OpenStation
OpenStation: Desktop Windows, Dock & Virtual Desktops for WP Admin
by Daniel López Sánchez · WordPress.org page · Website
OpenStation has 2,000+ active installs on WordPress.org and 40,863 downloads all time. We have tracked it since September 4, 2026; download trends appear after 30 days of data. The last update was on September 4, 2026, tested up to WordPress 7.1.
OpenStation at a glance
Is OpenStation well maintained?
Features
The feature list from the plugin's own readme on WordPress.org, trimmed to the essentials.
- What is sent: the user’s prompt, the conversation history for the active session, and tool-call metadata. The plugin’s built-in tools (search_posts…
- When it is sent: on user-initiated AI requests, and (if an administrator enables “Score new comments with AI”) on comment-save hooks for spam analysis. Posts…
- Why it is sent: to obtain model completions and tool-call decisions that drive the AI Assistant
- Who provides the service: whichever provider you configured in Settings → Connectors. Which provider (and endpoint) receives the data depends entirely on that…
OpenStation reviews and ratings
23 reviews on WordPress.org, with the most recent ones as their authors posted them.
23 reviews
- 5★
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22
- 4★
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1
- 3★
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0
- 2★
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0
- 1★
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0
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Renamed its entire public API without breaking a single integration point
I have run this in production since it was Desktop Mode. I also build against it, so I see more of its surface than a typical user would. My theme and my own plugin both integrate with it, and at this point the admin genuinely feels like mine rather than like someone else's product I am borrowing. The part worth reporting is the rename. Moving from Desktop Mode to OpenStation renamed the whole public API, and the project shipped no back-compatibility shim. Before updating I checked every hook, function and REST field my code depends on against the tagged release. Nineteen names, all present, none silently renamed or dropped. I have repeated that check on two releases since with the same result. Projects that rename at this scale usually leave behind half-migrated identifiers and a compatibility layer that rots. Releases are frequent and small. Each one has been a clean upgrade here. On what it actually does: your admin becomes a windowed desktop with a dock, a command palette and widgets, opt-in per user. It sounds like a novelty and stops feeling like one after about a day. Having several admin screens open at once changed how I work more than I expected. The integration surface is unusually well behaved for a plugin this ambitious. That is why I built against it rather than around it.
Juan Lentino -
Clean and Organize
it makes wordpress easy to look at
evr13 -
Powerful feature for Wordpress Power Users
If you have a lot of custom post types, pages, posts, etc., and you're working on many of them simultaneously, this is a God-send. Even better if you have a large monitor. Well done.
nysc -
One word... Wow!
This plugin blowed my mind. It turns your wordpress admin in such a beautiful dashboard. What an experience. Contratulations to the owners of the project!
MauroS -
Modern and creative admin experience
Really interesting concept and one of the more unique WordPress admin experience plugins I’ve tested recently. I especially like the desktop/workspace direction and the overall creativity behind the UI. I spend a lot of time testing modern admin/workspace plugins and Desktop Mode definitely stands out with its own approach. Looking forward to seeing how the project evolves 👌
Rami Obeidat -
Homebase
This is a really neat idea. WP core's been giving me similar vibes to Tiddlywiki in its capability towards extensibility and this plugin solidifies that idea in my mind. I'd be interested in having other providers available for use with quick search - and even an option to fall back to the normal Ctrl+K behavior. But this is a great enhancement of WP Admin for my personal use-case as-is and really makes my personal site feel like home.
speff
OpenStation alternatives
Plugins that solve the same problem, ranked by how closely they overlap with OpenStation.
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Ozh' Admin Drop Down Menu 2,000+ installs · 4.9 -
WP Hide Dashboard 2,000+ installs · 5.0 -
Erident Custom Login and Dashboard 7,000+ installs · 4.9 -
Widget Disable 10,000+ installs · 4.8 -
Publish to Schedule 3,000+ installs · 4.3
Details
A windowed workspace for wp-admin. Open posts, media, and settings side by side, with a dock, virtual desktops, and a Cmd+K palette.
The full description, screenshots and every review live on the WordPress.org page.
Tags
- admin
- AI
- dashboard
- desktop
- productivity
More from Daniel López Sánchez
-
AllTerrain Photo Editor 10+ installs
- Version
- 1.1.6
- Last updated
- Sep 4, 2026
- First published
- May 7, 2026
- Requires WordPress
- 6.0
- Tested up to
- 7.1
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
- Pricing
- Free on WordPress.org
OpenStation FAQ
What does OpenStation do?
According to its WordPress.org readme, OpenStation offers What is sent: the user’s prompt, the conversation history for the active session, and tool-call metadata. The plugin’s built-in tools (search_posts, When it is sent: on user-initiated AI requests, and (if an administrator enables “Score new comments with AI”) on comment-save hooks for spam analysis. Posts, Why it is sent: to obtain model completions and tool-call decisions that drive the AI Assistant and Who provides the service: whichever provider you configured in Settings → Connectors. Which provider (and endpoint) receives the data depends entirely on that.
How many active installs does OpenStation have?
WordPress.org reports 2,000+ active installs for OpenStation as of September 7, 2026.
Is OpenStation still maintained?
Yes. The last release was on September 4, 2026 and it is tested up to WordPress 7.1.
Does OpenStation have good support?
On the WordPress.org forum, 0 of 1 recent support threads for OpenStation are marked resolved. That is the developer's free support; a paid version usually comes with its own channel.
Is OpenStation free?
OpenStation is free to install from WordPress.org. Many plugins also sell a paid version or add-ons.