If the avatar shown in the Author Box is different from the fallback you expected, the reason is usually that the Author Box settings and the global avatar fallback system are not always the same thing.
Molongui Authorship keeps backward compatibility with the Author Box avatar configuration while also applying the newer global avatar settings.
Author Box settings and global avatar settings are different
The Author Box can have its own:
- Avatar Source
- Fallback
These settings determine how the avatar is resolved specifically inside the Author Box.
The global avatar settings under Authors > Settings > General determine which avatar sources are available across the plugin.
Why can the WordPress Default Avatar appear?
If Gravatar is enabled and the active Author Box flow reaches Gravatar without a custom Molongui fallback taking over, WordPress can use the Default Avatar configured under:
Settings > Discussion > Default Avatar
This is part of the normal WordPress/Gravatar avatar flow.
What about the Author Box default Gravatar setting?
Existing Author Box configurations may use their own historical Gravatar fallback setting.
Molongui Authorship preserves that behavior for backward compatibility in legacy Author Box flows.
This means that an Author Box configured before the newer global avatar system may not always resolve avatars in exactly the same way as a new source="auto" shortcode or another component using the global avatar logic.
What happens if the Custom Default Avatar is enabled?
If Use a custom default avatar is enabled under Authors > Settings > General, Molongui Authorship can use that image as the fallback in the normal global avatar flow.
However, an explicit Author Box fallback such as Acronym or None keeps its intended behavior.
What happens if Gravatar is disabled globally?
If Use Gravatar for author avatars is disabled, the Author Box cannot force Gravatar back on.
Global avatar settings act as master switches.
For example, if Gravatar is disabled and the Author Box is configured to use Gravatar, Molongui Authorship must fall back to another permitted source or display nothing, depending on the configuration.
How to make the Author Box behavior more predictable
Review both the global avatar settings and the Author Box avatar settings:
- Go to Authors > Settings.
- Open the General tab and review the global Author Avatar settings.
- Then open the Author Box settings.
- Review the configured Avatar Source.
- Review the configured Fallback.
- Save the settings.
Which settings take priority?
A useful way to think about it is:
- Global settings decide which avatar sources are allowed.
- Author Box settings decide how those allowed sources are used inside the Author Box.
- Legacy Author Box settings are preserved where required for backward compatibility.
Still seeing an unexpected avatar?
Check the following:
- Whether Gravatar is enabled globally.
- Whether the Custom Default Avatar is enabled.
- Which Default Avatar is configured under Settings > Discussion.
- Which Avatar Source is selected in the Author Box settings.
- Which Fallback is selected in the Author Box settings.
