=== MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection ===
Contributors: madcatdesign
Tags: contact form 7, spam protection, honeypot, gdpr, forms
Requires at least: 6.5
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 8.1
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Standalone spam protection for Contact Form 7 with local checks, honeypots, runtime signals and logs. No external captcha.

== Description ==

MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection is a privacy-conscious, standalone form protection plugin for WordPress. It protects contact forms and lead forms without forcing visitors through intrusive captcha challenges and without requiring an external verification service.

The core protection flow runs locally inside WordPress. It does not require Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile or another third-party captcha provider. This makes the plugin especially useful for GDPR-conscious websites that want to reduce external dependencies and avoid sending visitor interaction data to external anti-spam services.

Instead of relying on one simple honeypot field, the plugin uses a modular, signal-based protection model. It combines server-side validation, form state checks, timing signals, honeypot fields, behavioral indicators and integration-specific context. These signals are scored together, so automated submissions can be evaluated more accurately than with a single check alone.

The plugin is lightweight and performance-conscious. The protection logic is handled locally in WordPress and does not add heavy frontend dependencies or external captcha requests to your forms.

The free core plugin includes the shared protection engine, base signal checks, honeypot checks, Contact Form 7 integration and an admin log view. Additional integrations and advanced policy controls can be added through separate extension plugins.

= Key Features =

* Privacy-conscious form protection for WordPress.
* Standalone local protection flow without external captcha services.
* No Google reCAPTCHA or third-party verification service required.
* Contact Form 7 integration included in the free plugin.
* Multi-signal scoring for timing, form state, behavior and submission context.
* Honeypot checks combined with behavioral and request-context analysis.
* Server-side validation inside WordPress.
* Structured logs for reviewing blocked and accepted submissions.
* Configurable log retention and maintenance actions.
* Lightweight checks without heavy frontend dependencies.
* Extension-ready architecture for additional form builders and advanced controls.

= Included Modules =

* Forms Protection Core: shared validation engine, signal matrix, logging and admin screens.
* Base Signals: common runtime and request checks used by the protection engine.
* Honeypots: hidden-field checks for automated bot submissions.
* Contact Form 7: integration layer for Contact Form 7 forms.

= Optional Extensions =

MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection is built as a modular system. Additional plugin packages can add more integrations or advanced configuration without changing the free core plugin.

Examples of optional extensions include:

* MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection for Bricks.
* MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection Pro.

These extensions are not required for the free plugin to protect supported forms.

= Privacy =

The plugin is designed for privacy-conscious and GDPR-conscious WordPress websites.

The core protection flow processes form protection signals locally inside WordPress. It does not require a third-party captcha provider and does not send visitor interaction data to an external verification service.

The plugin can store log entries in WordPress for administrative review. These logs help site owners understand accepted and blocked submissions. Site owners should configure log retention according to their own privacy policy and legal requirements.

= Requirements =

* WordPress 6.5 or higher.
* PHP 8.1 or higher.
* MCD Tools installed and activated.

= Support =

Support: support@madcatdesign.de
Website: https://madcatdesign.de

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate MCD Tools.
2. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/mcd-forms-protection` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen.
3. Activate MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection through the Plugins screen in WordPress.
4. Open the Forms Protection admin page to review logs and settings.
5. If you use Contact Form 7, enable protection for the forms you want to protect.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does the plugin require an external captcha service? =

No. The core protection flow does not require Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile or another external captcha provider. It uses local server-side checks, runtime signals, form state validation and honeypot fields.

= Is the plugin suitable for GDPR-conscious websites? =

Yes. The plugin is designed for privacy-conscious and GDPR-conscious WordPress websites. The core protection flow runs locally inside WordPress and does not send visitor interaction data to an external verification service.

Site owners are still responsible for their own privacy policy, legal setup and log retention configuration.

= Does the plugin support Contact Form 7? =

Yes. Contact Form 7 integration is included in the free plugin.

= Does the plugin support Bricks or BricksForge forms? =

Bricks and BricksForge support can be provided by the separate MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection for Bricks extension.

= What happens if an extension is not installed? =

The free core plugin continues to work with its included modules. Optional extension modules are only loaded when their extension plugin is installed and active.

= Can I review blocked submissions? =

Yes. The plugin includes an admin log view for reviewing form protection decisions and related signal details.

= Does the plugin replace every anti-spam solution? =

No anti-spam solution can guarantee 100% protection. MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection adds a practical local protection layer for WordPress forms by combining several lightweight signals instead of relying on one single check.

== Screenshots ==

1. Module overview in MCD Tools showing MAD CAT Design® Forms Protection as an enabled standalone protection module.
2. Protection log overview with filters, submission statistics and accepted or blocked form events.
3. Detailed log view with risk score, confidence score, triggered signals and message context.
4. Settings screen for configuring log retention and maintenance actions.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial public release of the modular Forms Protection plugin.
