Before you hand this off to your editorial team or a staff member, it helps to know exactly who on your WordPress site can see and use these screens – and who cannot.
Overview
Every screen in this plugin – Dashboard, Keywords, Log, and Settings – is protected by the same WordPress permission: Manage Options. In practice, this means only users with the Administrator role on your site can open the AI News Publisher menu at all. Other roles, such as Editor, Author, or Contributor, will not see this menu in their dashboard.
How It Works
WordPress organizes staff permissions into “roles” (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber, and any custom roles your site may have). Each role is allowed to do certain things – Editors can manage all posts, for example, but cannot change site-wide settings. This plugin’s screens all require the “Manage Options” permission, which by default is only given to the Administrator role, the same permission level needed to install plugins or change core WordPress settings.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Check your team's current roles
Go to Users → All Users in your WordPress admin. Look at the Role column next to each team member’s name.
2. Identify who can already manage this plugin
Anyone listed with the Administrator role can already open AI News Publisher and use every screen covered in this guide – Dashboard, Keywords, Log, and Settings.
3. Understand what non-Administrators will see
A team member with the Editor or Author role will simply not see the AI News Publisher item in their admin sidebar menu at all – there is no partial or “view only” access built in.
4. Grant access if needed
If you want a specific staff member (like a managing editor) to manage the keyword queue or settings, you will need to change their Role to Administrator under Users → All Users → (their name) → Edit. Be aware this also gives them full control over your entire WordPress site, not just this plugin.
5. Let non-admins review published content instead
If you’d rather not grant full Administrator access, a good middle ground is setting Publish status to Save as draft (see Scheduling Your Daily News Run) so an Editor can fact-check and approve articles from the normal Posts screen, without ever needing access to AI News Publisher itself.
Fields Table
| Field Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
Administrator |
The only WordPress role that can see and use the AI News Publisher menu and all its screens. |
Site owner, managing editor |
Editor |
Can manage and publish any post, including reviewing drafts created by this plugin, but cannot open its settings. |
Copy editor, section editor |
Author / Contributor |
Can manage their own posts only; cannot see or approve AI-generated drafts from other authors, nor access this plugin. |
Staff writer, freelancer |
Field Explanations
There is currently no way to give a staff member partial access – for example, letting them manage the Keyword Queue without also being able to change AI provider Settings. Access is all-or-nothing, tied to the Administrator role.
Because raising someone to Administrator gives them far more power than just this plugin (including the ability to install other plugins or delete content), only do this for genuinely trusted team members.
The Save as draft workaround in Content Type & Writing Style is the recommended way to involve editorial staff in your content workflow – especially important for news and financial content, since it lets a human fact-check every AI-written article before it goes live, using screens they already have access to.
Tips
- Keep the number of Administrator accounts small – it’s a strong permission level, not just an “AI News Publisher” permission.
- Use “Save as draft” publishing so Editors can be part of your fact-checking process without needing Administrator access.
- Document who on your team has Administrator access so you always know who can change AI provider keys or publishing schedules.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming Editors can open Settings. Only Administrators can access any AI News Publisher screen, out of the box.
- Making everyone an Administrator just to use this plugin. This grants far more access than needed and increases security risk – use the draft-review workaround instead where possible.
- Expecting a hidden “view only” mode. There isn’t one – access to this plugin’s screens is strictly all-or-nothing based on the Administrator role.