Fix: 404 pages returning 200 OK with frontpage in Multisite#6
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Copilot wants to merge 1 commit intofix/verbose-page-rules-404from
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Fix: 404 pages returning 200 OK with frontpage in Multisite#6Copilot wants to merge 1 commit intofix/verbose-page-rules-404from
Copilot wants to merge 1 commit intofix/verbose-page-rules-404from
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[WIP] Fix 404 pages returning 200 OK in Multisite
Fix: 404 pages returning 200 OK with frontpage in Multisite
Jan 16, 2026
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WordPress Multisite enables
use_verbose_page_rulesby default, causing non-existent pages to return 200 OK with frontpage content instead of proper 404 responses.Changes
use_verbose_page_rulesininithook (priority 1) to override WordPress/Multisite defaultswp rewrite flushor save permalink settingsTechnical Details
The root cause: WordPress validates page existence before accepting rewrite matches. With verbose page rules enabled, failed matches fall back to frontpage with empty
query_varsand 200 status.Setting
use_verbose_page_rules = falsegenerates more specific rewrite rules that fail properly when pages don't exist, triggering correct 404 responses.Test Plan
/this/page/does/not/exist) → verify 404💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.