Jetpack server could not communicate with your site’s XML-RPC URL

Hi Min ??

So, something interesting is happening here. When I send a browser request for https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php, I see the expected response:

XML-RPC server accepts POST requests only.

However, when I add the for=jetpack parameter to the URL as in https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack, which is how we can test to see if Jetpack is being blocked specifically. I see a different response:

<script>window.location.replace("https://makethisdaygood.com/main");window.location.href = "https://makethisdaygood.com/main";</script>XML-RPC server accepts POST requests only.

There are obviously extra characters there. By who? I can’t say. I reckon it’s one of your active plugins or theme even.

For some additional context, when querying sites via XML-RPC, we do so by adding that URL parameter. This is done, in major part, so hosts, et al, who want to block XML-RPC access can do so while still making it possible for Jetpack to function. They can whitelist for=jetpack with the assurance that only our XML-RPC methods can execute with our security for those methods.

The quickest way to figure out if something is interfering is to test for a theme or plugin conflict. I know it’s less than ideal, but could you please try the following:

• Temporarily deactivate all the site’s plugins except for Jetpack and clear your browser’s cache. Then try opening https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack and inspecting the response again. If you no longer see any extra characters, then we’ll know that another plugin is conflicting here. You can re-enable your plugins one by one while opening https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack and inspecting the response in between until you find the one causing the conflict. You can leave it disabled or reach out to the plugin developer for a fix.
• If disabling plugins doesn’t reveal anything, it may be the theme. Temporarily switch your theme to a WordPress default theme like Twenty Twenty-One. Then try opening https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack and inspecting the response again. If you no longer see any extra characters, then you know it’s a problem with the theme, and you can reach out to the theme developer for a fix.

If you’re worried about doing this sort of troubleshooting on a live site, depending on how knowledgeable you are about what each of the plugins does on your site, you might have to take a guess at what could be interfering and disable just that plugin. Hopefully, that won’t be a shot in the dark. ??

Cheers,
Daniel.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Daniel.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Daniel.

Hi Daniel,
Thank you very much for replying.
Could you tell me how you see the extra characters, as when I try https://bwhc.org.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack I don’t see the extra characters only the line you would expect to see. I do find it interesting the url in the characters you did find (https://makethisdaygood.com/main) as I am trying to figure out where this is located as I think it is causing time out issues on my site.

I will try deactivating the relevant plugins, but it is hard to test when I do not see the extra characters…am I doing something incorrectly

cheers
Min

as a really weird followup, if I click on your link above I can see the characters in the line, but if I cut and paste or type the url directly into the browser I get the line you would expect to see if xmlrpc.php is working correctly, so 2 totally different responses dependant on how you access the file.

That is really strange.. ??

Hi Min,

The difference between https://example.au/xmlrpc.php and https://example.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack is the extra parameter: ?for=jetpack

That extra parameter allows us to see what Jetpack sees when trying to communicate with the XML-RPC file. If we view the XML-RPC file on its own (https://example.au/xmlrpc.php?for=jetpack), that’s us viewing from our own IPs, so if Jetpack is being blocked, we won’t see that. But if Jetpack is being blocked, then the ?for=jetpack parameter is more likely to show that.

Here is what we are seeing for XML-RPC URL with an extra parameter: https://prnt.sc/218af1d

I recommend you reach to your host in order to get help in the right direction for this issue. They might be able to figure out what is the source of the issue.