What Is the Disable Core Sitemaps feature?
WordPress 5.5 (released August 2020) added a built-in XML sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml. It’s a basic sitemap that includes all public post types, taxonomies, and users. For many sites, this is the only sitemap they need.
For sites running a dedicated SEO plugin (Yoast SEO, RankMath, SEOPress, etc.), the built-in sitemap creates a problem: two sitemaps, one of which is canonical and one of which is not. Submitting both to Google Search Console can cause:
- Duplicate sitemap entries
- Confusion about which is the canonical sitemap
- Sitemap errors in Search Console
- Wasted crawl budget
Disable Core Sitemaps turns off the built-in sitemap, leaving your SEO plugin’s sitemap as the only one. This is the recommended setup for any site running a dedicated SEO plugin.
Why You Need It
The built-in sitemap is functional but minimal:
- No priority or changefreq hints (most SEO plugins add these)
- No image sitemap (most SEO plugins add this)
- No news sitemap (if you run a news site)
- No control over which post types or taxonomies are included
If you’re already running a full SEO plugin, the built-in sitemap is redundant. Disable it so the SEO plugin’s sitemap is the only one.
How to Use Disable Core Sitemaps in Classic Monks
Step 1: Navigate to Settings
Click into the Classic Monks plugin settings in your WordPress dashboard.
Step 2: Go to the Content Subtab
Click on the Core menu, then click the Content subtab.
Step 3: Enable Disable Core Sitemaps
Scroll to the SEO and Visibility section and toggle on Disable Core Sitemaps.
Step 4: Save Changes
Click Save Changes.
Step 5: Verify
Visit https://yoursite.com/wp-sitemap.xml in a browser. The page should return a 404 (or a “sitemap not found” message) instead of the built-in sitemap.
Step 6: Update Google Search Console
If you previously submitted the built-in sitemap to Google Search Console, remove it and submit your SEO plugin’s sitemap instead. Common replacements:
- Yoast SEO:
/sitemap_index.xml - RankMath:
/sitemap_index.xmlor/sitemaps.xml - SEOPress:
/sitemaps.xml
Configuration Options
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Core Sitemaps | Master toggle. | Off |
No nested options.
What Gets Disabled
When the toggle is on, WordPress’s built-in sitemap system is fully disabled:
| Endpoint | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
/wp-sitemap.xml |
Returns the sitemap index | Returns 404 |
/wp-sitemap-posts-post-1.xml |
Returns posts sitemap | Returns 404 |
/wp-sitemap-taxonomies-1.xml |
Returns taxonomies sitemap | Returns 404 |
/wp-sitemap-users-1.xml |
Returns users sitemap | Returns 404 |
/robots.txt includes Sitemap: /wp-sitemap.xml |
Yes | No |
wp_sitemaps filter and wp_sitemaps_index filter |
Active | Inactive (filters removed) |
What Does NOT Get Disabled
- Your SEO plugin’s sitemap: Yoast, RankMath, etc. continue to generate their own sitemaps independently
- WordPress’s other XML-RPC and feed endpoints:
/feed/,/comments/feed/, etc. are unaffected - Custom sitemaps from other plugins: If you have a separate sitemap plugin (e.g., for a custom post type), it continues to work
Developer Notes
This feature is a single toggle with no developer hooks currently exposed. The feature-specific logic is loaded conditionally when the toggle is enabled.
Options used:
| Option | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Feature toggle | Boolean | false |
Troubleshooting
The built-in sitemap is still showing after enabling
Cause: A caching plugin or CDN is serving a cached version of the sitemap. The toggle only affects new requests; cached responses are still served.
Fix: Clear all caching layers (page cache, object cache, CDN). Most caching plugins have a “purge all” option. For CDNs (Cloudflare, etc.), trigger a manual purge.
The SEO plugin’s sitemap is also being affected
Cause: A SEO plugin with a poorly-coded sitemap integration is reading the core sitemap and assuming it’s still active.
Fix: This is rare. Verify the SEO plugin’s sitemap is generated by the plugin itself, not by reading the core sitemap. If the SEO plugin depends on the core sitemap, the SEO plugin’s code needs to be updated.
The toggle has no effect
Cause: A SEO plugin has a filter that re-enables the core sitemap, or a custom plugin is re-registering the sitemap.
Fix: Check for wp_sitemaps_add_provider filters in custom code. Some SEO plugins have a setting like “Use WordPress core sitemap” that re-enables the built-in. Disable that setting.
Search Console is showing sitemap errors
Cause: You previously submitted the core sitemap to Google Search Console. After disabling it, Search Console tries to fetch the now-404’d sitemap and reports errors.
Fix: Remove the old sitemap from Search Console (Settings > Sitemaps in the legacy Search Console or via the new URL Inspection API). Submit the new sitemap from your SEO plugin. Errors clear within a few days of the next crawl.
I want to keep the core sitemap but add my own
Cause: The toggle fully disables the core sitemap.
Fix: Don’t enable the toggle. Instead, register a custom sitemap provider via the wp_sitemaps_register_providers filter (see Advanced Options). The core sitemap and your custom sitemap will run side by side.