[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64364: There has been a critical error on this website.

[WordPress Trac]

#64364: There has been a critical error on this website.
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 Reporter:  dandavince    |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)  |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |   Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General       |     Version:
 Severity:  normal        |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                |     Focuses:
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Comment (by aarti1318):

 @dandavince I understand the need to avoid exposing technical details
 publicly, and fully agree that the current screen exists to protect
 sensitive information for non-technical site owners.

 However, I think there is a middle ground that improves the user
 experience without compromising security.

 My suggested direction:

 * Continue showing the generic “There has been a critical error” message
 by default.

 * Add a non-JS <details> debug section only visible to logged-in
 administrators, even when WP_DEBUG is false.

 * The section could include:
    * the error message (sanitized)
    * the file + approximate line
    * a short suggestion like “This is most likely caused by plugin: X” if
 detected from the stack trace

 * For visitors, nothing changes — they still only see the generic safe
 error page.

 * For recovery mode, the enhanced information would integrate with the
 existing “broken plugin” identification logic.

 This keeps technical info secure + only accessible to admins, while
 finally reducing the frustration of having to enable debug mode (which
 many users don’t know how to do or don’t have file access for).

 This would make the critical error screen both safer and more useful, and
 aligns with the idea that the site owner should get actionable information
 without needing hosting-level access.

 I’m happy to work on testing or refining this approach if the core team is
 interested.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64364#comment:3>
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