear recommendations
    • Visual progress indicators and smooth transitions
    • Comprehensive completion flow

1.8.0

  • Service Token Management: Added manual service token field in General Settings for better control and transparency
  • Token Validation System: New “Validate Token” button with real-time validation and detailed usage statistics
  • Enhanced Admin Interface: Service token field automatically shows/hides based on provider selection
  • Comprehensive Validation Results: Displays client ID, origin, daily/total limits, current usage, and quota status
  • Improved Error Handling: Better error messages for token validation failures and connection issues
  • User Experience Improvements: Loading spinner, button states, and clearer user guidance
  • Debugging Enhancements: Added error logging for better troubleshooting and API response monitoring

1.7.0

  • Major Performance & UX Improvements
  • Service Registration Optimization: Moved AI service registration from plugin initialization to settings save, eliminating unnecessary API calls during normal page loads
  • Cache Management Tab: Added comprehensive cache management interface with three clearing options:
    • Clear embedding cache (transients) – safe regeneration
    • Clear post meta embeddings – requires manual regeneration
    • Clear all embedding data – complete reset option
  • Enhanced Similarity Threshold**: Improved precision and range:
    • Range changed from 0.0-1.0 to 0.2-1.0 (eliminates very low-relevance results while allowing broader searches)
    • Precision increased from 0.01 to 0.001 steps (3 decimal places)
    • Better user guidance and formatting
  • Modular Code Architecture: Refactored service registration into isolated, reusable methods for better maintainability
  • Real-time Cache Statistics: Display current cache size and post embedding counts
  • Enhanced Error Handling**: Better user feedback when AI service is unavailable with automatic fallback
  • Security Improvements: Enhanced nonce verification and user capability checks

1.6

  • Replaced internal embedding storage with external service integration.
  • Token-based authentication per origin.
  • Restore original search in case there isn’t any AI results
  • Solve fatal errors in case the vectors don’t have the same size

1.5

  • Bulk embedding generation based on custom number of posts

1.4

  • Settings UI Revamp: Introduced tabbed navigation to separate “General Settings” and “Generate Embeddings” for better organization.
  • Batch Embedding Generation: Users can now trigger embedding generation for up to 50 posts at a time.
  • Custom Post Type Selection: A dropdown was added, allowing users to choose which CPT they want to generate embeddings for.
  • Embedding Optimization: Now only processes posts that do not yet have embeddings to avoid redundant API calls and improve performance.
  • Security Enhancements: Added nonce verification to protect settings updates.

This update significantly improves usability, optimizes performance, and gives users more control over AI-powered search embeddings.

1.3

  • Similarity Threshold Control: Added a range input field (0-1) in settings to allow users to adjust the similarity threshold dynamically.

1.2

  • Cache Search embeddings, saved in transients for one day

1.1

  • text-davinci-003 (deprecated) has been replaced bytext-embedding-ada-002 model
  • db manipulation has been replaced by custom_post_meta approach

1.0

  • Initial release, adding the settings page and the search filter.

Plugin Website
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Author
Samuel Silva
Version:
1.22.0
Last Updated
March 2, 2026
Active Installs
80
Tested Up To
WordPress 6.8.3
Requires PHP
8.0

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