WordPress to Threads

A WordPress plugin that automatically posts your blog posts to Threads with smart character limit handling and URL shortening.

Features

• Automatic Posting: Posts to Threads when you publish a new blog post
• Character Limit Handling: Automatically truncates long posts to fit Threads' 500 character limit
• URL Shortening: Uses Bitly to shorten URLs for long posts
• Manual Posting: Post existing blog posts to Threads with one click
• OAuth Integration: Secure authorization flow compliant with Meta's API requirements
• Duplicate Prevention: Tracks which posts have been shared to prevent duplicates
• GDPR Compliance: Includes data deletion endpoints for user privacy

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• A Meta for Developers account
• A Threads account
• A Bitly account (optional, for URL shortening)

Installation

1. Download the plugin files
2. Upload the WordpressToThreads folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
3. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
4. Go to Settings → WordPress to Threads to configure

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Create a Threads App

1. Go to Meta for Developers
2. Click "My Apps" and create a new app
3. Select "Other" as the app type
4. Add the Threads product to your app
5. Note your App ID and App Secret

Step 2: Configure OAuth Redirect URLs

In your Meta app settings, add these OAuth redirect URIs:

• https://yourdomain.com/?threads_oauth_action=redirect
• https://yourdomain.com/?threads_oauth_action=deauthorize
• https://yourdomain.com/?threads_oauth_action=data_deletion

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain.

Step 3: Get Bitly Access Token (Optional)

1. Go to Bitly and create an account
2. Go to Settings → Developer Settings
3. Generate a new access token
4. Copy the token for use in the plugin

Step 4: Configure the Plugin

1. In WordPress, go to Settings → WordPress to Threads
2. Enter your Threads App ID and Threads App Secret
3. Enter your Bitly Access Token (optional)
4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Authorize with Threads
6. Complete the OAuth authorization on Threads
7. You'll be redirected back with authorization complete

Usage

Automatic Posting

Once configured, the plugin will automatically post to Threads whenever you publish a new blog post. The plugin will:

1. Take your post title and content
2. Check if it fits within Threads' 500 character limit
3. If too long, truncate the content and add a shortened URL
4. Post to your Threads account
5. Mark the post as "posted" to prevent duplicates

Manual Posting

To post existing blog posts:

1. Go to Settings → WordPress to Threads
2. Scroll down to Manual Post to Threads
3. You'll see a table of your recent posts with their status
4. Click Post to Threads next to any unposted content
5. Watch for success/error messages

Post Status Indicators

• ✅ Posted: The post has been shared to Threads
• 🟠 Not posted: The post hasn't been shared yet

Character Limit Handling

Threads has a 500 character limit. The plugin handles this intelligently:

1. Short posts: Posted as-is with title and content
2. Long posts: Content is truncated and a Bitly link is added
3. Very long titles: Title is truncated if needed to fit the URL

Example of a truncated post:

My Amazing Blog Post Title

This is the beginning of my blog post content that gets truncated when it's too long...

https://bit.ly/abc123

Settings

Enable Auto Posting

Enable or disable automatic posting when blog posts are published.

Threads App ID

Your App ID from Meta for Developers.

Threads App Secret

Your App Secret from Meta for Developers (stored securely).

Threads User ID

Your numeric Threads user ID (auto-populated during OAuth).

OAuth Authorization

Shows authorization status and provides authorize/deauthorize buttons.

Bitly Access Token

Your Bitly API token for URL shortening (optional).

API Endpoints

The plugin creates these endpoints for OAuth compliance:

• /?threads_oauth_action=redirect - OAuth callback
• /?threads_oauth_action=deauthorize - Remove authorization
• /?threads_oauth_action=data_deletion - GDPR data deletion

Troubleshooting

Authorization Issues

Problem: "Failed to authorize" error Solution:

• Check your App ID and App Secret are correct
• Verify redirect URLs are configured in Meta app settings
• Ensure your domain matches exactly (including www/non-www)

Posting Issues

Problem: Posts not appearing on Threads Solution:

• Check error logs in WordPress (Tools → Site Health → Info → WordPress Constants → WP_DEBUG_LOG)
• Verify your authorization is still valid
• Try re-authorizing the plugin

Character Limit Issues

Problem: Posts are getting cut off unexpectedly Solution:

• The plugin accounts for URLs in the character count
• Very long titles may be truncated to fit the Bitly link
• Consider shorter, more concise post titles

Support

For issues and feature requests, please check:

• WordPress error logs
• Plugin settings configuration
• OAuth authorization status

Privacy & Data

The plugin stores:

• Your Threads access token (encrypted)
• Your Threads user ID
• Post metadata indicating what's been shared
• Bitly access token (if provided)

All data can be removed using the deauthorization feature or GDPR endpoints.

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release
• Automatic posting to Threads
• Character limit handling
• URL shortening with Bitly
• Manual posting interface
• OAuth integration
• GDPR compliance

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details