How to Add Conditional Hooks (Run Code Only When Needed)

WordPress makes it easy to add actions and filters everywhere, but that convenience can turn into performance and
maintenance problems: heavy logic runs on every request, admin-only code runs on the front end, and expensive queries
run even when the feature isn’t used.

This article shows a practical, production-safe way to add conditional hooks so your code runs
only when needed—without breaking core behavior or creating hard-to-debug edge cases.

Why Conditional Hooks Matter

• Reduce unnecessary work on every request (especially on high-traffic sites)
• Prevent admin-only logic from affecting front-end requests
• Keep integrations scoped (WooCommerce/ACF/etc.)
• Make code easier to reason about (feature boundaries are clear)

Core Rule: Conditionals Must Run at the Right Time

Many WordPress conditional tags (is_page(), is_singular(), is_category(), etc.)
depend on the main query. They do not work reliably before WordPress has parsed the request.

Practical guidance:

• Use is_admin() early (safe)
• Use plugin/class checks early (safe)
• Use template/query conditionals after wp or inside template_redirect, wp_enqueue_scripts, etc.

1) Conditional Hooks by Request Context (Admin vs Front End)

Load Admin-Only Hooks

<?php
if ( is_admin() ) {
  add_action( 'admin_init', 'wpct_admin_init' );
  add_action( 'admin_menu', 'wpct_admin_menu' );
}

function wpct_admin_init(): void {
  // Admin-only logic here.
}

function wpct_admin_menu(): void {
  // Admin menus here.
}

This prevents admin hooks from ever registering on the front end.

Skip Hooks During AJAX Requests

Some hooks run in admin-ajax.php where you don’t want UI logic.

<?php
add_action( 'admin_init', function () {
  if ( wp_doing_ajax() ) {
    return;
  }

  // Normal admin request logic.
} );

2) Conditional Hooks by Plugin Availability

Never register WooCommerce/ACF logic unguarded.
If the plugin is disabled, you risk fatals or wasted hooks.

WooCommerce Conditional Hooks

<?php
if ( class_exists( 'WooCommerce' ) ) {
  add_filter( 'woocommerce_product_add_to_cart_text', 'wpct_wc_button_text', 10, 2 );
}

function wpct_wc_button_text( $text, $product ) {
  return $text;
}

ACF Conditional Hooks

<?php
if ( defined( 'ACF_VERSION' ) ) {
  add_filter( 'acf/format_value/type=text', 'wpct_acf_format_text', 10, 3 );
}

function wpct_acf_format_text( $value, $post_id, $field ) {
  return $value;
}

3) Conditional Hooks by Screen (Admin Screen Targeting)

If your code is only needed on specific admin screens (post editor, taxonomy screens),
gate it using current_screen.

<?php
add_action( 'current_screen', function ( $screen ) {
  if ( ! $screen ) {
    return;
  }

  // Only on post editor screens.
  $targets = array( 'post', 'page' );
  if ( ! in_array( (string) $screen->id, $targets, true ) ) {
    return;
  }

  add_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', 'wpct_enqueue_editor_assets' );
} );

function wpct_enqueue_editor_assets(): void {
  // Load editor-only scripts/styles.
}

This keeps editor assets from loading on unrelated admin screens.

4) Conditional Hooks by Page Template / Route

Front-end conditionals should run after WordPress knows what the request is.
A safe place is wp_enqueue_scripts or template_redirect.

Load Scripts Only on a Specific Template

<?php
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
  if ( ! is_page_template( 'templates/landing.php' ) ) {
    return;
  }

  wp_enqueue_script( 'landing', get_template_directory_uri() . '/assets/js/landing.js', array(), '1.0.0', true );
}, 20 );

Run Redirect Logic Only on a Specific Page

<?php
add_action( 'template_redirect', function () {
  if ( ! is_page( 123 ) ) {
    return;
  }

  if ( ! is_user_logged_in() ) {
    wp_safe_redirect( wp_login_url( get_permalink() ) );
    exit;
  }
} );

5) Conditional Filters: Add Them Only When Needed

Some filters can be expensive (e.g., manipulating SQL, rewriting content).
Instead of always applying them, attach them only when required.

Attach a Filter Only on Search Requests

<?php
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', function ( $query ) {
  if ( is_admin() ) {
    return;
  }

  if ( ! $query->is_main_query() ) {
    return;
  }

  if ( ! $query->is_search() ) {
    return;
  }

  add_filter( 'posts_where', 'wpct_search_posts_where', 10, 2 );
} );

function wpct_search_posts_where( $where, $query ) {
  // Modify WHERE only for search main query.
  return $where;
}

Important: if you add filters dynamically like this, consider removing them after use
when there’s a risk they affect other queries.

Attach and Remove a Filter for One Query Only

<?php
function wpct_run_query_with_temp_filter(): array {
  add_filter( 'posts_orderby', 'wpct_custom_orderby', 10, 2 );

  $q = new WP_Query( array(
    'post_type'      => 'post',
    'posts_per_page' => 10,
  ) );

  remove_filter( 'posts_orderby', 'wpct_custom_orderby', 10 );

  return $q->posts;
}

function wpct_custom_orderby( $orderby, $query ) {
  return $orderby;
}

6) Conditional Hooks by Block Presence (Only When a Block Exists)

If you only need assets when a block exists on the page, detect it and enqueue conditionally.

<?php
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
  if ( ! is_singular() ) {
    return;
  }

  $post_id = get_queried_object_id();
  if ( ! $post_id ) {
    return;
  }

  $content = get_post_field( 'post_content', $post_id );
  if ( ! is_string( $content ) || $content === '' ) {
    return;
  }

  if ( has_block( 'core/gallery', $content ) ) {
    wp_enqueue_script( 'gallery-enhancements', get_template_directory_uri() . '/assets/js/gallery.js', array(), '1.0.0', true );
  }
}, 20 );

This avoids loading feature scripts on pages that don’t use them.

7) Conditional Hooks by Environment (Local/Staging/Production)

Debug hooks should never run in production unless explicitly enabled.
Gate them by environment.

<?php
function wpct_is_staging(): bool {
  $host = isset( $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] ) ? (string) $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] : '';
  return $host !== '' && strpos( $host, 'stg.' ) === 0;
}

if ( wpct_is_staging() ) {
  add_action( 'wp_footer', function () {
    echo '<p>STAGING</p>';
  } );
}

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using is_page() before WordPress resolves the main query (too early)
• Registering heavy filters globally when only a few routes need them
• Forgetting to remove temporary filters after a specific query
• Not guarding plugin-specific hooks
• Loading assets everywhere “just in case”

Summary

• Use early-safe conditions (is_admin(), plugin checks) to register only relevant hooks
• Use query/template-aware hooks (wp_enqueue_scripts, template_redirect, current_screen) for conditional tags
• Attach expensive filters only on the requests that need them
• Remove temporary filters when scoping to a single query
• Gate debug code by environment

Conditional hooks are one of the simplest ways to keep WordPress codebases fast and maintainable:
register less, run less, and keep feature logic scoped to where it actually matters.

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