Find the cause of a redirect
Work from the plugin rule to the outer layers of the site.
Check the rule first
Confirm the exact source, destination, enabled state and response type. Run the local tester. In Pro, review patterns, conditions and priority. Look for conflicting sources or a redirect loop.
If an advanced rule is saved but does not run, confirm compatible Pro is installed and active. Free skips rules whose matching engine is missing; it keeps their definitions for recovery or reactivation.
Handle changed rules and stale forms
If you see “Rules changed in another tab,” reload the page, inspect the latest rules and reapply only the changes you still need. The same review applies to bulk actions, suggestions, imports, snapshots and schedules. A stale form should not overwrite someone else’s newer change.
If updating from before 0.5.5, check affected regex schedules and samples. If an expected query value disappears, review query preservation and destination precedence. For a rejected suggestion, confirm the old URL is unused and the destination is still public.
Check caches and other engines
Inspect WordPress plugins, server rules, CDN rules and browser caches. Two redirect engines can produce different results. The plugin cannot control cached responses or rules outside WordPress.
Check the operation that failed
For CSV errors, confirm the required column names and resolve unsupported or duplicate headers. Check whether advanced matching options require Pro. Do not delete a meaningful condition just to make an import pass; correct the mapping or prepare a separate compatible subset. For sitemap errors, upload a UTF-8 individual URL sitemap without DTD or entity declarations. For delayed checks or schedules, inspect the latest worker time under Monitoring & schedules and your host’s WordPress cron configuration.
For activation errors, check the assigned Site Address and production or staging environment. If Free is missing, activate the paired Free package first. For database failures, keep a backup and ask your host to investigate; database errors are not proof that your rule set is empty.
When database setup is paused
If RedirectNest cannot finish creating its tables, it remains paused and shows an administrator notice. Existing rules and settings are preserved. A database error does not mean the rule set is empty.
Keep an independent backup and ask your host to inspect the reported error, database-user permissions and required InnoDB storage. After the host corrects the cause, reload WordPress to retry setup and test representative redirect paths. The plugin does not change database permissions or convert tables automatically.
Send useful evidence
Include the plugin versions, a non-sensitive example path, expected and observed behavior, and the time of the test. Never send passwords, API keys, site install keys or private purchase links. Use the support hub for the currently available contact options. If ticket submissions are open, keep the private conversation link after submitting.
These guides describe Free 1.1.2 and Pro 1.1.2. Current downloads and availability.