WordPress.DB.SlowDBQuery.slow_db_query_meta_query
slow db query meta query
A query pattern is likely to be slow on larger WordPress sites.
Why It Shows Up
The scan found query arguments such as broad meta queries, tax queries, or unindexed lookups that commonly become expensive as content grows.
Why It Matters
A query that feels fine on a small test site can become a production bottleneck on large stores, membership sites, or publishers.
How to Fix
- Avoid broad `meta_query`, `tax_query`, and unindexed searches on front-end requests when possible.
- Cache expensive results with transients, object cache, or precomputed data.
- Add narrower constraints, pagination, and indexes when custom tables are appropriate.
References
Affected Plugins
| Rank | Plugin | Score | Errors | Warnings | Installs | Added | Updated | Top Issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #851 | Injection Guard | 37 | 86 | 45 | 1k+ | Unsafe printing function | ||
| #852 | Job Manager & Career – Manage job board listings, and recruitments | 37 | 112 | 205 | 2k+ | Missing nonce verification | ||
| #853 | Language Switcher | 37 | 81 | 105 | 1k+ | Missing Translators Comment | ||
| #854 | LH Archived Post Status | 37 | 150 | 64 | 3k+ | Text Domain Mismatch | ||
| #855 | Meks Video Importer | 37 | 62 | 239 | 2k+ | Input is not sanitized | ||
| #856 | Ninja Van (MY) | 37 | 21 | 258 | 1k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #857 | Poptics – Popup Builder, Email Opt-ins, Exit-Intent & WooCommerce Popups Sales | 37 | 59 | 64 | 2k+ | SQL query is not prepared | ||
| #858 | RSS for Yandex Zen | 37 | 240 | 100 | 4k+ | Unsafe printing function | ||
| #859 | Sensei LMS Certificates | 37 | 97 | 362 | 4k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #860 | Time Clock – A WordPress Employee & Volunteer Time Clock Plugin | 37 | 166 | 107 | 500 | Output is not escaped | ||
| #861 | Tracking Script Manager | 37 | 82 | 57 | 2k+ | Non Singular String Literal Domain | ||
| #862 | ViaBill – WooCommerce | 37 | 437 | 81 | 500 | Text Domain Mismatch | ||
| #863 | Conditional Discounts for WooCommerce – A simple yet complete woocommerce dynamic pricing plugin | 37 | 99 | 33 | 10k+ | Text Domain Mismatch | ||
| #864 | Xendit Payment | 37 | 3 | 197 | 3k+ | Missing nonce verification | ||
| #865 | WP Plugin Info Card | 37 | 53 | 376 | 500 | Nonce verification recommended | ||
| #866 | TopNewsWp – Display Tikcer News, RSS Feed Widget and Many More | 37 | 878 | 59 | 800 | Output is not escaped | ||
| #867 | WP VR – 360 Panorama and Virtual Tour Builder | 37 | 3 | 275 | 10k+ | Non-prefixed hook name | ||
| #868 | Advanced Media Offloader | 38 | 57 | 93 | 5k+ | error log error log | ||
| #869 | Advanced Sermons | 38 | 833 | 184 | 1k+ | Unsafe printing function | ||
| #870 | Attachments | 38 | 238 | 66 | 8k+ | Unsafe printing function | ||
| #871 | Category Posts Widget | 38 | 153 | 26 | 40k+ | Output is not escaped | ||
| #872 | CC Child Pages | 38 | 63 | 152 | 9k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #873 | Elemailer Lite – Elementor email template & campaign builder | 38 | 44 | 50 | 5k+ | Output is not escaped | ||
| #874 | Responsive WordPress Slider – HG Slider | 38 | 67 | 75 | 7k+ | Missing nonce verification | ||
| #875 | jQuery Pin It Button for Images | 38 | 129 | 36 | 10k+ | Output is not escaped | ||
| #876 | Jupiter X Core | 38 | 71 | 767 | 80k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #877 | Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder | 38 | 3 | 252 | 10k+ | Dynamic hook name | ||
| #878 | Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets | 38 | 117 | 48 | 3k+ | Output is not escaped | ||
| #879 | Mega Elements – Addons for Elementor | 38 | 170 | 57 | 10k+ | Output is not escaped | ||
| #880 | One Click Demo Import | 38 | 22 | 84 | 1m+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #881 | PDF Catalog for WooCommerce | 38 | 30 | 46 | 1k+ | Nonce verification recommended | ||
| #882 | WP REST API – OAuth 1.0a Server | 38 | 100 | 85 | 8k+ | Text Domain Mismatch | ||
| #883 | SimpleShop | 38 | 52 | 51 | 1k+ | date date | ||
| #884 | Subscriptions & Memberships for PayPal | 38 | 73 | 237 | 900 | Request data is not unslashed | ||
| #885 | Broadcast | 38 | 21 | 107 | 1k+ | Direct Query | ||
| #886 | WholesaleX – B2B & Wholesale Plugin for WooCommerce with Wholesale Prices | 38 | 40 | 180 | 2k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #887 | Products Coming Soon for WooCommerce | 38 | 151 | 62 | 700 | Output is not escaped | ||
| #888 | WP Accessibility Helper (WAH) | 38 | 61 | 88 | 10k+ | Missing direct file access protection | ||
| #889 | Accounting for WooCommerce | 39 | 87 | 115 | 500 | Unsafe printing function | ||
| #890 | Additional Order Filters for WooCommerce | 39 | 79 | 255 | 2k+ | Nonce verification recommended | ||
| #891 | Affiliate Links – Link Cloaking and Management | 39 | 23 | 113 | 3k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #892 | Andreani WooCommerce | 39 | 21 | 86 | 700 | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #893 | bbPress Voting | 39 | 27 | 53 | 500 | Output is not escaped | ||
| #894 | Culqi | 39 | 571 | 88 | 1k+ | Text Domain Mismatch | ||
| #895 | Datalogics Ecommerce Delivery – Datalogics | 39 | 13 | 115 | 500 | Nonce verification recommended | ||
| #896 | Duplicate Killer – Prevent Duplicate Form Submissions | 39 | 57 | 103 | 1k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #897 | Easy PayPal Events & Tickets | 39 | 28 | 550 | 1k+ | Request data is not unslashed | ||
| #898 | Email Marketing by EmailOctopus | 39 | 43 | 62 | 3k+ | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #899 | Flex Import | 39 | 15 | 140 | 500 | Non-prefixed global variable | ||
| #900 | Gutenverse News – News Blocks for Blog & Magazine Sites | 39 | 37 | 65 | 800 | Non-prefixed hook name |
