From 1b31cb574e7d3926e53211b0cae5d184806fcc2e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: herbygitea <tjcherb@plantbasedsoutherner.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:00:52 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] Create cloudflare-cache-rules.md via n8n

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 PBS/Tech/Sessions/cloudflare-cache-rules.md | 86 +++++++++++++++++++++
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 create mode 100644 PBS/Tech/Sessions/cloudflare-cache-rules.md

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+---
+project: cloudflare-cache-rules
+type: session-notes
+status: active
+tags:
+  - pbs
+  - cloudflare
+  - caching
+  - production
+  - wordpress
+created: 2026-03-30
+updated: 2026-03-30
+path: PBS/Tech/Sessions/
+---
+
+# Cloudflare Cache Rules - Fix & Cleanup - March 30, 2026
+
+## Problem
+
+After production server migration (clone → update → promote), Cloudflare cache broke admin functionality. Jenny's post edits were reverting on save — the editor was serving stale cached versions of wp-admin pages. Both the IP-based bypass rule and the wp-admin path bypass rule were failing.
+
+## Root Causes Found
+
+### 1. Cloudflare Cache Rules use "last match wins"
+Unlike Page Rules (first match wins), Cache Rules are **stackable** — all matching rules apply, and for conflicting settings, the **last matching rule wins**. Our bypass rules were ordered above the Cache Everything rule, so Cache Everything was always winning.
+
+### 2. Missing leading slashes on URI paths
+The wp-admin bypass rule had `wp-admin` instead of `/wp-admin`, so it never matched actual request paths like `/wp-admin/post.php`.
+
+### 3. Invalid n8n/Gitea entries in path rules
+Full URLs (`https://n8n.plantbasedsoutherner.com`) were in URI Path filters, which only match path portions (like `/wp-admin/`). These entries were doing nothing. n8n and Gitea already have Cloudflare proxy disabled, so cache rules aren't needed for them.
+
+### 4. Staging URL contamination
+473 references to `staging.plantbasedsoutherner.com` were baked into the WordPress database from the server migration — post content, Elementor data, postmeta, GUIDs, and plugin caches.
+
+## What We Fixed
+
+### Cache Rule Reordering
+Moved Cache Everything to position **1** (top) with bypass rules below it. Since last match wins, the bypass rules now correctly override caching.
+
+**Current rule order:**
+1. Cache Everything (2hr Edge TTL, 1 day Browser TTL, serve stale while revalidating)
+2. Bypass Cache - PBS Admins (cookie: `pbs_admin_bypass`)
+3. Bypass Cache - WP Admin Paths (`/wp-admin`, `/wp-login.php`)
+4. Bypass Cache - WooCommerce (`/cart`, `/checkout`, `/my-account`, `woocommerce` cookie)
+
+### URI Path Fixes
+- Added leading slashes: `/wp-admin`, `/wp-login.php`, `/cart`, `/checkout`, `/my-account`
+- Removed invalid full-URL entries for n8n and Gitea
+
+### Cookie-Based Admin Bypass
+- Replaced IP-based bypass with custom `pbs_admin_bypass` cookie
+- Confirmed working via Cloudflare Trace and DevTools (`CF-Cache-Status: DYNAMIC`)
+- Cookie set manually in DevTools for now — WPCode snippet for auto-set on admin login is next
+
+### Staging URL Cleanup
+- Ran WP-CLI search-replace inside Docker container:
+  ```
+  docker exec -it wordpress wp search-replace 'staging.plantbasedsoutherner.com' 'plantbasedsoutherner.com' --all-tables --allow-root
+  ```
+- 473 replacements made across wp_posts, wp_postmeta, and GUIDs
+- Flushed Redis object cache: `wp cache flush --allow-root`
+- Manually cleared stale plugin caches: Jetpack site icon, Astra partials cache
+- Deleted `astra_partials_config_cache` from wp_options to force regeneration
+
+### Debugging Tools Used
+- Cloudflare **Trace** (Rules → Trace): Simulates a request and shows which rules match in order — confirmed both bypass and Cache Everything were firing, with Cache Everything winning
+- Browser DevTools Network tab: Checked `CF-Cache-Status` response header
+- `curl` blocked by Cloudflare bot challenge (Bot Fight Mode) — use DevTools instead
+
+## Key Learnings
+
+- **Cloudflare Cache Rules: last match wins** — opposite of Page Rules. Put broad rules first, specific overrides below.
+- **URI Path filters only match paths** — never full URLs with hostnames
+- **Always include leading slashes** in URI path filters (`/wp-admin` not `wp-admin`)
+- **Server cloning contaminates URLs** — always run `wp search-replace` after migrating/cloning WordPress between environments
+- **WP-CLI handles serialized data safely** — never do raw SQL find-and-replace on WordPress content (Elementor data can break)
+- **`wp-config.php` tip**: Add `define('FS_METHOD', 'direct');` to suppress FTP credentials prompt in Docker
+
+## Still To Do
+
+- [ ] WPCode Lite snippet to auto-set `pbs_admin_bypass` cookie on admin login
+- [ ] Clean up Rule 2 extra expressions (leftover `tjherbranson` wildcard and `starts_with` conditions)
+- [ ] Create scoped Cloudflare API token (Zone.Cache Purge only)
+- [ ] Build n8n auto-purge workflow (WordPress publish/update → Cloudflare targeted cache purge)
+- [ ] Decide: auto-purge homepage on content updates?
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