> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bymiles.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Site protection

> Use Miles carefully in Sandbox, Staging, and Development WordPress environments.

Miles can make powerful changes to WordPress sites. Use it in a Sandbox, Staging, or Development environment where maintained backups let you restore the site if needed.

## Locked vs unlocked

| State             | Meaning                                                                                                                          |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Miles is locked   | Miles can plan, inspect, draft, and ask for approval before applying publishing or destructive changes.                          |
| Miles is unlocked | Miles can make publishing or destructive changes without stopping for approval. Use this only in an environment you can restore. |

The button appears near the chat input for WordPress administrators and is labelled **Miles is locked** or **Miles is unlocked**.

## Choose a safe environment

Use Miles only in one of these environments:

* **Sandbox** for disposable experiments and early exploration.
* **Staging** for a copy of a site where you can review realistic content and behavior.
* **Development** for local or team development work.

Keep a recent backup that includes the database, uploads, theme files, plugins, and settings. If you cannot restore the environment, stop and prepare a backup before making broad changes.

## Changes that may need approval

When Miles is locked, actions like these can require approval:

* publishing or editing pages or posts
* changing WordPress settings
* updating plugins or themes
* deleting content
* applying changes that publish or remove content

Unknown types of WordPress write are treated as protected instead of assumed safe.

If approval is needed, Miles shows an approval card with the requested changes. You can approve or deny the change.

For more detail, see [Approval cards and destructive changes](/safety/approval-cards).

## What locked mode does and does not do

Locked mode helps prevent accidental changes, but it does not replace human review.

| Locked mode helps with                                                  | You still need to review                                                             |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Page, settings, theme, plugin, and delete actions may require approval. | Copy, images, links, forms, pricing, claims, accessibility, SEO, and business facts. |
| New pages may be saved as drafts instead of published.                  | Whether drafts should be linked, set as homepage, added to navigation, or published. |
| Approval cards show the requested action before it runs.                | Whether the scope is too broad or should happen on staging first.                    |

## Unlocking Miles

Unlocking Miles means changes can happen immediately. The plugin requires an explicit confirmation before unlocking.

Only unlock Miles if you have backups, understand the risk, and can restore the site if something breaks.

Unlock only for scoped work in a Sandbox, Staging, or Development environment where you understand the effect and can restore the site.

## Draft-first behavior

On protected sites, Miles may save new pages as drafts. Draft pages remain unpublished until you choose to publish them.

Miles may also refuse to redesign an existing page in place while protection is on. That protects pages visitors may already see. Use a draft page for the redesign, review it, then decide how to publish.

## Your responsibility

Miles uses AI and automated actions. You are responsible for reviewing outputs and maintaining backups. Review important content before publishing, especially regulated claims, pricing, legal language, medical information, financial information, or anything that could affect customers.

Read [Backups and reviewing AI output](/safety/backups-and-review) before you begin.